Graduate Acoustics Engineer
From helping shape entire cities to adapting infrastructure to deal with the climate emergency, a career at Vanguardia (A Buro Happold Company) presents the chance to make a difference. With a world class reputation, our creativity and our people have delivered positive change to clients, the environment, and communities alike. If you want to be part of something bigger, this is your chance.
Working for Vanguardia?
Outcome focused design:
‘Reverse engineering’ from the people-centric results our clients want from their stadia and venues, we develop and use the most advanced computational tools to inform our designs. Good examples include the AVIVA Studios, Manchester where we created a mathematical prediction of the response to mounting the building façade on bearings to contain music noise, or at a well-known web giant’s European HQ in central London where we used novel modelling techniques to predict how much colleagues would be distracted by each other’s noise in an open plan office.
Communication:
But it’s not about the tools – our focus is on being able to communicate the results to our clients across key technical areas such as noise break-in, internal sound transmission, reverberation control, building services noise, structural dynamics, audio-visual design, public address and voice alarm, and vibration. A key focus is engagement. An example of this is our work with the prestige gym chain Equinox which often retrofit their facilities inside existing listed buildings.
Our relationship allows us to understand the unique aspirations of each site, and tailor a dynamic, vibration isolation and sound insulation solution to each development based on the specific activities proposed. Another example was the new Faculty of Arts building at Warwick University, where a significant part of our role was simply to listen to the requirements of the different faculties and translate these into the language of engineering solutions.
Challenge:
We’re excited and motivated by the challenging, complex and difficult. Our team loves applying industry-leading innovation on the hardest challenges, from the ultra-high-tech (such as the award-winning Dyson campus and Imperial College Michael Uren buildings) to the curiously unusual (such as the one-of-a-kind architectural form of the Museum of the Future).See our Acoustics discipline page here.
What sort of projects would I work on?
Recent and current projects:
The Sphere, Las Vegas, 2019-2023
The world’s largest and latest immersive experience. Our team of acoustic and audio technology experts from Vanguardia has worked on the project since 2019. Our team was engaged to deliver a third-party review of the innovative audio technology that was being developed specially for the venue and to analyse the architectural acoustics and where possible minimise the need for structural acoustic insulation.
The principal acoustic challenges came as a consequence of the venue’s striking spherical shape. A sphere would naturally cause an almost infinite number of acoustic reflections, making soundwaves very difficult to control within the space.
Coop Arena, Manchester, 2017 – 2024
Co-op Live will be the UK’s biggest indoor arena, able to offer a warm Manchester welcome to over 23,000 people. Vanguardia have provided the acoustic and audio-visual design since the onset. This is an exciting project nearing competition in 2023, where Vanguardia are due to carry out commissioning and optimisation of the venue.
Glastonbury, ongoing
We deliver the site-wide sound management, working directly for Glastonbury Festival Events Ltd. to protect their licence by monitoring sound levels across the site to guard against any noise breaches of the licence. Our role starts all the way back from the previous Festival, liaising with the local authority, Somerset Council, and any issues or concerns that they have raised. We then look at what changes need to be implemented for the following year. Every year the Festival changes slightly, brings in new areas, new attractions, new stages, new sound systems. We will evaluate those in terms of suitability and what the likely impact will be. I’ve been involved in the Festival since 2008 and it has evolved a lot over the years
Once home to aviation icon the Concorde, the legendary Brabazon Hangars will now be transformed into the number one live destination for the South West. Sustainability will be centre stage, and it’s the goal to create the most responsible and sustainable arena in Europe, and to be carbon neutral from day one.
Vanguardia are currently working on the Acoustic and Audio-Visual design for this unique venue. It’s going to be special and has already staged the legendary Queen + Adam Lambert.
What would I do?
- Sound system design
- Sound insulation design
- Acoustic surveys, benchmarking and commissioning
- Room acoustics design and reverberation control
- Venue, performance space and concert hall design
- Structural vibration isolation and dynamics
- Control of external noise break-in and façade & ventilation design
- Audio visual and sound system design
- Design and assessment of internal and external building services noise and vibration
- Public address and voice alarm design
What degree would I have studied?
- Acoustics
- Acoustical Engineering
- Sound and Vibration studies
- Engineering Acoustics
- Architecture
- Mechanical Engineering
- Music Technology
- Audio & Broadcast Engineering
- Physics
- Sound Engineering
Graduates at Buro Happold
When you join Buro Happold you are embedded into an exciting network of engineers and consultants, that supports your career development. We have a Graduate Connect learning programme that targets specific learning and supports your journey to chartership as well as our Young Employee's Forum that links all our young talent in terms of knowledge sharing, learning and very importantly socialising.
We place great importance on a having a safe and inclusive environment and will seek to make any arrangements that may be required to enable all who work with us to thrive. We have flexible working hours and hybrid working, and welcome applications from all backgrounds and walks of life. If you have any questions about how this could apply to your specific circumstances, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
Check out what our YEF Global team thought of their 2024 Global Meet
Please see our Early Careers Candidate Pack for further guidance and information
Application Process
We typically complete shortlisting after the role has closed. Therefore, you can expect to hear from us with 2-4 weeks of the job closing on our website. Should you wish to contact us to find out more information or to get an update, please contact earlycareers@burohappold.com
Please note that this role is for an Autumn 2025 start.
A place for everyone
Buro Happold values an individual's flexible approaches to working patterns as an important part of how you work and achieve balance. We welcome applications from those who are seeking flexibility in their careers. Our exceptional portfolio of projects is the result of the diversity of thought, identities, backgrounds, and experiences that shape us. Appreciating each other’s differences is key, we want employees to feel they don’t have to mask elements of their identity to thrive.
We are working to change the lack of representation of marginalised groups in the built environment. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who feels they are underrepresented in the industry. We have much to learn from one another. Embracing differences allows us to develop the most innovative and elegant solutions. Please let us know if there are any adjustments we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Contact recruitment@burohappold.com so we can work with you to support you throughout your application.
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