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Referral for architect who is creative problem solver


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Last year I hired an architect to build a very large terazza extension. His work was good, but he kept wanting to turn my traditional house into a contemporary one, and thus, some of his design elements--incorporated while I was out of town and my husband remained here to oversee (I am being generous) the project--clash terribly. Anyway, the terazza--about 25 meters long--acts as a huge bowling alley and magnifies any and all sounds outside 10x and sends them echoing through the entire house.

Fast forward: I need an architect to consult with who can tell me if enclosing the massive L-shaped terazza will reduce the noise I can hear on all 3 exposed sides of my house, if it will become a stifling hot inferno, or if it will, with walls, windows and doors, act as a buffer to cool the rest of the house.  I know the benefit is that I will be able to use the terazza in any weather, and escape the mosquitoes, but the biggest plus is the reduction of road noise permeating my entire building. I have to close the windows in all the rooms, which is contrary to why I moved here. The con is that the views of my gorgeous gardens--one of the main reasons I bought the house--and pool will be reduced. 

My other alternative is to raise the property walls (on all 3 street sides) from the present 2.5 meters to 4 meters or even higher....but there is no guarantee this will work, whereas semi-enclosing the terrace with walls, windows, and doors will...I think.

In other words, is there an architect who you feel comfortable with and would understand my issue?

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You might do better with a some highly recommended builder or a structural engineer - as you already found out, architects are more interested in showing off their own ideas and artistry than listening to the client and designing according to what the client's needs and vision are. 

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I ran into this problem in a commercial building.  Hired a sound guy who recommended damping panels.  I was very dubious...but he installed sheets of Styrofoam-like material about 4 feet X 4 feet and 2 inches thick.  They were covered with fabric to match our decor - fairly coarse weave wrapped and stapled - and hung with velcro.   Very light weight, and not a huge investment.  They worked much better than you would believe.   

Just a suggestion.

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