Exterior Noise Ingress in Greater Vancouver Residential Buildings: Prediction versus Field Measurements

Authors

  • Gary Mak BKL Consultants Ltd.
  • Mark Bliss BKL

Abstract

Most municipalities in the lower mainland prescribe acoustic requirements for rezoning applications to study outdoor noise ingress and necessary facade improvements to meet interior noise limits such as those mentioned in the CMHC Road and Rail Noise: Effects on Housing criteria. However, there is no standard method of performing this assessment. As there are often no requirements for post-construction testing, the actual interior noise levels are not measured and compared with the initial predictions. After a number of assumptions and theoretical calculations, how accurate are these interior noise predictions?

For a number of residential development projects, we conducted post-construction measurements to measure the actual noise level inside bedrooms. The measurement results were compared with the original predictions to assess the accuracy and identify tendencies to over- or under-predict. In addition, we looked at factors which could influence the accuracy such as facade noise exposure estimate, transmission loss data, and noise ingress calculation. This paper discusses our findings and recommended best practices for interior noise level predictions for Greater Vancouver residential construction.

Author Biography

Gary Mak, BKL Consultants Ltd.

Gary Mak graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. During his studies, he completed courses in acoustics, vibration and HVAC design. Since joining BKL Consultants Ltd. in 2011, his work covers the areas of environmental noise assessments, mechanical/industrial noise control and architectural acoustics.

Additional Files

Published

2016-08-25

How to Cite

1.
Mak G, Bliss M. Exterior Noise Ingress in Greater Vancouver Residential Buildings: Prediction versus Field Measurements. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2016 Aug. 25 [cited 2024 Apr. 16];44(3). Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/2998

Issue

Vol. 44 No. 3 (2016)

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada

License

Author Licensing Addendum

This Licensing Addendum ("Addendum") is entered into between the undersigned Author(s) and Canadian Acoustics journal published by the Canadian Acoustical Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Publisher"). The Author(s) and the Publisher agree as follows:

  1. Retained Rights: The Author(s) retain(s) the following rights:

    • The right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the Work on the Author's personal website or the website of the Author's institution.
    • The right to use the Work in the Author's teaching activities and presentations.
    • The right to include the Work in a compilation for the Author's personal use, not for sale.

  2. Grant of License: The Author(s) grant(s) to the Publisher a worldwide exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the Work in Canadian Acoustics and any other formats and media deemed appropriate by the Publisher.

  3. Attribution: The Publisher agrees to include proper attribution to the Author(s) in all publications and reproductions of the Work.

  4. No Conflict: This Addendum is intended to be in harmony with, and not in conflict with, the terms and conditions of the original agreement entered into between the Author(s) and the Publisher.

  5. Copyright Clause: Copyright on articles is held by the Author(s). The corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all Authors and does grant on behalf of all Authors, a worldwide exclusive license to the Publisher and its licensees in perpetuity, in all forms, formats, and media (whether known now or created in the future), including but not limited to the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create adaptations, reprints, include within collections, and create summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts of the Contribution.