There’s quiet, and then there’s multimillionaire quiet

Some developments are going the extra mile to give their residents an escape from the urban bustle of cab horns, construction and the not-so-occasional unfriendly pedestrian interaction in New York City.

Luxurious condos in some of the city’s busiest and noisiest neighborhoods are increasingly employing advanced soundproofing technology to create tranquil living spaces, Curbed reported.

Take Olympia — a condo in Dumbo, that’s close to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and trains. 

“The sound of the bridge is awful,” a luxury broker told the outlet. “And the way the BQE wraps around it? It creates this echo chamber.”

But Douglas Elliman agent Gavin Shiminski often showcases Olympia’s soundproofing to potential buyers by letting noise flood into an apartment through open windows and then, with a simple closure, demonstrates how the apartment can be restored to a serene oasis. 

“Until you hear the outside, you don’t realize just how quiet it is,” he told the outlet.

The contrast between the cacophony outside and the silence inside often impresses buyers, showcasing the luxury of tranquility that comes at a premium, the outlet reported.

CitiQuiet, a company that specializes in soundproof windows for existing buildings, is a major player in the soundproofing field. 

Founder Mike Lentin highlights the challenge of creating peace in neighborhoods surrounded by noise sources like bridges and expressways. 

“We were just chasing the residential market, your average person who couldn’t sleep at night,” he told Curbed. “And then the residential market became the rich and famous living in $20 million or $30 million apartments who want to feel like they’re out in the Hamptons when they’re in the city.”

The soundproofing trend extends beyond Dumbo; it’s also seen in buildings like 565 Broome in Tribeca/Hudson Square, One Manhattan Square, and the West Side Highway condos, catering to wealthy buyers who appreciate new construction and waterfront views despite the noise, the outlet said.

The technology behind soundproofing — including different glass thickness to break down sound vibrations — hasn’t changed significantly, but the willingness of buyers to invest in it has. 

While top-of-the-line windows can cost as much as a new car, developers and buyers are willing to invest given the rising luxury property prices.

Douglas Elliman broker Bruce Ehrmann said the economics of installing such windows in the past were challenging, but as condo prices increased over the years, developers upgraded their technology. 

“Those kinds of windows weren’t installed 30 years ago,” Ehrmann told the outlet. “Even if the technology existed, it wasn’t economically viable to install 40 stories’ worth of windows like that at the price points that condos then sold for.”

The soundproofing process, however, extends beyond windows, encompassing other aspects of the building’s design, making the cost of luxury silence challenging to quantify.

As acoustical consulting firms are increasingly hired by developers to enhance soundproofing, it’s clear that the quest for tranquility in a bustling city is a priority for high-end buyers. The technology’s effectiveness has even led to a new challenge — making sure the environment is not overly quiet inside the building, as this can make internal noises more prominent. 

— Ted Glanzer