New England Conservatory

Since the New England Conservatory is an abutter to the site — at a distance of 18 inches at its closest point — the demolition raised concerns for the Conservatory, which houses sensitive spaces including music instruction rooms, recording studios and performance space in Brown Hall, Williams Hall and Jordan Hall.

To help protect performance and student use of the Conservatory from airborne and structurally-radiated noise intrusions, Acentech partnered with the Conservatory and the developer to establish construction-related noise and vibration thresholds. Acentech installed real-time monitoring systems, which provide live feedback and alerts to the construction superintendent and Conservatory, notifying of a breach in predetermined noise or vibration levels. Acentech placed its monitoring systems at five noise sensor positions on the roof and two vibration sensor positions on the foundation of the Conservatory building directly below critical listening and performance spaces.

The real-time monitoring systems have allowed construction to continue and the Conservatory to operate in a compatible and cooperative manner.