ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS -

Noise & Noise Control

Lecture by Ar. Edwin YL Chan

ARCHITECTURE and the ENVIRONMENT - BLD 61303

 CONTENTS
1. Types of Noise
What is Noise, Perception and Effects of Noise, Measurement of
Sound and Indices, Indoor and Outdoor Noise sources,
2. Transmission of Noise - Source-Path-Receiver concept, Air-
borne noise, Structure-borne noise, Flanking Sound Transmission
3. Noise Attenuation Methods
Sound Absorption, Sound Insulation, Masking
4. Sound Insulation
Sound Reduction Index (SRI), Transmission Coefficient
Worked Examples , Sound Transmission Class (STC)
5. Background Noise and Noise Criteria (NC)
Definition , Noise Criteria (NC)
6. Noise Control Strategies in Design
Noise Control at Source, Planning & Architectural Design in Noise Control
Mechanical & Electrical Design in Noise Control, Structural Design in
Noise Control, Sound Absorption, Sound Insulation, Masking
NOISE
What is Noise
Any sound judged as undesirable by the recipient is
considered to be noise. Noise is unwanted sound.
Perception and Effects of Noise
Noise can be distracting, annoying, or harmful to everyday
activities (work, rest, entertainment, or study) .
.
Whether or not a sound is considered undesirable will depend
.
not only on the loudness of the sound but on its frequency,
continuity,
.
time of occurrence, place and activity being carried
out, information content and origin of the sound and recipient’s
state
. of mind and temperament.

As
. a rule, noises of mechanical /electrical origin ( fan, motors,
pumps,etc) are more disturbing than those of natural origin
(wind, waterfall, rain, etc).

High-frequency noises are also more disturbing than low-

frequency noises.
 NOISE

The acceptable level of noise depends not only on

objective, physical factors but also on subjective,
psychological factors. Whenever a noise is disturbing
or not depends on the state of mind or expectation of
the listener.
 Eg: in a sleeper train, the monotonous noise, even at 70
to 80 dBA will not be disturbing, but in a quiet home, if
the listener is badly 'tuned', even the ticking of a clock
at 20dBA may cause great annoyance.
 NOISE
Some of the more detrimental effects of noise on the listener
or environment are : -
1. Excessive noise can adversely impact the health of building
occupants: - sleep disturbance or sleep deprivation
- increased stress
2. In educational settings, noisy environments hinders
concentration and knowledge retention
3. In healthcare facilities, noisy environments can prolong
recuperation time
4. Distraction from a particular task can cause inefficiency,
inattention and errors with detrimental effect on working
efficiency and production
5. Quality of life in general decreases in noisy environment
6. Loss of hearing can occur over prolong exposure to excessive
noise levels.
7. Interference with desirable sounds such as music or speech
can be annoying and in some situations dangerous.
8. Expenses are incurred by the measures needed to try and
combat noise.
 NOISE
Noise Levels and their Effects
Noises at various levels (SIL) may produce both psychological
and physiological effects.
65 dBA - up to this level of noise may create annoyance, but
its result is only physiological (bodily fatique).
Above this level, psychological effects such as
mental and nervous effects, may occur.
90 dBA - many years of exposure to such noise levels would
normally cause permanent hearing loss.
100 dBA - with short period of exposure to this level, hearing
may be impaired temporarily, but prolonged
exposure is can cause irreparable hearing damage
120 dBA - causes pain
150 dBA - causes instantaneous loss of hearing ( deafness )
 MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
Frequency-Weighted Sound Levels
 Sound (noise) contains a spectrum of different frequencies which
can be detected by a sound level meter that gives constant and
objectives measurements of sound level.
 Unlike the sound level meter, the human ear does not simply add
up all the energy for a sound over the entire audible range and
interpret this value as the loudness of this sound.
 The human ear discriminates against low-frequency sounds ( it
ignores some of the low frequency sound energy). Hence a given
sound level will appear to be louder in the mid- and high-
frequency ranges than that same level at lower frequencies.
 A-weighted scale ( using electronic filters ) in a sound level meter
allows it to approximate the characteristics and read out sound
level values that corresponds with the way the human ear judges
the relative loudness of sounds.
 MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
Frequency-Weighted Sound Levels
 Two frequency weightings are commonly used on standard
sound level meters:
- C- scale is a “flat” frequency weighting ; all sound energy
summed up and converted to an overall value (in dBC)
- A- scale corresponds to the way the human ear responds
to the loudness of sound (low-frequency sounds are
filtered out) and a weighted sound level value is read on
the meter ( in dBA)
WEIGHTED SOUND LEVELS in dB(A)

12
 MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
Time-Weighted Sound Levels
Most sounds that you're going to measure fluctuate in level.
That immediately leaves you with two problems - how to
measure these variations, and how to be able to state what
the sound pressure level should turn out to be?
Sound level meters therefore have time response settings to cope with
these problems.
• Fast response setting - has a time constant of 125 millisecs and has a
fast reacting display response enabling us to follow and measure
fluctuating sound levels
• Slow response setting - has a time constant eight times as slow - at
one second. This helps to average out the display fluctuations on a
needle or bargraph, and make readings possible where the F time
constant setting would produce fluctuations impossible to read.
• Impulse response - has a time constant setting of 35 millisecs
setting ( not commonly used nowadays)
 MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
Time and Frequency Weightings Sound Level
The following terms are used to express sound levels,
indicating both Time and Frequency weightings

LAS - Slow, A- weighted Sound Level

LAF - Fast, A- weighted Sound Level
LCS - Slow, C - weighted Sound Level
LCF - Fast, C – weighted Sound Level

Sound level readings that are obtained are often analysed in terms of
Max (Lmax), Min (Lmin) and Ln (percentiles).

Ln - is the noise level exceeding n% of the measurement time.

eg. A percentile level, such as L10, is the noise level
exceeded for 10 percent of a given measurement time T.
MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
Sound Level – meaning of Ln
MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
 MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
Equivalent Continuous Sound Level or 𝐿𝑒𝑞 , 𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞
Noise levels often fluctuate over a wide range with time. For
example in the middle of the night, levels might go down as low as
30dB(A) with occasional passing vehicles of 70dB(A) or more.

In the recording of noise levels, measurements may be governed by

statutory regulations that require sound levels to be measured over
a period of time and then expressed as a single value, 𝐿𝑒𝑞 .

𝐿𝑒𝑞 is used to describe sound that vary over time, resulting in a

single decibel value which takes into account the total sound energy
over the period of time being measured. It can also be described as
the average sound level over the period of measurement.
𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞 is used to measure noise levels using the A-weighting setting .
In which case the term is properly known as LAeq and the results
should say so - for example LAeq = 73 dB or Leq = 73 dBA
 NOISE SOURCES
The main sources of noise can be classified into two groups:
Interior Noises
- noises produced by people through their activities such
as noises from radio/television, loud conversation,
slamming of doors, dragging furniture, babies crying, etc.
- building noises produced by machines and household equipment
- noise produced in certain industrial buildings by
manufacturing or production processes.

Outdoor Noise
- noises produced by transportation such as road traffic,
railway lines, motor boats, aircraft etc.
- mechanical equipment such as compressors, cooling
towers, construction equipment noise, machinery etc
- rainfall and thunder
 ACOUSTICAL ANALYSIS of NOISE CONTROL
The analysis of noise in buildings can be viewed from the
standpoint of a source, path, and receiver relationship
(Source - Path - Receiver concept).
Sound Source - in buildings can be divided into 3 categories:
1) occupant activity
2) operation of building M&E services
3) environmental sound produced outside a
building.

Sound Path - there are two paths of sound transmission ,

namely airborne and structure-borne.

Sound receiver- whilst we often think of receivers as persons,

in noise control receivers may be a building
or rooms in a building.
SOURCE – PATH – RECEIVER
Concept
 SOUND TRANSMISSION PATHWAYS
There are two ways in which sound (noise) is transmitted in
buildings
Air-borne Sound Transmission
• Sound is transmitted through the air from its source

Structure-borne Sound Transmission

• Sound energy from a source sets into vibration solid parts of
the building structure , virtually multiplying the area of the
sound radiating surface.

21
 SOUND TRANSMISSION PATHWAYS

Air-borne Sound Transmission Structure-borne Sound Transmission

 AIRBORNE SOUND TRANSMISSION
Air-borne sound is transmitted
• Along continuous air paths
through openings, such as
open windows and doors,
ventilating ducts and grilles,
shafts, cracks around doors,
pipes , conduits and electrical
fixtures.
• By means of forced vibration SECTION

at the boundaries ( walls,

floor, ceiling) of the source
room and transmitted to the
boundaries of the receiving
room. Sound is reradiated in
the receiving room .
PLAN 23
AIRBORNE SOUND TRANSMISSION
Sound Leakage
Flanking Sound Transmission
Leakages at intersections and joints of
side walls, floors and ceilings can be
avoided by application of sealant /
caulking.

Flanking paths occur over partitions via

suspended ceilings, via interconnecting
air-cond ducts and plenums, adjacent
windows and door openings within a
common corridor.
Noise intrusion via flanking pathways
pose a serious threat to good sound
isolation performance especially if
sound isolation values of 50dB or more
is expected
 STRUCTURE-BORNE SOUND
Structure - borne sound is transmitted

• As vibrations through solid parts of a

building structure
• The sound energy that is transmitted
directly through the structure is
reradiated from building elements
such as walls, slabs, , panels, boards
and suspended ceiling, and eventually
reach the recipient as air-borne
sound.
• Structure-borne sound can be
transmitted over long distances
through vibrations from rigidly
connected sound sources to other
building elements . 26
 STRUCTURE-BORNE SOUND
IMPACT NOISE

Impacts are generated by direct physical contact with a

surface ( partition, floor or structure) whose other side is
exposed to an adjoining room.

Impact sounds are structure borne rather than airborne.

Example? Footsteps, slammed doors and

windows, noisy pipes and vibrating
machinery
 HOW TO REDUCE/CONTROL NOISE
1. Sound Absorption (absorb echo)
2. Sound Insulation (block or stop sound)
 SOUND ABSORPTION
The noise level in a receiving room is made up of direct
sound and the reflected or reverberant sound.

The noise level of the reverberant sound can be reduced

to a Limited extent by sound absorptive treatment.

This reduction by the use of sound absorptive treatment

is given by the formula
𝐴2
Reduction of Noise level (dB) = 10 log
𝐴1

where A1 and A2 are the total amount of sound absorption

in the room before and after additional treatment respectively
SOUND ABSORPTION

Sound
Absorbent reflections
lining reduced

Corridor or
Noise control by duct
absorption
 SOUND ABSORPTION COEFFICIENT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysdfoA-t1aA
 Sound Insulation
• Sound insulation is the reduction of sound energy
transmitted into an adjoining air space.
• Sound insulation is the principle method of controlling
both airborne and impact sound in buildings
• Fundamental principles of Sound Insulation are:
Mass - heavyweight structures with high mass transmit less
energy than lighweight structure.
.
Completeness - the completeness of a structure depends
. upon airtightness and uniformity.
Stiffness - a physical property of a partition and depends upon
.
factors such as the elasticity of the materials and the
fixing of the partition. High stiffness can cause loss of
insulationat certain frequencies.
Isolation - isolation strategies combined with sound insulating
materials can increase sound insulation values substantially.
 The effectiveness of each technique of insulation can differ with the
type of sound but in most constructions all the principles are relevant
 Sound Reduction Index (SRI)
SRI a measurement of the insulation against the
direct transmission of airborne sound.
partition
Incident sound energy Transmitted sound energy
(100 per cent) (1 per cent)

95 dB 75dB

SRI = 20dB
The difference in sound levels on either side of a partition as shown in
the figure above can be used as an index of airborne sound insulation.
Sound Reduction Index (SRI)

1
SRI = 10 log
𝑇
where
SRI = sound reduction index
T = transmission coefficient

UNIT : decibel (dB)

 Transmission Coefficient

The airborne sound insulation of a partition

depend upon the amount of sound energy
transmitted across the partition.
The proportion of energy transmitted through
the partition is measured by the
transmission coefficient, T

Transmitted Sound Energy

where T=
Incident Sound Energy
 Calculation of Sound Insulation
WORKED EXAMPLE 1:
At a certain frequency a wall transmits 1 per cent of the
sound energy incident upon it. Calculate the sound
reduction index of the wall at this frequency.
Answer
Using T = transmitted sound energy
incident sound energy
1 𝟏
T = SRI = 10 log10
100 𝑻
SRI = 10 log (1/0.01)
T = 0.01
= 10 log 100
= 10 x 2

SRI = 20 dB
 SRI of COMPOSITE PARTITION
A window placed in a well-insulated wall can greatly reduce
the overall sound insulation of the wall.
The overall transmission coefficient can be calculated using
the transmission coefficients and areas of the individual
components such as windows and doors.

Then, T0 = (T1 x A1) + (T2 x A2) + (T3 x A3) + (Tn x An)

A1 + A 2 + A3 + An

Where, T0 = overall transmission coefficient

T1 = transmission coefficient of one component
A1 = area of that component etc.

The overall sound reduction index for the complete partition can
then be calculated using the overall transmission coefficient.
 SRI of COMPOSITE PARTITION
WORKED EXAMPLE 2:
A wall of area 10m2 contains a window of area 2m2.
The SRIs are 50 dB for the brickwork and 18 dB for the window.
Calculate the overall SRI of the composite wall.
Answer
Area of Window 𝐴1 = 2 𝑚2 , SRI1 = 18dB
Area of Brickwork 𝐴2 = 10 – 2 = 8 𝑚2 , SRI2 = 50dB
𝟏
Using SRI = 10 log10 and T0 = (T1 x A1) + (T2 x A2) + (Tn x An)
𝑻
A 1 + A2 + An
SRI1 = 10 log (1/T1) SRI2 = 10 log (1/T2)
18 = 10 log (1/ T1) 50 = 10 log (1/ T2)
1.8 = log (1/T1) 5 = log (1/T2)
Antilog 1.8 = (1/T1) Antilog 5 = (1/T2)
T1 = 1/antilog 1.8 T2 = 1/antilog 5
= 0.016 = 1 x 10-5
WORKED EXAMPLE 2:
T0 = (T1 x A1) + (T2 x A2)
A1 + A2
T0 = ( 0.016 x 2 ) + ( 1 x 10−5 x 8 )
2+ 8
= 3.208 x 10−3

SRI0 = 10 log (1/T0)

= 10 log (1/3.208 x 10-3)
= 24.94 dB Overall SRI = 25 dB
understanding Sound Transmission Class (STC)

Sound Reduction Index (SRI)

•The Sound Reduction Index SRI or Transmission
Loss TL of a partition measures the number of
decibels lost when a sound of a given frequency is
transmitted through the partition.
understanding Sound Transmission Class (STC)

Sound Transmission Class (STC)

STC is a single-number rating (integer rating)

to rate the Transmission Loss (TL) values of a
material or construction assembly over the
frequency range of 125-4000 Hz.
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
Sound Transmission Class (or STC) is an integer (single
number) rating of how well a building partition attenuates
airborne sound over a frequency range of 125 – 4000 Hertz.
It is widely used to rate interior partitions, ceilings/floors,
doors, windows and exterior wall configurations
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
•In general, a higher STC rating blocks more airborne
noise from transmitting through a partition.
i.e The higher the STC rating, the better the sound
stopping or sound insulation performance of a material is
(theoretically)

•STC is highly dependant on the construction of the

partition. A partition's STC can be increased by:
•Adding mass
•Increasing or adding air space
•Adding absorptive material within the partition

Note: Even with a high STC rating, any penetration, air-gap, or

"flanking" path can seriously degrade the isolation quality of a wall.
 Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- Determining STC
• STC of a material can be determined by comparing the
16 frequency TL curve with a standard reference STC
contour i.e shifting the STC contour vertically relative
to the TL curve until 2 conditions are fulfilled.
I. The sum of the deviations below the STC contour does
not exceed 32dB,
II. The max. deviation below any single frequency does not
exceed 8.

• The TL value corresponding to the intersection of the STC

contour at the 500Hz ordinate is taken as the STC rating
of the material.
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- determining STC
Noise is generated in one room and
the sound pressure levels in decibels
(dB) are measured in both rooms at
16 distinct frequencies between 125
Hz and 4,000 Hz.

The Transmission Loss curve is drawn

for the partition being tested.

A standard STC contour is then compared against the TL curve by shifting it

vertically until an optimum value that satisfies the two conditions below
are met.

1. Not be more than 8 deficiencies in the frequency bands of the TL curve

2. The sum of the total deficiencies must not exceed 32dB.

The TL value corresponding to the intersection of the STC contour at the 500Hz
ordinate is taken as the STC rating of the material
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
Sound Transmission Class (STC)

47
Sound Attenuation Effects of STC Ratings on Hearing
Sound Attenuation Effects of STC Ratings on Hearing
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- Walls
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- Walls
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- Walls
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
- Walls
Background Noise
In acoustics, background noise or ambient
noise is any sound other than the sound being
monitored.

Background noise is a form of noise pollution or

interference.

Background noise is an important concept in

setting noise regulations (see Noise Criteria).

Examples of background noises are

environmental noises such as waves, traffic noise,
alarms, people talking, bioacoustic noise from
animals or birds and mechanical noise from
devices such as refrigerators or air conditioning,
power supplies or motors.
Noise Criteria (NC)
Noise Criteria levels or
NC levels is used to specify the
permissible background noise
levels in various occupancies
and spaces

The NC rating can be determined

by plotting the measured sound
pressure at each octave band.
The noise spectrum is specified
as having a NC rating same as the
lowest NC curve which is not
exceeded by the spectrum.

Noise Criteria - NC - were established in the U.S. for rating indoor noise like
noise from air-conditioning equipment and similar.
In Europe it is common to use the alternative Noise Rating Curve - NR
 Recommended NC Level Equivalent Sound Level
Type of Room - Space Type
NC Curve dBA

Residences
Apartment Houses 25-35 35-45
Assembly Halls 25-30 35-40
Churches, Synagogues, Mosques 30-35 40-45
Courtrooms 30-40 40-50
Factories 40-65 50-75
Private Homes, rural and suburban 20-30 30-38
Private Homes, urban 25-30 34-42
Hotels/Motels
- Individual rooms or suites 25-35 35-45
- Meeting or banquet rooms 25-35 35-45
- Service and Support Areas 40-45 45-50
- Halls, corridors, lobbies 35-40 50-55
Offices
- Conference rooms 25-30 35-40
- Private 30-35 40-45
- Open-plan areas 35-40 45-50
- Business machines/computers 40-45 50-55
Hospitals and Clinics
- Private rooms 25-30 35-40
- Operating rooms 25-30 35-40
- Wards 30-35 40-45
- Laboratories 35-40 45-50
- Corridors 30-35 40-45
- Public areas 35-40 45-50
Schools
- Lecture and classrooms 25-30 35-40
- Open-plan classrooms 35-40 45-50
Movie motion picture theaters 30-35 40-45
Libraries 35-40 40-50
Legitimate theaters 20-25 30-65
Private Residences 25-35 35-45
Restaurants 40-45 50-55
TV Broadcast studies 15-25 25-35
Recording Studios 15-20 25-30
Concert and recital halls 15-20 25-30
Sport Coliseums 45-55 55-65
Sound broadcasting 15-20 25-30
Noise Control Strategies
1. Suppression of Noise at the Source

2. Town / Site Planning

3. Architectural Design

4. Mechanical and Electrical Design

5. Structural Design
6. Organisation

7. Sound Absorption
8. Masking Noise
9. Sound Insulating Building Construction
Noise Control Strategies
1. Suppression of Noise at the Source

The most economical noise-control measure is to suppress

noise right at the source. For example:

• Choosing relatively quiet machines and equipment

• Adopting manufacturing and working process that do not
cause disturbing noise levels eg. Subway trains that run on
rubber wheels
• Proper maintenance of machinery since defective, loose
and vibrating components are noise sources
• Better design of equipment such as typewriters, fans
motors, compressors and boilers to be relatively noiseless
• Electrically operated vehicles instead of combustion
engines
 Noise Control Strategies
1. Suppression of Noise at the Source….contd

• Acoustic enclosures for gensets can reduce noise levels

up to 10 to 20dB.
• The vibrations of equipment and machinery may be
controlled using proper foundations, rubber padding ,
isolators, etc. to reduce the noise levels caused by
vibrations
• Reducing impact noise by installing soft floor finishes
such as carpet, cork, rubber tiles, floating floor etc
Acoustic Enclosure to Attenuate
Air-borne Noise Transmission
Isolation of Vibration Noise
Restrained/ Housed Spring
Vibration Isolators
Restrained/ Housed Spring
Vibration Isolators
Hanger Mount / Ceiling Vibration Isolators
Wire Hanger Isolators
 Hanger Mount / Ceiling Vibration Isolators

Neoprene Isolator

Spring Isolator
Floating Timber Floor using Acoustic Mat
Timber Floating Floor constructed for Karate Gym
above Retail Outlet
Controlling Transmission of Impact Noise
- Timber Floating Floor detail
Controlling Transmission of Impact/Vibration Noise
- Concrete Slab Floating Floor detail
Noise Control Strategies
2. Town / Site Planning
Noise pollution in urban areas has become an environmental
factor of great importance that need to be controlled.

The following principles should be observed in the planning of

townships.
• Zoning regulations to segregate residential districts and
special areas requiring quiet from expressways/highways,
railways, industrial and commercial areas , and airports.
• Main traffic arteries should not run through quiet surroundings
( residential districts, hospitals, schools etc)
• Prohibiting heavy vehicles from particular routes or restricting
their operation during noise sensitive times of the day.
• Maximum use of greenbelts and landscaped areas as buffers
against industrial and commercial noise and busy highways.
 Noise Control Strategies
2. Town / Site Planning
• Uninterrupted facades on both sides of a street will increase
the traffic noise level by about 4 to 10dB, irrespective of
building height.
• Traffic arteries and railway tracks passing through noise
sensitive areas should be shielded by embankments or
cuttings along the edges of the route.
• Barriers along noisy traffic routes can provide noise
reduction in the area behind the barrier.
• Traffic noise diminishes with distance, the degree of
attenuation depending on terrain surface. By doubling
distance noise will attenuate by 3 dB to 6dB.
• New airports should be sited and developed so that they do
not interfere with the privacy of residential and noise
sensitive areas.
Noise Control - Planning Strategies
Zoning Areas

The objective of Noise Zoning is to isolate loud

sources from quieter zones

Heavy Industry Zone &

NC-75
Airports
NC-65 Commercial Zone
Open area or Buffer Zone
green area

NC-30 Residential Zone

8
Keeping Roadways away from Quiet Areas

A. Cul-de-sac at end of street

B. Pedestrian walkways leading to buildings
C. Concentrated external parking away from buildings
Elevated or Depressed Roadways affect
Sound patterns

13
Noise Reduction by Barrier

15
Noise Reduction by Barrier
*For a barrier to be effective acoustically, it must either be close
to the noise source or to the recipient to be protected against
the noise.
At very large distances, the barrier becomes less effective
because of the possibility of refractive atmospheric effects.
 Control of Airport Noise
• The disturbing noise is around the runway areas
• Loudest noise is during landing and take off
• According to US Dept of Housing and Urban
Development: ideally residential should be
located not less than 24 km away

High noise level during landing

and taking-off

Runway axis
runway
NEF contours indicating
noise patterns

5
Double Distance Rule
Noise will decrease by 6 dB each time the distance away
from the noise source is doubled.

Note: The above reduction value is applicable in Free Field

point source only
For noise sources that is linear eg. Traffic noise along
a busy road, noise may be decreased by 3 dB for each
doubling of distance away
 Noise Control Strategies
3. Architectural Design
• Quiet and noisy quarters should be grouped and separated from
each other horizontally and vertically.
• A living room in one apartment should not be adjacent to a
bedroom of another apartment.
• Bedrooms should be located in a relatively quiet part of the
building and should not be adjacent to elevator shafts or
machine rooms.
• Bath fixtures should not be installed alo9ng walls which
separate living rooms and bedrooms
• Doors of bedrooms should have reasonably good sound
insulation.
• Treads of staircases should be carpeted to avoid impact noise.
• Windows between apartments should be reasonably spaced out
to avoid flanking noise transmission.
Noise Control Strategies
3. Architectural Design
 Noise Control Strategies
4. Mechanical and Electrical Design
• Select silently operating systems , equipment and fixtures for
HVAC systems.
• Noise and vibrating- producing equipment should be
accommodated inn the basement if possible and surrounded
with thick surrounding structure.
• Pipes, ventilating ducts, continuous perimeter heating
equipment etc should be designed so that they do not short
circuit sound insulating walls and floors.
• Fixtures fixed back to back ( cabinets, power outlets, switches,
antenna points etc) should be staggered and all voids properly
packed and caulked.
• Service pipes and hanging mechanical equipment should be
resiliently attached to walls or suspended on hanging isolators.
• Ventilating louvres should incorporate noise filters.
Noise Control Strategies
4. Mechanical and Electrical Design
 Noise Control Strategies
5. Structural Design
• The minimum structural thickness of walls and slabs
although may adequate for bearing capacity or strength
may not provide enough sound insulation.
• Lightweight fabrication of floor slab may be subjected to
vibration resonance if vibrating equipment is placed on
them.
• Partition walls separating two dwelling should consist of
two separated wall layers extending from the roof to the
foundation.
• Buildings that need to be isolated from vibrations
originating from adjacent railway tracks, subways ,
highways etc should have lead-asbestos anti vibration
pads integrated into the foundation system.
Noise Control Strategies
5. Structural Design
 Noise Control Strategies
6. Organisation

• In factories where there is noisy equipment scattered

about, they may be regrouped into a restricted area and
partitioned off from the rest of the spaces.
• Earplugs or ear muffs should be used in excessively noisy
areas in factories.
• Locate office spaces in factories away from noisy areas.
• Scheduling of working times to avoid clashing with rest
and sleeping times for construction sites near residential
areas is effective in combating noise in communities.
Noise Control Strategies
7. Sound Absorption
The noise level in a receiving room is made up of direct
sound and the reflected or reverberant sound.
The noise level of the reverberant sound can be reduced
to a Limited extent by sound absorptive treatment.

This reduction by the use of sound absorptive treatment is

given by the formula:
𝐴2
Reduction of Noise level (dB) = 10 log
𝐴1

𝐴2
NR = TL + 10 log
𝐴1

where A1 and A2 are the total amount of sound absorption

in the room before and after additional treatment respectively
Noise Control Strategies
8. Masking Noise
• In many situations, noise problems can be solved by
drowning out ( or masking) unwanted noise by
electronically created background noise.
• By raising the background sound level within a space,
masking obscures conversations and noises by minimizing
the degree of change perceived by listeners, thus
improving privacy
• Noise from ventilation systems , or from uniform flow of
traffic or from general office activities can be considered
as masking noise.
• Appropriately selected and well distributed background
music can also be considered a type of masking noise.
 Noise Control Strategies
9. Sound Insulating Building Construction
• If noise control methods described above so far
cannot assist to reduce noise levels, then an one
need to consider increasing the sound insulating
enclosure itself ( walls, floor, doors, or windows)
• This is where the Sound Transmission Class (STC) of
materials or construction types come into effect in
noise control.
partition
Incident Transmitted
sound energy sound energy
(100 per cent)
(1 per cent)

95 dB 75dB

SRI = 20dB
 REFERENCES
c Cowan, J, (2000) Architectural Acoustics, Design
Guide, Mc Graw-Hill, N.Y
c Templeton, D, (1991) Acoustic Design, Butterworth,
London
c Cavanaugh, W.J, (1999) Architectural Acoustic:
Principle and Design, John Wiley & Sons, N.Y.
c Beranek, L.L,(1996) Concert and Opera Halls: How
They Sound, Melville, N.Y.

THANK YOU
9
Tutorial Question No. 1:
800 units of sound energy are incident upon a window and 10 of
these units are transmitted through the window.
(a) Calculate the SRI of this window
(b) If the wall where this window is placed has a SRI of 33 dB,
then calculate the transmission coefficient of this wall.

Use:
1 Transmitted Sound Energy
SRI = 10 log10 and T =
𝑇 Incident Sound Energy
Tutorial Question No. 2:
An external brick cavity wall is to be 4m long and 2.5 m high.
The wall is to contain one window 1.2 m by 800mm and one
door 750mm by 2m.
The relevant sound reduction indexes are: brickwork 53 dB;
window 23 dB and door 20dB.
Calculate the overall SRI of the composite partition.

Use:
1
SRI = 10 log10 and T0 = (T1 x A1) + (T2 x A2) + (T3 x A3)
𝑇
A1 + A2 + A3