Bill Gastmeier MASc, PEng Principal acoustical consultant
As a true and respected veteran in the field of acoustical consulting throughout a career spanning four decades, Bill has unsurpassed knowledge of acoustics, noise and vibration – in the design of the indoor built environment: classrooms, libraries, auditoriums and places of worship – and in environmental contexts for land use planning of commercial, residential or industrial developments and mixed-use communities.
His acoustical wisdom has improved the sound quality in over fifty new and renovated worship spaces throughout North America – many with seating for over 1000 – and in music recital halls and “black box” theatres. Notable examples include McMaster University’s L.R. Wilson Hall and Ottawa’s Metropolitan Bible Church. In the realm of environmental noise, a milestone project in Canada was the development of a new regulatory instrument for industrial approvals under the Environmental Protection Act of Ontario, the “Province-Wide Environmental Compliance Approval,” originally developed for and granted to Union Gas (now a division of Spectra Energy). This multi-site Approval instrument consolidates in one document the approvals for all sites and equipment within the regulatory jurisdiction (Province of Ontario, in this case). Bill also conducted noise and vibration studies for Federal Environmental Approval for the twinning of the Ambassador Bridge between Canada and the United States.
But Bill is not just a professional engineer. He is also a distinguished educator, having served as Adjunct Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo for over 25 years, and lectured at Dalhousie University on acoustics. He is a long-time member of the Canadian Acoustical Association, and currently serves on its board of directors.
- Areas of Acoustical Expertise
- Professional Accreditations & Committees
- Select Publications & Presentations
- Teaching
- Patents
Canadian Acoustical Association Member of Technical Committee on Standards, 2015 to Present
Canadian Standards Association Member of Occupational Hearing Conservation Technical Committee, 2010 to Present
Canadian Standards Association Member of Technical Committee S251 “Acoustics and Noise Control” 2005 to 2010
Canadian Standards Association “Chair of Environmental Noise Subcommittee of Technical Committee S251 “Acoustics and Noise Control” 2005 to 2010
Canadian Standards Association ISO 9613 / CSA Z107.55 Working Group on Industrial Noise Propagation, 2002 to 2010
Canadian Standards Association – Working Group for the Adoption of “ISO-1996 ‘Acoustics-Description and Measurement of Environmental Noise’, 2000 – 2007
Acoustical Society of America – Member of Noise Control Technical Committee, 1999 – 2005
Professional Engineers Ontario – Committee for the Establishment of Guidelines for Professional Engineers Providing Acoustical Services in Land Use Planning, 1997
Professional Engineers Ontario, Designated Consulting Engineer, 1990 to Present
“Advances in Acoustic Monitoring” with Corey Kinart, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, October 2016
“Monitoring Road Traffic Sound Levels” with Sheeba Paul, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, October 2016
“Predicting Exhaust Sound Power Levels of General Purpose Boilers” with Rob Stevens, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, October 2016
“Selecting Suitable Noise Control for Mine Return Air Raise Systems” with Andrew Dobson, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, October 2016
“Considerations in the Acoustical Design of Black Box Theatres” with Mandy Chan, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, October 2015
“Recent Trends in the Acoustical Design of Institutional Facilities” with Brian Chapnik, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, September 2014
“Architectural Personality” Perspectives, Fall 2010
“Occupational Noise Exposure in Nightclubs” with Andrew Dobson, Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, September 2010.
“The Consumer Handbook on Hearing Loss and Noise – Chapter 11 – Architectural Strategies to Minimize Noise” Edited by Marshall Chasin, Auricle Ink Publishers, 2010
“Acoustical Performance Criteria and Treatment Protocols for Learning Spaces at a Large Institutional Teaching Facility” Proceedings of Acoustics Week in Canada, Canadian Acoustics, September 2009.
“Hearing Loss in Musicians – Prevention and Management – Chapter 8 – Room and Stage Acoustics for Optimal Listening and Playing” Edited by Marshall Chasin, Plural Publishing Inc., 2009
“Acoustical Performance Criteria, Treatment and Guidelines for Multifunctional School Gymnasia” with Kana A. Ananthaganeshan, Canadian Acoustics, December 2007
“Room Acoustics and Modifications for Performing Artists” Hearing Review, March 2006
“The Use of Environmental Noise Standards and Guidelines in Canada”, Canadian Acoustics, Sept. 2005
“ISO-1996 ‘Acoustics-Description and Measurement of Environmental Noise’ Round Robin Testing”, Canadian Acoustics, December 2001
“Reverberation in Public School Gymnasia” Canadian Acoustics, December, 1999
“Air Traffic Noise”, Ontario Planning Journal, Spring, 1998
“Musicians and the Prevention of Hearing Loss, Chapter 7, Room Acoustics” Edited by Marshall Chasin, Singular Publishing Group, San Diego, 1996
“Applying Sound Intensity Methods In-situ to Measure Exhaust Noise levels and Estimate Silencer Performance” Proceedings of the Alberta Energy & Utilities Board 1996 Conference on Environmental Noise Control Engineering
“The Assessment of Rail Traffic Noise and Vibration in Land Use Planning” Ontario Planning Journal, March /April, 1996
“Acoustical Materials” The Canadian Architect, April, 1995
“Environmental Noise & Vibration Part 2” Ontario Planning Journal, Jan/Feb, 1995
“Noise Control & the Building Envelope” Ontario Building Envelope Council Newsletter, 1995
“Environmental Noise & Vibration Part 1” Ontario Planning Journal, Nov/Dec, 1994.
“Occupational Noise Exposure in the High School Music Practice Room” 1994 Congress of the Canadian Acoustical Association.
“Field Sound Transmission Loss of Demising Walls and Floor/Ceiling Assemblies”. Proceedings of the 1992 International Congress on Noise Control Engineering.
“The Control of Bus Noise and Vibration in Mixed Use Urban Construction”. Proceedings of the 1992 International Congress on Noise Control Engineering, Toronto,1992, pp.857-860.
“Noise Complaints in Residential Condominiums” Proceedings of Noise Control, 1990.
“Noise Control of Underground Bus Stations – A Case Study” Canadian Acoustical Association Conference, Toronto, 1988.
“The Acoustically Damped Earhook” Hearing Instruments No. 10, October 1981
1998 to 2010
Lecturer, Dalhousie University, School of Architecture: “Architectural Acoustics Module of ARB 211 Environment”
1988 to 2014
Adjunct Professor, University of Waterloo, Dept of Environmental Studies, School Of Architecture: “Architectural Acoustics, Noise Control, Sound Systems”
1988 to 1990
Lecturer, Ontario Ministry of the Environment: “Noise Control in Land Use Planning”
1982 to 1993
Guest lecturer, Physics Department, University of Waterloo: “Science of Hi-Fidelity”
U.S. Patent 4,553,627 “Hearing Aid Wax Guard”
U.S. Patent 4,349,082 “Acoustical Damping Element and Method of Forming Same”
U.S. Patent 4,193,647 “Piezoelectric Ceramic Transducers with uniform Resonant Frequency”