HUDSON, N.Y. (June 11, 2003) – The NASA-funded Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), has helped Curves, a women’s fitness center, control the high volume level of its music for the benefit of surrounding businesses.
     SATOP provides free engineering assistance to small businesses with technical challenges, such as Curves, through the donations of time and expertise from 34 Space Alliance Partners.
     Linda Hicks, owner of three Curves studios, including the 3,000-square-foot Curves in Hudson, began receiving noise complaints from the insurance company located on the other side of Curves’ adjoining wall as soon as the new studio opened.
“They were bothered by our music, which is played continuously and at a pretty high volume level to motivate our customers while they exercise,” explained Hicks. “We were upset because we didn’t discover this problem until after the space had been completely renovated, which meant that additional renovations to solve the problem would be expensive.”
     Hicks had tried to solve the problem herself, with recommendations from her landlord, by adding insulation in the space between the walls and installing soundboard above the dropped ceiling. However, though both of these modifications were costly, neither one was effective.
     In search of a cost-effective solution that would not adversely affect the recent renovations or disrupt the workout environment, Hicks discovered SATOP through the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. She completed a Request for Technical Assistance (RTA), and SATOP arranged for Ed O’Keefe from The Boeing Company to assess the problem. Ed has technical expertise in the area of acoustics and vibration, which he utilizes in his responsibilities with Boeing working on the International Space Station and Shuttle programs.
     After reviewing an architectural description of the strip mall and details of the speaker layout in the Curves studio, O’Keefe was able to come up with a simple, logical solution. “Two of the speakers were located on the common wall, allowing the sound to penetrate through the wood mountings,” said O’Keefe. “In order to prevent sound from traveling through the wall, the speakers needed to be moved to the opposite wall and hung from the ceiling. Once they were relocated, Curves was able to maintain an even sound distribution without disturbing surrounding businesses.”
Since this simple change was made, Hicks has been able to make full use of her powerful sound system, and she has not received any complaints. “I am thrilled that such an affordable solution did the trick,” she said. “It was a win-win solution for everyone involved, and we have SATOP to thank for it.”
     According to Ryan McLaughlin, SATOP – NY engineering services manager, “This is an ideal example of an Alliance Partner answering a lo-tech request. We hope more small businesses will hear about this story and turn to SATOP for help.”