'You Don't Have To Live With Vibrations': Technology That Boosts Buildings' Usability

When F1 Arcade installed 62 driver simulators in a commercial office building in Boston, there was an immediate problem. The social gaming experience simulates the thrills of a race, complete with g-forces, causing vibrations that made other floors in the building almost unusable. The landlord had no choice but to restrict their use during peak hours.

F1 Arcade needed a quick, nonstructural solution so it could remain up and running. Calmfloor installed its active mass damper solution and reduced vibrations by 76% within six weeks of F1 Arcade ordering the units. No tenant had to leave the building for the work to be carried out.

F1 Arcade’s challenge is one of many reasons a building could have an inhibiting level of vibrations, Calmfloor CEO Paul Reynolds said. Disturbance could come from the installation of a gym, an underground train or simply a high level of footfall. 

Until now, tenants have lived with vibrations — or, worse for the property owner, moved to another building. But technological developments have made a quick solution possible.

“You don’t have to live with vibrations or spend vast sums fixing the problem,” Reynolds said. “It can be resolved almost instantly, and you can create better places for people to work. Whatever use a tenant wants to bring to a building, Calmfloor works.”

The way people use buildings today has increased vibration levels dramatically, Reynolds said. Not only are offices typically more open plan and less damped than in the past, but it’s now increasingly common to have a mix of uses in one property.

“Many buildings were constructed in the 1970s using concrete, mass timber and steel,” he said. “Now they’re multi-use, high-density buildings containing a mix of offices, labs, trading floors or some kind of leisure use. To get people back to the office, many employers install workplace gyms, but in extreme cases, this makes nearby floors unusable.”

The surroundings of a building might also have a greater impact than when properties were first constructed, Reynolds said. Groundborne low-frequency vibrations are caused by factors such as underground and overground trains, road traffic and construction. 

In cities such as New York, London, Tokyo and Paris, thousands of buildings are located above or within 30 to 100 metres of underground rail infrastructure. Groundborne vibrations are particularly noticeable at suspended floor levels.

Vibration can seriously impact productivity, Reynolds said. Employees working in buildings with excessive vibration can take up to 80% longer to complete tasks, and it can impair concentration without people realizing it. 

The traditional solution to vibrations is to make structural changes to a building. This includes installing concrete and steel pillars designed to reduce vibrations. 

“Structural intervention is usually fraught with delays and downtime, which brings extra cost,” Reynolds said. “A new building will include a heavy amount of steel and concrete to absorb vibrations, but this again adds to cost as well as environmental impact.”

In contrast, Calmfloor is a fast, low-cost solution, Reynolds said. The active mass damper units are movable and, following assessment to determine where they need to be located, can be up and running quickly. 

Calmfloor recently launched a lease model, creating a modular solution that can scale as a building’s use changes. For multi-use buildings where tenants come and go, they can be moved to different locations around the building depending on requirements.

The solution also provides a level of data on vibrations that was previously unobtainable, Reynolds said. Users sign up to the Calmconnect portal, which gives remote control to units and real-time data on vibration levels across the building. 

“This is invaluable for architects and structural engineers, as well as property owners that have wide portfolios,” he said. “They can see where they need to improve the performance of a building, no matter its use.”

Structural engineers and architects also look to Calmfloor as a low-carbon, sustainable solution, Reynolds said. The units can reduce the need to reengineer existing buildings and, when factored into the design stages of a new build, can make it possible to create lighter buildings, with less steel and concrete required to reduce vibrations.

Calmfloor’s partners around the world include leading structural engineering firms, Reynolds said. Customers range from international technology companies looking to create next-generation workspaces to life sciences businesses that need to accommodate specialist equipment with very low tolerance for vibrations from other building users. 

“When we demonstrate our units, people are amazed at how quickly and affordably we can make a difference,” Reynolds said. “We open up floors for property owners that previously have been unusable. Reducing vibrations benefits everyone.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Calmfloor and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.