Assessing noise sources in an urban environment

Controlling noise in dense urban environment can be challenging and often involves a site-specific approach. Large facilities in dense urban environments with a multitude of stationary noise sources require careful analysis and strategic approaches to meet the environmental noise compliance criteria. This paper presents a case study of one such approach to meet the compliance requirement for a complex institutional facility. The facility comprising of several high-rise buildings with over a hundred noise sources, covering an entire city block in the downtown core of a major North American city, with receptors within and around the facility at varying heights in all directions. To meet the compliance requirements, a three-prong strategic approach was developed; 1) streamlining source analysis and facilities acoustical modeling; 2) review of site-specific criteria; and 3) optimal noise control considering technical, economic and administrative feasibility.