Quincey Smail has worked in acoustics at ABD Engineering & Design since 2016. He is an acoustical consultant, based in Grand Rapids, MI with a Master of Engineering in acoustics from Penn State.
Quincey’s expertise includes acoustical design, modeling and testing to provide thoughtful recommendations for a variety of project types from residential and mixed use to K-12, higher education to healthcare, workplace, environmental, and industrial facilities.
His projects include noise studies of manufacturing equipment in the US and Europe, car wash sites with residential adjacencies, and high-profile commercial locations. Quincey’s musical background has served him and his projects well in performance spaces including the Interlochen Center for the Arts, as well as other public and private music schools, music stores, event centers, plus the particular needs of worship spaces. Quincey is regularly called upon to assist with hotel acoustical needs during design and construction, along with post-occupancy needs. He has also worked with hospitals, hospice, counseling centers, dental offices, and residential healthcare to address FGI and HIPAA requirements.
“Q,” as many of us call him, came into acoustics through the rabbit-hole of physics and music. Discovering that music is physics piqued his interest. A combination of his choir teacher and under-grad physics advisor prompted him to meet with an organ installer who talked with him about how sound behaves in the architectural space of a church. Later, during his gap-year, Quincey picked up a number of books and continued riding the wave of discovery through independent study, further drawing him to his graduate program. As ABD’s unofficial traveler, he’s worked on projects in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Netherlands.
In his free time, Quincey – a talented baritone – sings in community and church choirs. He can be found enjoying the Grand Rapids local craft-brewery and cocktail culture, trivia nights, and playing tabletop games.
