Work is progressing on a cutting edge research facility at the University of Salford – with a room urban legend claims ‘will drive people mad if they stay in it for more than an hour’.
Photos show rapid progress being made at the new acoustic research centre on the former industrial site on Lissadel Street.
The new 1,300 sq m lab will help the uni’s 50-strong acoustics team carry out research ranging from creating tools that can diagnose diseases from bone vibrations, to measuring noise pollution caused by air source heat pumps to help inform regulator policy.
It will feature highly specialised facilities – including an ‘anechoic chamber’, a room with no echoes. The room is so quiet, you can hear yourself blink, breathe, and digest, leading to rumours that humans can’t stand to be in the room for longer periods.
Professor Antonio Torija Martinez, who regularly works in the university’s existing anechoic chamber, laughingly dispels this myth. “You do get used to it after a while,” he said. “But if you’ve never been inside one, it can be really disorientating because we rely on our hearing for part of our spatial awareness.”
The Acoustics Engineering and Psychoacoustics researcher says the new facilities will help grow the university’s pioneering research. The department recently helped develop an alarm system for e-scooters and forklifts that alert blind and partially sighted people to their presence, and works with industries across the world to reduce noise pollution and create highly specialised equipment.
He said: “Salford is one of the main research centres in acoustics internationally. What we try to do is measure sound and vibration, model noise and vibration, and measure the impact on people and wildlife.
“We can try to understand sound from machines, for example drones. There are drone delivery trials taking place in Darlington at the moment – so we’re trying to understand the impact drone operation noise has on people. That way we can influence the way these services are regulated, and help companies make sure they aren’t flying drones in a way that disturbs people.”
The new facilities will feature a wind tunnel, to simulate drones working in flying conditions, and how sound travels through different conditions. There will also be a brand new ‘sleep lab’, where the impact of noise pollution on sleep can be measured.
The construction by Morgan Sindall recently reached its highest point – called topping out – and is due to be completed by summer 2027.
The new building is part of the £2.5bn Salford Crescent masterplan led by ECF, Salford University, and Salford council. Regeneration work is underway in the whole area, with projects such as Salford Rise – an 11-metre wide and 220-metre long pedestrian and cycle bridge across Frederick Road – due to be completed this summer.
Salford city mayor Paul Dennett previously said research at the University’s new Acoustics building would ‘improve lives for generations to come’.
“This state-of-the-art acoustics building will be an incredible addition to the growing Crescent innovation zone.
“By investing in world-class facilities like this, the University are not only supporting our local economy, but contributing to global advancements in acoustics.”
Max Bentham director of development management at ECF, added: “The 1.7 million sq ft of new commercial, academic and research floorspace we are creating will attract investment, create jobs and give local residents, students and businesses the tools to reach their full potential. We are collectively putting Salford firmly on the map as a city built for the future.”
