A Mock-up Laboratory for Arousing Public Awareness on the Use of Quiet Methods for Domestic Renovation

Owing to the compact living environment in Hong Kong, multi-storey buildings and multi-flatted settings are very common, giving rise to easy transmission of renovation noise from one flat to many other flats in the same residential building. The problem is particularly serious as refurbishment works are frequent and they often involve noisy demolition of wall / floor tiles and other works with concrete removal such as channelling for concealed conduits. This paper will describe the design and operation of a mock-up laboratory for simulation of renovation noise transmission and arousing public awareness on the importance of reducing such disturbance by demonstrating the noise annoyance caused by typical renovation activities and the noise reduction and other benefits from quiet tools. This laboratory is intended for visits by relevant professionals and designers in the field of construction, practitioners in the renovation industry, and people from the academic sector. Technical findings on the various demonstrations will also be presented.