Innovations that Make Infrastructure and Construction Noise Control More Effective

Many of the traditional measures used to manage noise during demolition, construction and maintenance projects were not only "site implementation hostile" (they were costly and time consuming to use), but they were often acoustically ineffective. This made it increasingly difficult for organisations to comply with ever tighter noise regulations without incurring much higher costs due to the extended project timescales associated with noise induced limitations on working hours.However, the new generation of temporary noise control measures has combined the results of technical and psychological research with new acoustic materials. This has created noise control options that are not only acoustically highly effective, but which can also be deployed on sites very fast with minimal labour. In some cases, the extended working hours made possible by this enhanced performance and practicality can even make implementing noise mitigation packages a highly profitable exercise. Products based on these technical advances provide acoustic engineers and consultants with new tools that they can use to mitigate noise on previously "difficult" projects.This paper summarises the innovative acoustic and mechanical developments involved, using multi-media case studies from projects across the globe to illustrate the technical features.