Expert design advice from the sound up.
I work with architects, businesses and communities to create sonically welcoming spaces in Winnipeg, Canada and around the world. From quiet offices to lively music venues, I tune each space to help people focus, connect and enjoy.
Tell me how I can help!Services
I consult on all aspects of sound in the built environment, from room acoustics to sound isolation to mechanical and environmental noise control. Here are three ways I can help you:
Acoustical Design for Buildings
I work with property owners, developers and architects to design spaces that are calm, quiet and welcoming.
Read more...Noise Investigation and Remediation
Acoustical issues are common in existing buildings. Let's work together to identify the problem and come up with a solution that actually works.
Read more...Custom Acoustical Services
From feasibility studies to educational workshops to expert witness services, I take on unique projects involving sound and buildings.
Read more...About
Hi, I'm Willem!
I launched From The Sound Up in Winnipeg, my hometown, after ten years at a leading engineering firm in NYC. As an independent consultant, I only take on projects I can dedicate my full attention to. I take time to understand each client's needs so I can provide technical solutions that are in harmony with project context, budget and architectural aesthetics.
I enjoy working with diverse clients across a broad range of project scales and sectors. While I have worked on large-scale projects ranging from concert halls to airports to corporate headquarters, I equally appreciate the chance to work on small-scale projects that benefit local communities. My first client in Winnipeg was my own barber, who wanted to create a more calm environment in his shop but faced some challenging restrictions from his landlord.
While I am based in Canada, I often work with clients in the US and provide consulting services worldwide. Good acoustics benefit communities everywhere, and I'm proud to help design a better sounding world one project at a time.
"The sound was clear, vividly present and resonant. There's a crackling aliveness to music in the hall."
Featured Projects
Tap the dropdowns below to see just a sampling of projects I've helped realize. For a full list of projects and clients, please contact me.
New York, NY | Opened 2025
Hailed by the New York Times as one of the best places to hear chamber performances in New York City
I led acoustical consulting at Arup for the renovation and expansion of the Frick Collection, a historic house museum on New York's Upper East Side. The project included new galleries, a multimedia teaching space, a restaurant, an art conservation lab and updated offices and conference rooms.
I collaborated closely with Selldorf Architects to design a new 220-seat auditorium that hosts chamber music concerts, talks and film screenings. The design features two overlapping shells acoustically optimized to focus sound from the musicians, creating an intimate listening environment loved by performers, audience members and music critics alike.
Fishtail, Montana, USA | Opened 2024
Named one of the World's Greatest Places by Time Magazine
I led a team of engineers at Arup to design and build a unique outdoor music space at the Tippet Rise Art Center in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains. The center's founders had long dreamed of listening to classical music surrounded by nature, and I collaborated closely with them in a series of workshops to turn their concept sketches into a buildable design. The Geode is acoustically optimized to reflect and contain sound within four acoustic shells, creating a sonically immersive 'room without walls.' It protects musicians and audience members from the sun and wind but also allows sweeping views over the remote and rugged landscape.
Image credits: Kevin Kinzley, Willem Boning, Willem Boning
Lima, Peru | 2024
I advised Rafael Osterling, one of Peru's most celebrated chefs, on a broad range of acoustical upgrades to Picnic, El Mercado and Rocco, three restaurants in his portfolio. I helped him control noise buildup in the restaurants' dining rooms, retrofit rooftop structures to block mechanical noise and reduce kitchen noise breakout through the ventilation shafts among other challenges.
Montreal, Quebec | Opened 2019
La Musique Aux Enfants is an experimental music education program for preschoolers in North Montreal, one of the city's most underserved neighborhoods. Inspired by El Sistema, the program is a collaboration between the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Université de Montréal and the Centre de services scolaires de la Pointe-de-l'Île.
I led the acoustical design of the program's education space. Together with architects LeMayMichaud, I worked to transform the dingy basement of a public school into a world-class teaching facility with whisper-quiet background noise and professional-quality sound isolation, allowing multiple classes to go on at once in a comfortable and serene environment.
Image credits: Raphaël Thibodeau
New York, NY | 2024
I helped the New York Climate Film Festival maximize the use of their rental venue, a historic fire station in downtown NYC, by improving the venue's acoustics.
Prior to asking for my help, Alec, the Film Festival founder, was not sure the festival would be able to screen films and hold talks at the same time because there was so much sound bleed from one room into the other. I helped Alec identify a range of quick and low-cost solutions to improve the sound isolation, including sealing gaps, renting portable drapery and even rearranging furniture.
New York, NY | 2022-2023
I was commissioned by the Trust for Governors Island to help artist Charles Gaines shape the sound of his monumental kinetic sculpture 'Moving Chains,' installed on Governors Island from 2022 to 2023. Charles wanted his artwork to evoke the experience of being in a slave ship and envisioned an immersive sonic environment where visitors would not only hear but feel chains clanking and dragging above their heads.
I worked with Charles, producers Creative Time and the project's fabricators to tune the sound of the sculpture's rotating chain links, advising on material selection, structural connections and details of the chain mechanism, including two full days of mockup testing in a warehouse we had taken over to test the chain drive mechanism.
Image credits: Timothy Schenk, Scott Lynch, Willem Boning
New York, NY | 2018
Early in my career at Arup I advised architects at HWKN on how to create a calm and quiet environment for Casper's The Dreamery, a pop-up napping experience in SoHo. The holistic acoustical approach included reducing noise buildup in the napping area, developing creative options for the nap pod door closure, and even devising strategies for ventilating the pods that would minimize sound bleed.
Image credits: HWKN, NY Post, Willem Boning
"Willem was fantastic—knowledgeable, practical, helpful! He offered practical solutions that met our needs, including outside-the-box thinking."
Testimonials
"I greatly appreciate the work Willem did to make our condominium party room more comfortable and enjoyable. There had been frequent complaints about excessive noise, and those most affected were individuals who used hearing aids, for whom the environment was particularly difficult and tiring. The improvement after the installation of the acoustic ceiling tiles was immediate! The room no longer had a harsh quality; instead, the sound was softer and better controlled. Conversations that once blended into background noise became clear and distinct. I could easily hear people across the table, which clearly showed the acoustics had changed. Others at the event shared the same impression. The overall atmosphere was calmer, more welcoming, and much better suited for conversation and social interaction. Thank you for making such a meaningful improvement to the comfort, usability, and enjoyment of our party room. "
- Terry
"Willem's expertise has been invaluable to our design studio. He provided an excellent Introduction to Acoustics workshop for our entire team, which left us feeling more confident to speak with clients and each other about acoustical considerations. On our first office project working together, acoustics were a top priority for the client. Willem gave us thoughtful guidance and detailed specifications that directly supported our design process and documentation. I'm grateful for his collaboration and would highly recommend working with him."
- Madelynn
"Willem led a team of engineers through the design and fabrication of our art center's new outdoor performance space. Willem understood the concept that acoustics should take the lead and allowed the design to adapt, resulting in a completely unique structure that blends being in nature with beautiful acoustics. He is creative, detail-oriented and very thoughtful with colleagues and clients."
- Pete
"Willem was fantastic—knowledgeable, practical, helpful! He gave us clear explanations of why certain things would or wouldn't work and offered practical solutions that met our needs, including outside-the-box thinking like adjusting room usage. His advice worked and dramatically reduced the noise bleed between our lounge and screening room."
- Alec
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Contact
Click below to get in touch and I'll get back to you within two business days.
You can also email me at willem@fromthesoundup.com or call at (204) 558-6216.