Listen to wind gusts and a condo tower make not-so-beautiful music together
CBC News | Posted: November 10, 2018 9:00 AM | Last Updated: November 10, 2018
Sound engineer likens phenomenon to 'Coke bottle that you blow over' to make noise
A video posted to Reddit is catching the eyes — and ears — of residents who live near a particularly musical condo tower in midtown Toronto.
The video captures wind gusts whipping off the metal facade of the E Condo Tower, at the ultra-dense corner of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, creating a sound like heavy traffic or the roar of a sports stadium.
Listen to the loud and eerie sounds made by wind gusts at this condo tower:
"It sounded very similar to a vuvuzela instrument ... a bee swarm," said Tony Dreher, a neighbour of the building at 8 Eglinton Ave., and the original poster of the video.
Dreher said he and his partner have heard the noise several times over the last few months, but that the racket was at its loudest on Tuesday, as Toronto experienced wind gusts up to 80 km/h.
"It only happens on very windy days and it was pretty consistent for about four to five hours, depending on the wind," he added.
Where does the sound come from?
Payam Ashtiani, a sound engineer for the design firm Aercoustics Engineering, specializes in designing acoustics for spaces like concert halls and meeting rooms.
Ashtiani reviewed the Reddit video and said there's little doubt that the eerie howls come directly from the condo tower.
"It's quite likely that it's a wind-induced noise over the building. I'd be looking at balcony railings that have holes in them, or holes that ring out when the wind is at a specific speed."
Ashtiani said the facade of the building essentially acts "like either a whistle, or if you can imagine, a Coke bottle that you blow over. Because the sounds are very constant notes, like a trumpet note.
Ashtiani is not able to determine how loud the wind was during the filming of the video.
Considering how it drowned out the normal downtown hum, he said it's likely that in strong weather events, the sound could be called "a public nuisance."
The condo developer, Bazis International, did not respond to requests for comment on the design of the building.