It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Edward (Eddie) recently; another talented and knowledgeable professional engineer who we have lost too soon.  A well rounded and professional team leader, who commanded a great level of respect from those who worked with him.

I first met Eddie when I moved to the UAE in 2006, although he had been in the region before me for a number of years.  Senior colleagues of mine were already familiar with his work and his solid reputation as a consistent and well-informed consultant, and recommended he be a first port of call when moving to the region.  A loyal member of the PMK team, in it’s various forms throughout the years, he was a regular point of contact for me when I needed a second opinion on an ambiguous or little-known piece of regulation or technical standard, or just a chat about the current state of the building industry. Always willing and happy to share his time and extensive knowledge with those around him, and was a strong supporter of simple and effective education on the topic of acoustics to those in the industry.  His input and presence will be greatly missed.

Paul Schwarz

Chairman MEAS

 

 

Update - 08 November 2020 - As the region is now largely back to activated and not under lockdown conditions, it has been suggested that noise studies for background noise would be closer to normal conditions than previously encountered.

The Middle East Acoustic Society would still adopt the protocols that have been adopted by our sister societies the IOA and the ANC. Please find here the recommended methods to use in the region should lockdown conditions occur again in your area.

The MEAS committee are looking for willing members of the acoustic community that can provide informative, technical presentation at our meetings. 

As many of you know, we hold quarterly meetings where a technical presentation is provided. Technical presentations should be informative about technical based solutions to Acoustic, Noise and Vibration problems with any claims of performance backed up by technical evidence rather than opinion. Presentations should not simply be a sales pitch of your products. 

If you would like the opportunity to present to the MEAS membership at one of our meetings please firstly read the MEAS TECHNICAL PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR PRESENTERS (click link to download pdf).

All technical presentations are to use the MEAS Technical Presentation MS PowerPoint® Template (click link to download pptx).

Please get in touch with MEAS secretary should you wish to present at one of the upcoming MEAS quarterly meetings to arrange a speaking slot.  

 

Page 15 of the October 2016 ME Construction News magazine features interviews with our acoustics colleagues Alanwar Dawood (PMK), Ian Knowles (Arup), Paul Schwarz (Design Confidence) and Thomas Philip (The Moov Group) talking on the additional value the acoustic discipline brings to projects:

Page 14 on the following link:

http://meconstructionnews.com/17665/me-consultant-october-2016

 

No matter how diligent architects and engineers are when specifying sound control measures in buildings, unless contractors follow basic rules when detailing and finishing, sound performance will be downgraded, and putting this right later can be difficult, and very costly. Jason Hird highlights some of the common problems found on site, and demonstrates that effective sound control demands good practices on site.

http://climatecontrolme.com/2013/10/sound-ideas/

Pointing out that while building codes in most other countries follow minimum acceptable standards and regulations to deal with acoustical issues, there is a lacuna in this area in the Middle East, Gerald Stewart advocates having a set of region-specific and enforceable codes to help curb noise in apartments.

http://climatecontrolme.com/2013/10/better-building-acoustics-some-sound-advice/

They’re often called in for big projects like theatres, but acoustic consultants are getting the silent treatment when it comes to residential developments

http://meconstructionnews.com/8362/acoustic-consultants-going-unheard-in-smaller-building-projects

Article on http://meconstructionnews.com/

Are you having issues with constant noise pollution in the UAE? How do you deal with it? Or, do you think we should accept that noise is a normal part of life in a growing city?

The Agenda with Tom Urquhart discusses... and includes an interview with Paul Schwarz, MEAS Chairman

https://omny.fm/shows/business-breakfast/the-agenda-noise-pollution-10-10-2016

 

MEAS Secretary Sarah Huskie and Chairman Paul Schwarz provided a technical presentation to the Chartered Institute of Building (www.ciob.org.uk) in September. 50 or so members of the Institute were present, a very healthy turnout.

MEAS members Sarah Huskie (MEAS Secretary) and Dominic Parkinson (Associate Consultant at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff) presented at the World Indoor Environment Quality Forum 2015 in Dubai.

The Middle East Acoustic Society website is now live!

This is the first time the Middle East Acoustic Society (MEAS) has had an online presence since its informal inception 7 years ago. This is the result of quite a few months of work and we are quite proud of our achievements so far. Why did we decide it was time for a website? Read on.