St. Vincent Fishers Hospital
Fishers, Indiana

Soundscape Engineering LLC provided acoustical consulting services for the expansion of St. Vincent Fishers Hospital in Fishers, Indiana. This 4-story high, 48-bed addition includes 10 labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum rooms.

Acoustical analysis included sound isolation and room acoustics for the Chapel, isolation of patient rooms from the noise generated by the nearby I-69 freeway, shielding of the outdoor cafe from the freeway noise, and control of HVAC noise in the Nursery.

To address freeway noise, Soundscape Engineering monitored existing freeway noise levels on the site and used the information to assist the design team in designing facade glazing assemblies, earth berms, and sound barrier walls.

For the Chapel, Soundscape Engineering reviewed the chapel in one of the existing St. Vincent Health facilities. We then worked with the architect to design and specify interior and exterior glazing assemblies and wall constructions to sufficiently isolate the new Chapel from noise in the high traffic corridor, the hospital entry lobby, and the Main Entry drop-off located immediately outside of the Chapel's windows. We worked with the architect and interior designer to select ceiling, wall, and floor finishes that would provide some isolation from foot and cart traffic on the floor directly above, that would result in an acceptable amount of sound reverberation within the Chapel, and that would also avoid the creation of acoustical focal points by the concave walls.

For the Nursery, Soundscape Engineering set appropriate HVAC noise control targets, calculated the amount of air-handling unit, control valve, and air diffuser noise reaching the space, and then provided specific recommendations for duct silencers; duct, control valve, and air diffuser sizing; and duct lagging to achieve the noise control target.

The building is seeking LEED certification, which would make it one of the first LEED certified hospitals in Indiana.