Noise-canceling headphones and tightly sealed buildings have more in common than you might think.
Photo: Alphacolor 13. License: Public domain. In my early adult years, noise-canceling headphones were a luxury I didn’t feel I could afford. Then the price came down, the quality went up, I had a bit more disposable income … and I splurged. I love how they help me feel more relaxed when I’m on an airplane or a subway—but that pleasure comes with a distinct awareness of my privilege. The tin can I’m traveling in is still just as noisy, and others are still enduring the noise. I’ve just bought my way out.
It's not just me, and it's not just my headphones. Comfort for those who can afford it permeates our built environment. And those of us who are insulated from the discomforts of city life (including most policymakers) have little direct incentive to make changes that could benefit us all.
The solution to pollution is … not actually working for everyone
The poster children for this phenomenon are Class A office buildings and upscale apartments in a noisy, polluted urban center. Those of us with the means can opt out of those stressful, unhealthy conditions while others are stuck in them—either entirely unsheltered, or in buildings without the advantage of sealed glass windows and filtered, conditioned air.
I was reminded of that analogy—and injustice—last month when New York Governor Kathy Hochul killed New York City’s plans for traffic-congestion pricing at the last minute. By reducing midtown traffic, that policy (which has worked well in London and other cities globally) would have reduced noise and improved air quality and safety for everyone in those neighborhoods.
But what if the people with the resources to work or live in comfortable buildings weren’t so isolated from the noise and pollution of midtown? There might have been more political will (read: money) behind the policy, and maybe it would have stuck.
We’re so sheltered (literally)
When adapting and reusing an older building, designers and owners are often faced with a choice: they can keep (and repair) the existing operable windows and retain a connection to the outdoors, or they can replace them with fixed glazing and seal themselves off. The Empire State Realty Trust, working with RMI, kept the Empire State Building’s operable windows, and even retrofitted them onsite into triple glazing with an insulating film.
All too often, companies choose to replace those windows (more embodied carbon emitted) and seal themselves off. If the outdoor air were cleaner and the streets were less noisy, would they choose differently? What would it take to get them to invest in policy changes that make the environment better for everyone instead of spending that money to isolate themselves from the problems?
We win! (except everyone loses)
When the decision is made to go with sealed glazing, the pampered occupants inside lose out as well.
They may benefit from the better-controlled conditions, but they lose a connection to the outside world. There may not be much by way of plants and animals to connect with in an urban center, but there is still the option to feel connected to the world at large—at least when air quality and climate conditions allow.
That connection improves people’s perceptions of comfort, as Gail Brager, Ph.D., and others have demonstrated. Brager’s new book, coauthored with Mark DeKay, is meant to “help designers expand the delight, joy, serenity, and nature connections possible in buildings,” according to the publisher’s website. Human connections to natural light, dynamic breezes, and—perhaps most importantly—one another are at the heart of the 45 experiential design schemas displayed in four-page spreads throughout Brager’s and DeKay’s book.
Another green design pioneer, Randy Croxton, used to point out that the only time he ever got a standing ovation in a client meeting was when he told the staff of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that they would have operable windows in their new office building. Sometimes, you just need to read the room.
Let’s stand up for each other
But let’s come back to my magic headphones for a minute. I enjoy the comfort, but hate the way they cut me off from the people around me, and I worry that by not experiencing the same conditions as they do I’ll lose empathy for them. What does that mean for design decisions? Can we have our cake and eat it too, providing comfort and connection, both to people and environmental conditions?
What changes when we recognize that our work on the built environment affects everyone, not just our clients and the occupants of their buildings? When project teams consider the needs of people on the street as well as those of the people in the building, how does that change their design decisions?
That kind of attention can affect decisions well beyond the street-level facade. The impact of those choices might be cumulative and subtle, but it's no less important.
Malin, N. (2024, July 10). Bring the Noise! It Can Help You Listen. . Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/op-ed/bring-noise-it-can-help-you-listen
In reading your editorial, a historical parallel came to mind. That is the similarity between the current situation and that of London in the 1850s. Sewers, where they existed, were local, often open and always totally inadequate. London stank, especially in summer, and cholera was rampant. Joseph Bazalgette, chief engineer of the Metropolitan Board of Works, had been advocating for building a better, more comprehensive system since 1849, but politicians delayed as it didn’t really affect them much. Finally, during a heat wave in the summer of 1858, the Great Stink, as it was known, became so bad that even Parliament had to be vacated. Finally, they acted and authorised the building of a new system. Now, we have the modern equivalent of the Great Stink going on all around us, albeit more diffuse, in terms of pollution and extreme heat, exacerbated by climate change of course. As you point out, too many of us are isolated from it by distance, wealth, technology or other privilege. We in the buildings industry, and building owners and decision makers, need not only to take off the headphones, but to sniff the air and act on what our noses are telling us.
Thanks for the thoughtful piece. It is easy to ignore the plight of others, unless dead bodies (and monkeys falling from trees) are piling up in your town/city.
To build some empathy, building professionals and decision makers should be required to "walk a mile in the shoes" of others less fortunate to have shelter from the heat. The "Hot Seat" demonstration for the NY legislators, plus classroom visits, were very effective in finally passing some indoor heat legislation for schools. The heat exposure was only for minutes, but one can imagine how bad an 8 or 12 hour exposure would be. https://www.nysut.org/news/2024/may/sauna
Thanks, Nadav, for touching on an important topic that affects us all. Years ago, when computers and social networking were becoming a "thing", I attended a presentation for architects and spec writers that extolled the virtues of networking and immediate connection to other workers on your team. At the end of the presentation, I raised my hand and asked the presenter, "But, how do you get anything done if you're constantly being interrupted?" The entire audience said "Yeah!".
Most creative writers NEED to be surrounded by nature and by quiet in order to be creative. Most doctors acknowledge that healing of the body takes place in silence. When someone is in a hospital recovering from an illness, we bring them flowers or a plant - something that reminds them of nature - of the outdoors. Most people who have walked in a forest of 1000 year old redwood trees experiences the spiritual power of that ancient silence. When you take an inner city kid, who has never experienced silence, to a forest they freak out for a few days till they become accustomed to the silence. So perhaps some day our cities and towns will run entirely on non-polluting and quiet EVs - eliminating noise pollution is a step in the right direction. Connecting with the outdoors is another. And inviting nature into our buildings is another.
What I find refreshing now, is that LEEDv5 is beginning to address not just Decarbonization, but also Quality of Life issues and Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Issues. For example, the new Credit "Connecting with Nature" almost seems out of place amid the technolgical scrum of other Credits. I only wish they had the insight to stop calling the Category "Indoor Environmental Quality" and just call it "Environmental Quality". That would give us all mental permission to stop isolating the "Indoors" of our buildings from the "Outdoors", aka the rest of the natural world that we are a part of.
Thanks, Nadav, well put. In recent years I have seen and worked in conditions of extreme poverty (Haiti, Sao Paulo, Cairo, etc.), any one of which experiences was more than enough to knock me back on my sorry white boy ass. We are all prone to myopia, so it's super important to consider beyond the bubble -- beyond our endless conversations about how best to operate our new heat pump systems, or acquire extra LEED points. I know that you and anyone reading this know this, but it's still worth reminding each other, we who are so fortunate, that we have so much to give. Not out of guilt (a losing proposition), but from just recognizing the joy in giving back to anyone who is still hungry and cold/hot. Wow, what a time to be alive! Thanks again, B.
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