Acoustic, sound and vibration go across industries
We offer more than measurements
Supporting projects from early concept to implementation and also troubleshooting, across buildings, industry, transport and energy
AFRY’s endorsed brands within architecture and design are becoming AFRY Architects. The acoustic, sound and vibration offer within Efterklang, comprising of approximately 90 experts, comes back to the mother brand as simply AFRY.
Leading this specialized group is Kristina Gradin, Head of Acoustics, Sound & Vibration, whose team ensures acoustics and vibration engineering improve projects across practically all industries.
Please read the interview with Kristina about what this transition means and learn more about the future of acoustics.
Kristina, what does it mean for your team to remain part of AFRY rather than joining AFRY Architects?
To be associated with the engineering and design part of the company, rather than architecture, for our offering symbolizes our close connection to the broader technical competence across the company. It allows us to integrate acoustic and vibration seamlessly into multidisciplinary projects while still collaborating closely with AFRY Architects when needed. We keep our strong technical identity and remain part of a wider engineering context.
What makes acoustics and vibration expertise critical in today’s projects?
Urbanization, electrification, sustainability demands, and tighter regulations all make sound and vibration performance more important than ever. Acoustic, sound and vibration go across industries. Good acoustic design affects comfort, health & safety, and long-term functionality as well as profitability in all types of projects.
Can you share an example of a project?
Right now we are working on a major project involving a large rotating grinding mill – roughly 500 tons – that has experienced operational issues almost since it was commissioned nearly 20 years ago. Components keep failing, which limits availability and production, costing our client significant amounts of money.
We are applying multichannel vibration- and rotodynamic analysis to troubleshoot and identify the root cause – not only for individual components but for the entire machine system including foundation setup. Based on our test based findings, we are proposing various countermeasures and modifications which are validated by both calculations and tests. For this, we collaborate with other AFRY disciplines like AFRY design engineers and AFRY mechanical and dynamic specialists. Projects like this illustrate how we work together across disciplines at AFRY to find the best way to support our clients and solve complex problems
What opportunities do you see for acoustics and vibration engineering in the coming years?
I think people’s expectations for health, safety, and overall wellbeing are rising quickly. We even see trends like “sleep tourism” and younger generations investing heavily in products and environments that support good sleep. Sound and vibration play a bigger role than ever before. We are also curious about what AI can do for us in order to enhance our efficiency.
We offer more than measurements – we support projects from early concept to implementation and also troubleshooting, across buildings, industry, transport and energy. We are solution-oriented, easy to collaborate with, and we add the most value when we’re involved in the early stages of a project.
