ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS

NOISE & NOISE POLLUTION

Ar. Radha Krishan

Apeejay Institute of Technology –School of Architecture & Planning

TRANSMISSION OF NOISE

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 NOISE
In daily life, Noise means unwanted sound.
Noise is a subjective and relative perception

In architecture, one of the many goals of the designer is to create rooms and buildings that maximize sound
performance. This means that unwanted sounds should be prevented, and desired sounds should be enhanced.

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WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
The WHO suggests that for a steady continuous noise, the noise level in outdoor living
areas should not exceed 55 dB to prevent the majority of people from being seriously
annoyed.

The noise level should not exceed 50 dB to protect the majority of people from being
moderately annoyed.
The WHO also suggests that internal noise levels in dwellings during the daytime should
be limited to 35 dB to allow ‘casual conversation.

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NOISE-INDUSED HEARING IMPAIRMENT

115 dB 0.46875 minutes (~30 sec)

112 dB 0.9375 minutes (~1 min)
109 dB 1.875 minutes (< 2 min)
106 dB 3.75 minutes (< 4 min)
103 dB 7.5 minutes
100 dB 15 minutes
97 dB 30 minutes
94 dB 1 hour
91 dB 2 hours
88 dB 4 hours
85 dB 8 hours
82 dB 16 hours

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 SOUND MEASUREMENT
A SOUND LEVEL METER is used for acoustic (sound that travels through air) measurements. It is
commonly a hand-held instrument with a microphone.

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 WHY ?
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
• Acoustics are fundamentally important to learning environments.
• Learning is intrinsically linked with communication, and aural (sound) communication is acoustics.
• Learning is about concentration, and external noise is a major distracting factor in education.

When CLASSROOM acoustics are poor, it can cause problems with how a student…
• Understands speech
• Reads and spells
• Pays attention
• Learn well

When PERFORMATIVE acoustics are poor, it can cause problems with how An observer
• Understands movie or play or performance
• Pays attention
• Concentrate
• Enjoy

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 CLASSIFICATION OF NOISE
1. External Noises, i.e. noise whose sources are external.
A. Atmospheric noises
B. Extraterrestrial noises
C. Man-made noises or industrial noises

2. Internal Noise in communication

Noises which get, generated within the receiver or communication
system

A. Thermal noise or white noise or Johnson noise

B. Shot noise
C. Transit time noise
D. Miscellaneous internal noise

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EXTERNAL NOISE

(noise whose sources are external)

External noise cannot be reduced

Need to change the location of receiver

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 ATMOSPHERIC NOISE

Atmospheric noise or static is caused by lighting discharges in thunderstorms and natural

disturbances occurring in the atmosphere

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 ATMOSPHERIC NOISE
Cosmic and solar noise; radio disturbances from sources other than those related to the earth.

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 INDUSTRIAL NOISE
Industrial Noise refers to noise that is created in the factories which is jarring and unbearable.

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 INTERNAL NOISE

(Noises which get, generated within the receiver or communication system)

Internal noise can be easily evaluated mathematically

Can be reduced by proper design

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 THERMAL NOISE OR WHITE NOISE OR JOHNSON NOISE

The noise generated in any resistance

due to random motion of electrons is
called thermal noise or white noise

It arises because the atoms of a solid

state conductor are vibrating at all
temperatures and they bump into
conductors (electrons). This imposes a
new, random motion on those
conductors which generates noise.

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 SHOT NOISE
It is a type of electronic noise that occurs when the finite number of particles that carry
energy, such as electrons in an electronic circuit or photons in an optical device

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 TRANSIT TIME NOISE
Transit-time noise is any modification to a stream of carrier signals as they pass from the input
to the output of a device (such as from the emitter to the collector of a transistor) produces an
irregular, random variation

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CLASSIFICATION OF NOISE
Based on Transmission
 TRANSMISSION OF NOISE (MEDIUM)

AIRBORNE NOISE
Sound waves transmitted from a source to a receiver through the air.

STRUCTURE-BORNE NOISE
Caused by vibration from within the building caused by footsteps or
machines. The vibration is directly transferred through the building’s
structures and materials.

A. The sound of a plane’s engine is a kind of exterior airborne sound that may
affect communities near airports.
B. The MTR’s operating systems are quiet, but the vibration of the train rail
generates exterior structure-borne noise.
C. In a gymnasium, cheering spectators may cause interior airborne noise to
the surrounding rooms, while the athletes’ activities generate interior structure-
borne noise.

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 AIRBORNE NOISE

CAUSE
There are many considerations given to the causes of airborne Noise.

1. One major way that airborne sound can occur is due to low
standards of workmanship, resulting in gaps around doors
allowing airborne sound to travel.

2. These gaps and cracks allow sounds to travel through the air,
giving sounds an access point to travel to different parts of a
building.

3. Windows and doors that open out onto spaces that have lots of
noise like a main road can cause airborne sound, but not being
able to open these doors and windows can cause ventilation
issues, so this is something that should be addressed when
designing a building

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 AIRBORNE NOISE

REMEDIES
1. One of the ways in which airborne sound can be minimized is
through the technique of acoustic absorption. This decreases the
amount of sound that reflects back into the air when hitting a
surface within a building. Treating floors, walls and ceilings so
that airborne sounds become less prevalent can do this.

2. Another way in which airborne sound can be reduced is through

the use of sound insulation. Sound insulation uses a similar
technique to acoustic absorption, but instead of absorbing
sound, sound is blocked from travelling to a connected space of
a building because of the building elements.

3. One final way in which airborne sound can be reduced is by

ensuring any holes, gaps and cracks are identified and fixed to
prevent sounds being able to travel through to other parts of a
building.
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 STRUCTURE-BORNE NOISE

CAUSE
There are many considerations given to the causes of structure-
noise.

1. What makes a sound ‘structure borne’ is essentially the

transmission medium. As opposed to vibrations that travel
through air,

2. Structure borne sounds travel through solids such as wood,

concrete and steel; in its simplest terms, it applies to noise
generated in buildings.

3. Heavy footsteps from an upstairs neighbor or hearing the noise

of a slamming door are all examples of structure borne sound,
or structure borne noise. Those heavy footsteps have caused
vibrations within the structure of the floor, which direct both
upwards and downwards through your ceiling.
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 STRUCTURE-BORNE NOISE

CAUSE
The generation and transmission of structure borne sound is divided into five distinct processes:

1. Generation – the source of the oscillation.

2. Transmission – the transfer of the oscillatory energy to the building structure from the source.

3. Propagation – the mechanism by which the energy is distributed through the entire structure.

4. Attenuation – as the sound waves move through the structure they will be partially reflected off of surfaces,
reducing their energy and diminishing the sound.

5. Radiation – the emission of sound from an exposed surface, which will create not only structure borne
sound but also airborne sound.

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 STRUCTURE-BORNE NOISE
REMEDIES
1. Carpets and padding can be installed to absorb sound waves.
2. use of resilient underlay made from foam, recycled rubber, and rigid fibre-glass can provide an effective
solution to structure-borne sound.
3. Spring ceiling hangers, sound clips, and resilient mounts can be installed where appropriate.
4. In areas of the structure such as subflooring, soundproofing compounds can be applied between the two
rigid elements.
5. Structure-borne sound can be diminished through the use of a suspended ceiling system, a secondary wall
structure, and raised floors.
6. High-mass structures that incorporate cavities or offset construction can be utilized in order to prevent the
passage of vibrations.

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 TRANSMISSION OF NOISE (DUCTS & PIPES)
1. HVAC - Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning

HVAC Noise sources

• Fans (Axial, Centrifugal, Propeller)
• Compressor (Piston, Rotary, Scroll, Centrifugal, Screw)
• Pumps (to circulate liquid)
• Diffuser and Ductworks (to distribute air)

2. Waste and Rain leader piping

3. Transformers
4. Dimmer Racks
5. Lights and Ballasts
6. Elevator equipment

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 TRANSMISSION OF NOISE (DUCTS & PIPES)
REMEDIES: ISOLATION
1. SUSPENSION HANGERS
• For suspending the equipment from ceilings
• It can reduce structure-borne noise and vibration in HVAC
applications
• Applications (Fans, Air-conditioning, Distribution Pipes &
Ducts)

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 TRANSMISSION OF NOISE (DUCTS & PIPES)
REMEDIES: ISOLATION
2. Neoprene Base Mounts
• Ideal for mounting air conditioners on rooftops
• These feature a tapped hole in the center of mount and flanged base plate over-molded in neoprene for
corrosion resistance
• Applications (Air conditioners, A/C units and Motors)

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 TRANSMISSION OF NOISE (DUCTS & PIPES)
REMEDIES: ISOLATION
3. BASE-SPRING MOUNTS
• Reduce vibration in fans, air handling units & generators
• It provides vertical and horizontal deflection
• Applications (Fans, Air-handling units, Pumps &
Generators)

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 TRANSMISSION OF NOISE (DUCTS & PIPES)
REMEDIES: ISOLATION
4. AIR SPRINGS
• Feature variable load-carrying capacity
• It is excellent for noise and vibration isolation with low natural frequency
• Applications (Air compressors and Water pump)

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