Reducing noise with Acoustic Barriers from The Leys School’s sports facilities into neighbouring properties

Solution

In response to their client’s brief, architectural practice Cavaleri Partnership prepared a scheme to: redevelop the internal roadway around the school grounds, specifically alongside the sports facilities; regularise temporary parking arrangements; and effect a number of other changes to enhance pupil safety and reduce noise nuisance from extended use of the facilities.

While not a direct requirement, but in line with the results of the acoustic survey, the school instructed its agent to submit an application that included the use of acoustic fencing to mitigate noise: from the sports facilities; the redeveloped roadway; and associated parking, which would also yield the incremental benefit of reducing head light pollution from the site.

Jacksons Fencing was appointed to design, deliver and install over 227 metres of timber Jakoustic® fencing this features its unique tuning-fork posts and black powder coated steel spurs at 3.0 metres high along with associated access gates. The brief called for acoustic barriers to the all weather pitch and roadway to effectively create an acoustic enclave, and for the boundary fencing alongside the roadway to maintain its height over undulating ground and also to accommodate a mature tree which was directly on the fence line.

The resulting installation will please both the school’s neighbours and the wider community as the two zone acoustic solution is calculated to deliver a 10dBA* reduction in noise measured in the middle of the gardens backing on to the sports facilities; in other words, the noise from the hockey pitch will be around 10dBA lower in the gardens relative to the other ambient noise sources in the area.

It should be noted that a 10dBA reduction in noise is a significant improvement and a measure generally accepted to represent a halving of subjective loudness.