Robert Woo, Principal
Acoustical Consultant
Specific Experience:
Aircraft/Airports:
Robert performed aircraft
noise modeling using INM, HNM, NoiseMap and RouteMap and prepared
environmental noise studies for numerous airports, heliports, helistops,
and airfields. Studies have been prepared for Oklahoma City World
Airport, Tulsa International Airport, Clinton-Sherman Airport, KABC-7
Helistop, and DreamWorks SKG Helipad. He has prepared noise studies for
Randolf, Keesler, Homestead, and Altus Air Force Bases Re-Uses and
Alternatives. Additionally, he modeled environmental noise for training
and firing ranges for the Fort Drum ICUZ study, the Avon Park Test
Range, and for infrastructure changes at Fort MacArthur. Each of these
aircraft studies has involved contour modeling, evaluation of sound
exposure levels, impact assessment, and population counts.
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Architectural Acoustics: Robert’s
experience in building acoustics includes principal participation in
building design, testing, defect litigation, and retrofitting. He
supervised and conducted field testing of party walls and floor/ceiling
assemblies (FSTC & FIIC), HVAC noise, plumbing noise, and mechanical
noise. Robert has evaluated destructive tests with forensic architects
to determine the degree of defects. He also provided recommendations for
repair of defects in order to meet state standards, standards of care,
and legal decisions. Further, he worked with plaintiff and defendant
lawyers, homeowners associations and related expert engineers to plan,
schedule, and evaluate each case. Robert has provided noise studies for
over 50 residential and hotel projects involving party wall and
floor/ceiling design and retrofitting. He recently conducted an
architectural acoustics assessment of interior-to-interior and
exterior-to-interior impacts on operating spaces for the Long Beach
Emergency Operations (911) Center and interior noise testing and design
of Steve Wynn’s Le Reve Resort in Las Vegas.
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Development Projects: Robert has been involved in over 100 development projects including residential housing, commercial development, and public agency projects. Some past clients include: the Rose Bowl, Staples Arena, Disney Theme Parks, Home Depot, Walmat, Shell Oil, Carl’s Jr. Restaurants, Jack-in-the-Box Restaurants, Ralph’s Markets, Cingular Cellular, Sprint PCS, Standard Pacific Homes, Pardee Homes, John Laing Homes, and Kaufmann & Broad. Development noise studies involved noise monitoring, predictive noise analysis, impact assessment, and recommendation of mitigation measures. Robert’s understanding of acoustical consulting with respect to project timing has contributed to numerous success stories for his past clients.
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Environmental
Noise Assessment and EIR/EIS Documentation: Robert has been involved in
over 100 environmental noise studies with special emphasis on high
profile projects. He has authored environmental noise studies for
regional development projects such as the Staples Center, Disney Theme
Parks, Getty Museum, Grand Central Creative Campus (GC3), KABC-7
Studios, the Rose Bowl, Home Depot Centers, Lowe’s Home Improvement, The
Block at Orange, and the City of Industry Commercial Center. Robert was
the lead noise consultant for the City of Los Angeles’ Warner Center
Specific Plan. His expertise and findings were a key factor in the
litigation support of LAUSD vs. City of Los Angeles, concerning noise
impacts in a degraded classroom noise environment. He has also prepared
noise studies for the controversial US Department of Energy’s Super
Collider in Texas, the Lopez Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles County and
the Gregory Canyon Landfill Project in San Diego County. Robert has also
prepared numerous noise studies for residential developers, architects,
realtors, and contractors.
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Project
Management / Group Management: For 3½ years, Robert has been a managing
technical principal of an acoustical engineering consulting firm that he
co-founded. This consulting firm provides services to both private and
government entities in environmental noise assessment, industrial noise
control, transportation noise analyses, vibration evaluation, and
acoustical project planning. Prior to establishing AAC, Robert was a
project manager at three firms providing services nationally. His
Project Management experience encompasses over 100 noise studies with
supervision and training of associate staff members and field crew. He
has a history of completing projects in a timely fashion, within budget
and on schedule.
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Industrial
Noise Control: Robert has performed environmental noise analysis and
predictive design modeling for numerous electrical power generation
facilities, refineries, waste water facilities, and public water
utilities. Assessment studies have been performed for power facilities
in the States of Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas,
Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Noise studies in
support of energy permits have been prepared for MEGA’s Peaking Project
in Frederickson, Washington, as well as Energy NorthWest’s
Combined-Cycle Facility in Grays Harbor, Washington. Other peaking
plants include Calpeak Facilities in El Cajon and Mission, California.
California Energy Commission (CEC) permits have been prepared for Morro
Bay, Mountainview, Riverside Canal, High Desert, and Avenal power
projects. For these Projects, emphasis was placed on quantifying
baseline noise levels, predictive analysis, and recommendations of noise
control for plant equipment to facilitate the permit process. Response
to comments and assistance in public hearings were also provided to
clients. Robert has also prepared studies on power generation projects
for SDG&E, Duke Energy, Reliant Energy, AES, Panda Power, and FPLE.
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Legal
Support: Mr. Woo has been involved in numerous legal proceedings
involving construction defect litigation and inverse condemnation. His
experience includes over 5 years of FSTC, FIIC, plumbing, vibration, and
destructive testing for construction defect litigation cases in San
Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Jose. Mr. Woo has served as
expert witness for inverse condemnation cases involving several highway
noise, construction, and vibration projects. He was the lead noise
consultant for the City of Los Angeles’ Warner Center Specific Plan. His
expertise and findings were a key factor in the litigation support of
LAUSD vs. City of Los Angeles, concerning noise impacts in a degraded
classroom noise environment. He has also participated in legal cases in
Arizona, California, Michigan, and Hawaii.
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Measurements
/ Monitoring: Robert conducted numerous noise monitoring studies to
support predictive design modeling, noise verification/compliance, and
OSHA level surveys. Noise measurements have been conducted on emergency
pumping stations, gas turbine facilities, waste water pumps, flares, and
numerous industrial facilities. He participated in several long-term,
periodic noise monitoring programs to document on-going noise level
compliance from industrial operations. These projects’ included
monitoring programs for the US Department of Energy’s Super Collider,
the Lopez Canyon Landfill, the Rose Bowl, the Santa Barbara County Bowl,
Angus Petroleum Well Consolidation Project, and the Los Angeles
MetroRail Project. Each of these monitoring programs involved continuous
daily, weekly, or event monitoring of noise and vibration. Robert
performed Sound Intensity Diagnostic Testing for the Liberty and
Dearborn Power Plants, Sprint PCS, as well as the LE REVE Resort
Project.
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Mitigation:
Robert performed computer modeling and acoustical testing for sound wall
extensions in the City of Industry for a section of the I-5 Freeway, and
he has evaluated and recommended mitigation for building projects,
landfills, quarry operations, sanitation district projects, ship loading
facilities, and steel recycling operations. Some of the forms of
mitigation that he has recommended include administrative measures for
construction noise monitoring/management, soundwall design and testing,
sizing of silencers and acoustic enclosures, aviation flight
restrictions, and vibration control measures. Robert prepared an
aircraft noise mitigation study for the United States Navy Top Gun
Academy in Mira Mar. He also performed a speech privacy and mitigation
study for United States Army Surveillance Trailers.
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Public
Entities: Robert’s experience in preparing Noise Elements of General
Plans and Noise Ordinances include documents for the cities of Burbank,
Pico Rivera, San Dimas, Tustin, Santa Fe Springs, Lakewood, Chino Hills,
Brawley, Riverside, Malibu, Pasadena, and the County of San Bernardino.
These projects involved extensive traffic, aircraft, rail, and
industrial noise signatures either estimated for future development or
monitored for existing projects, as well as the preparation of noise
contours. He has prepared sound exposure inventories to address
residential impact assessment as part of General Plan updates. Robert
has also conducted specialized noise studies for the Cities of Long
Beach, Ontario, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, and San Juan Capistrano.
Some upcoming projects include noise element updates for the Cities of
Orange and Claremont.
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Traffic:
Robert’s extensive experience in traffic noise analyses and abatement
includes a thorough understanding of Caltrans’ Traffic Noise Protocol,
Arizona’s Department of Transportation Noise Standards, Utah’s
Department of Transportation Noise Criteria, as well as the Federal
Highway Administrations’ Noise Abatement Criteria (FHWA NAC) and the
Department of Transportation’s Noise Regulations. His modeling expertise
includes traffic noise analyses and soundwall/berm design utilizing
Caltrans’ LeqV2, Sound32, Sound2000, and the FHWA’s RD-77-108, Stamina,
Optima, and TNM models.
Robert most recently prepared traffic noise studies for the Foothill
Transportation Corridor (SR-241) Widening Project, the Mountain View
Avenue Roadway Widening Project, the City of Orange Chapman Avenue
Widening Project, the City of La Quinta’s Washington Street, the KGEZ
Radio Station in Kalispell, Montana, and the Rt-134/Fairmont Avenue
Project Roadway Realignment in the City of Glendale, California.
Robert’s past project experience includes noise studies for the San
Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor, the 55 Freeway, the 91 Freeway,
as well as Bastanchury Road in Fullerton, Willow Street in Long Beach,
and Route 74 in Perris, California. Other highway noise studies include
SR-125 in San Diego County, the I-15 Reconstruction in Salt Lake City,
Utah, the Outer Loop Highway in Phoenix, Arizona, the Squaw Peak Parkway
in Arizona, and Route 85 in Mountain View. Robert has also completed
noise insulation studies for residences located adjacent to the I-5
Freeway in San Juan Capistrano, as well as San Juan Elementary School.
In addition he has participated in numerous council meetings and public
forums with respect to noise studies.
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Vibration
Assessment: Robert completed vibration impact studies for the Los
Angeles MetroRail Construction Project, WDI, Glendale Grand Central
Creative Campus, and Odetics Electronics Facility. Each of these studies
involved long-term vibration monitoring, analysis, impact assessment,
and development of mitigation measures. His studies were an integral
part of the permitting process for each of these projects. He has also
conducted studies for Angus Petroleum’s consolidated oil drilling site
in Huntington Beach, the Route 60/71 Interchange for Caltrans, and
Mitsubishi’s SCE Serrano Project. Robert prepared a four-year monitoring
program for I-15 vibration from pile driving in Salt Lake City, Utah. He
is also well versed in vibration instrumentation such as real-time and
FFT analyzers, charge amplifiers, accelerometers, and geophones.
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Home |
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Environmental Noise |
Industrial Noise |
Noise Design Engineering |
Power Plant Noise Permitting |
Retrofit Noise Control |
Railroad Noise |
Traffic Noise |
Vibration Evaluation |
AAC History |
Engineering Philosophy |
Teaming |
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R. Woo |
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