Project – Structural Isolation
Client – Melton Power Services Limited
AGS Noise Control Limited, working for a local electrical switchgear contractor were employed to devise a solution to a structural borne noise issue which was causing a newly refurbished 9th floor suite at one of London’s finest 5 star hotels, The Langham on Regents Street to be un-useable.
The problem had been identified as a 11,000V transformer located in a plant room on the roof of the hotel.
Following initial site investigations AGS suggested the problem might be solvable with the installation of an isolating material fitted between the transformer and the plant room concrete floor. However, even seeing the actual transformer meant switching off almost all of the Hotels power in order to be able to open the cabinet door!
A night time shut down was agreed where AGS attended site overnight to gain access to measure the mountings of the transformer to enable suitable isolation material to be specified.
In addition to the transformer, there was also a bank of switch gear which also required isolation as it was directly connected via solid copper plates to the transformer.
In order to install a solution which would solve the problem, AGS devised a means of lifting the switch gear and transformer separately to enable the isolation pads to be slid under the mounting feet, with various steel packers to ensure the finished relative positions of the transformer and switchgear when sat on the isolation were exactly the same so the solid copper connecters would align.
It was agreed AGS Noise Control’s installation engineers would attend site 1 week prior to the planned lift to construct the switchgear lifting frame and ensure all required materials were on site.
The agreed installation of the works, over a Sunday night with electrical shutdown at 12.00 AM arrived; AGS completed the installation of the isolation equipment in plenty of time before the 6.00AM re-connection deadline. Subsequent measures by the acoustic consultant confirmed the works had resolved the noise issue in the suite.
Whilst not a high value contract, this project did require a lot of coordination and pre planning due to the numbers of people involved in the project, the very time limited nature of the works and strict dead lines to be completed.
