Why is it such an issue?
In 1999 the WHO (World Health Organisation) set out guidelines for community noise. These were the first guidelines on the topic, and were a response to the need for action on community noise at local level, as well as the request for improved legislation, management and guidance at the national and regional levels.
The demand for this was due to the increase in noise coming from the environment, mostly man made, such as built up road traffic congestion, railway noise and aircraft noise. As the population becomes denser and more crowded in already overpopulated areas, greater traffic flow is created in inner city areas, and with the rise of residential apartments in these areas and the increase of traffic spilling through to rural areas this obviously is a growing concern.
It has been discovered that this increase in noise is not only a nuisance and inconvenience but it is also detrimental to our health, and has life-long consequences. Health effects include increased risk of ischemic heart disease, hearing impairments, annoyance leading to increases in stress levels adding to sleep disturbance and mental health issues.
It was discovered that approx. 40% of the population in EU Countries is exposed to road traffic noise at levels exceeding 55Db(A)
20% is exposed to levels exceeding 65Db(A) during the daytime and over 30% is exposed to levels exceeding 55Db(a) at night.
The statistics highlight that this is a very serious issue and needs addressing, so much so that the W.H.O in 2018 provided guidelines on protecting our health from harmful exposure to environmental noise, and they set out health-based recommendations.
What can we do to help?
So, in the ventilation world, what can TEK do to help this noise issue for occupants in building settings.
Residential Natural Ventilation; with the rise of residential apartments in densely populated areas we have developed a range of natural ventilation units which aim to prevent overheating and provide ventilation whilst meeting the required noise reduction from outside to in. You can find out more about these in our previous blog https://www.tek-ltd.com/blog/ventilating-residential-apartments/
Attenuated ventilated wall units; Our Natural Ventilation units can include an attenuated section to limit the amount of noise being let into the space; attenuated transfer units can also be supplied.
Acoustic screens & enclosures; The enclosures consist of acoustic panels comprising of an outer layer of galvanised steel with acoustic infill retained behind perforated or expanded metal sheet. The panel design is determined by the acoustic and aesthetic requirements and may be interlocking or mounted within a framework.
Acoustic louvres; We can manufacture acoustic louvres to meet the Architects requirements of an aesthetically pleasing external look whilst meeting the Building Services requirements for air flow and noise reduction.
Our units are purposely built in our Birmingham factory so are tailor-made to any design and with the expertise of our in-house Acoustician we can innovate and fabricate a bespoke unit for any project to meet the clients specific needs and acoustic requirements.
All our units have been independently tested and verified and we have a wide range of acoustic test data available to support our designs.
Please get in touch if noise is an issue on your next project and see how we can assist you.