Project stage
Pre-build expansion
Real project • numbers authorized • client anonymized
A pre-build expansion study that reduced projected impact by 21 dBA before construction.
For a data center expansion in the South Central United States, Bouman Acoustics analyzed generator and cooling sources, modeled one square mile of surrounding impact, and developed a mitigation plan that materially reduced projected property-line levels before the project was built.
Core promise
Predict the noise path before construction. Verify the result after startup.
Bouman Acoustics supports project teams that need their compliance strategy to be both technically defensible and practically actionable.
Featured anonymized project
Data center expansion acoustic mitigation plan
This engagement involved an expansion already in design, with nearby homes and businesses creating sensitive acoustic exposure. The project team needed confidence that the facility could move forward without triggering ordinance risk, neighborhood impact, or low-frequency concern once the new infrastructure was operating.
This example summarizes the project drivers, modeling scope, mitigation package, and resulting compliance position.
Nearby receptors
Residential homes and businesses
Nighttime criterion
50 dBA at the property line
Modeled improvement
21 dBA reduction
Project context
The assignment centered on an expansion of an existing data center campus in a jurisdiction with strict nearby residential requirements. Bouman Acoustics was asked to help the owner and project team understand whether the planned buildout could comply before construction commitments were locked in.
Technical scope
The work included a 48-hour baseline measurement program, sound power review of planned equipment, ISO 9613 modeling across roughly one square mile, breakout evaluation for enclosed generation equipment, and a mitigation strategy built around barriers, silencers, fan selection, and placement refinement.
Resulting value
The final analysis gave the owner, design team, counsel, and stakeholders a clear path forward. The recommended mitigation package reduced risk materially and positioned the project to proceed with greater confidence that ordinance and internal requirements could be met.
Quantitative proof points
Measurable numbers carry more credibility than broad acoustic claims.
Baseline ambient level
62 dBA on site
Predicted pre-mitigation
79 dBA at the north property line
Predicted post-mitigation
58 dBA after mitigation
Expected outcome
Improved compliance position and reduced project risk
Mitigation measures
Acoustic barriers coordinated with the site layout
Generator exhaust and intake silencers
Cooling tower placement optimization
Low-noise fan selection and acoustic absorption treatments
Project outcome
Without mitigation, the project would not have been in local ordinance compliance and could have been forced to shut down. The mitigation plan developed brought the project into compliance and significantly reduced project risk.
What future case study additions can show
This is the type of evidence that tends to matter most to owners, developers, and counsel.
As additional projects are cleared for publication, Bouman Acoustics can continue building this section around ordinance criteria, baseline conditions, mitigation decisions, and verification outcomes.
Applicable ordinance criteria and the exact evaluation point used for compliance review
Baseline ambient measurements showing the pre-build acoustic environment
Predicted pre-mitigation and post-mitigation sound levels at the most critical receptors
Dominant source identification by equipment class, operating condition, or location
Mitigation measures recommended, modeled, and carried into the final design
A clear statement of whether the project is expected to comply or has demonstrated compliance