Interior Soundproof Windows Offer an Affordable Solution to Noise Pollution in Apartments

The Problem:
Noise Pollution

As daytime noise has become an increasing distraction, interior soundproof windows are an affordable option to window replacements.

Michael Lentin, President, CitiQuiet Windows

In New York City, noise is a fact of life. And as the world has shifted to remote work, daytime noise has become a new headache in apartment buildings. For most co-ops and condos, wholesale window replacements are cost prohibitive. But Michael Lentin, founder of CitiQuiet Windows, says there is an alternative — interior windows, which are both soundproof and easy to install.

Downtown fix. In the past, residents sought soundproofing solutions mainly for nighttime peace and quiet, but as more and more owners are working from home, daytime noise has become problematic. Street noise was a serious problem at one large condo building in Manhattan’s Financial District, located in an area with heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. “It’s a touristy area with narrow streets, bike lanes and double parking, so there is a lot of horn honking,” Lentin explains. The windows in the nearly century-old building were not designed to be soundproof, and the noise was so excessive that the condo’s developer was having difficulty selling units. 

The developer reached out to Lentin, and as it turned out, the building was an ideal fit for CitiQuiet’s interior soundproof windows. “It has punched window openings, where the exterior and interior wall surfaces around the windows protrude beyond the windows’ surface,” Lentin says. “It looks like you just punched holes in the sides of the building and inserted the windows.” That made it easy to install interior soundproof windows — a second window of laminated glass that creates a dead-air space between the interior and exterior windows and blocks out noise. Rather than a complete window overhaul, “the developer is buying the interior windows once they’re in contract with a buyer and having us install them prior to the closing,” Lentin says. “It’s enabling them to sell more apartments.”

Uptown fix. Street noise is one thing, but construction noise is another. That was the case when the American Museum of Natural History was building its new extension. “Buildings that were facing that part of the museum were up in arms,” Lentin says. To mitigate the noise, the museum decided to install CitiQuiet interior soundproof windows for all residents who wanted them. “They spent well over a million dollars,” he adds. “The museum was prepared to pay us to remove the windows if that’s what  people wanted, but nobody has. They’ve all kept them.”

Added bonus. As co-ops and condos struggle with the cost of retrofits to comply with Local Law 97, interior soundproofing windows offer another benefit. “While the windows were originally designed with noise reduction in mind, they also offer thermal insulation,” says Lentin, adding that Con Edison is looking into offering energy-efficiency incentives to buildings that install interior windows. “It’s an affordable way to help curb carbon emissions, which is important for any building on a tight budget.”