Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Common House Noise

[Sherri Zann Rosenthal (76671.1561]

I believe it was Russell Mawbry who posted asking for discussion of Common House
noise, but who also suggested that messages on this be privately exchanged.

Please post any discussions of strategies on Common House noise--particularly
dining room noise--for the whole list. I think this is a major design problem. I
have left common dinners breathing a sigh of relief to escape the din and the
tension it induces. Anything that drives people out of the Common House is an
impediment to building the community spirit we seek. 

I pass on here a low-tech, unobtrusive aid in sound absorbtion: place carpet on
the bottem side of the table tops. An architect mentioned this as having been
used by a friend of hers who owned a restaurant. They wanted the sleek, hard
surface look, but found the noise levels to be brutal. The restaurant owner
thought the hidden carpet helped quite a bit.

Cheers,
Sherri Zann Rosenthal
Eno Commons CoHousing, Durham, NC