Noise produced by lift in multi-story apartment building, case study

Norwegian building regulations requires that all buildings open for general public and work buildings with two or more storeys shall have lifts installed to meet the requirements for universal design. The most commonly used lift system is commonly called the machine room less (MRL) lift where the machinery is located on top of a dedicated lift shaft. Rotating machinery and moving parts represents potential noise and vibration annoyance when not correctly installed. This paper presents a case study where excessive noise levels were observed in a bedroom in the top floor apartment, close to the lift machinery. This paper gives a presentation of the strict requirements that apply to noise from service equipment by the Norwegian building regulations. Also, the various mitigations measures to reduce structure-borne noise and vibration are discussed.