University of Ilorin

UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
DISCUSSION ON PROBLEM OF NOISE IN BUILDINGS AND

WHY THE CONTROL OF NOISE IS IMPORTANT FOR
STUDYBOF ARCHITECTURE.
Prepared by:
FATAI, S. TEWOGBADE
14/31QD015
Submitted to:
ARC. JOY
Course:
ACOUSTIC AND NOISE CONTROL
(ARC 408)
MAY, 2018
Introduction
In daily life, noise means unwanted sound. As you have no doubt experienced, unwanted
sounds can include distractions (your neighbour playing the drums while you try to study),
sounds that are loud enough to damage hearing (construction sounds, concerts) and even
sound leakage that could affect privacy (overhearing a conversation through a door).
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.
Sources of noise in building

 Sound of traffic with the roaring engines of trucks, buses, motorcycles and constant
humming of cars.
 Living in areas near the railways stations or airports
 Working near loud machinery in industries, factories and construction sites
 Working with loud tools such as at wood cutting, welding, generators, lawnmowers and
other gardening and cleaning machinery,
 Listening to music with head phones, playing in a band, music concerts
 Loud speakers and amplifiers used at Large gatherings of celebrations or protests
 War zones with sudden intense sounds or constant loud ones
 Fire crackers depending on the proximity to them.
PROBLEM of noise IN BUILDING

1. Noise induced hearing loss – The loss of hearing is not noticeable at first if one is exposed to
continuous and medium to loud sounds. One becomes aware of it only after a while. But
exposure to a sudden very loud sound even for a short moment such as an explosion can cause a
temporary or permanent damage. One or both ears can be affected. Noise pollution can affect all
age groups.
2. Hearing loss as an occupational hazard.
3. Headaches and fatigue due to disturbed sleep patterns
4. Hypertension and cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction.
5. Increases stress leading to psychological disturbance- One may have noticed the degree of
annoyance is higher and tolerance is lower in places having loud sounds. This leads to quick
altercations for apparently no reason. Dementia is also associated with noise pollution.
6. The effects on animals that are sensitive to sounds beyond the capacity of human ears are also
noted. This is expressed in terms of fear, increased aggression and changes in normal
physiologic or bodily functions such as hunger, urination, defecation, pacing etc.
7. Noise in the classroom impedes the learning process and threatens our children’s educational
experience.
8. Noise can frustrate and impede speech communication. It can imperil us as we walk or drive city
streets. It can be a physical health hazard as well: exposure to high noise levels can cause
permanent hearing loss.
IMPORTANCES OF NOISE CONTROL TO STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE
The acoustic properties of a room should be designed to support the activity in the room.. Since
there are so many different activities that can take place in rooms there are no such thing as
universally good room acoustics. Each activity has its own challenges, and consequently its own
acoustic design. Noise control is important to the study of architecture because of a number of
measures have to be developed by the Architect at the design stages to reduce noise pollution in the
building, and the most common ones are mentioned in the following.
 Noise control is fundamentally important to study of architecture. Learning is intrinsically linked

with communication, and aural (sound) communication is acoustics. Similarly, learning is about
concentration, and external noise is a major distracting factor in education. This article is about
typical classroom environments, up to about 1,000 square feet. Large specialized rooms like
auditoriums, gyms, and cafeterias needs careful acoustical engineering and should be designed
taking into consideration standard acoustic measures
 The importance of Noise control to Architecture is not limited to classrooms. Noise in corridors
and public spaces can soar if they are too reverberant (too much echo), with voices raised louder
and louder to overcome the background echo, just like shouting conversations at a noisy cocktail
party or restaurant. In addition, sound is an important navigational tool for people who are blind
or low vision, and either end of the reverberation scale (too "live" or reverberant, or too "dead"
or absorptive) can prevent them from finding their way.
 The control of noise from one room to another is the other major challenge in acoustics and
architecture. As with absorption, different materials transmit more or less sound at different
frequencies. In transmission, blocking the entire speech range is important, and this factor is
reflected in the STC rating (Sound Transmission Class) of a wall. This acoustical problems can
be overcome by increasing background through proper study of the nature of the sounds
Conclusion
In the human ear are many delicate parts. It is the nerve endings in the inner ear that is most affected
by continuous sounds and when these are damaged hearing loss occurs. Unlike other cells these
cannot be regenerated or replaced. Hence one realizes how important it is to protect the ears from
harm by discouraging all form of noise pollution through effective architectural and acoustic design
REFRENCES
 The Environmental Protection Department disseminates information on environmental noise at
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/no ise_educ a t ion/
 Harris, Cyril M. Noise Control in Buildings: A Practical Guide for Architects and Engineers.
 Neufert, Ernst and Peter. Neufert Architects’ Data. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.

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UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN

FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

DISCUSSION ON PROBLEM OF NOISE IN BUILDINGS AND

Sources of noise in building

PROBLEM of noise IN BUILDING

 Noise control is fundamentally important to study of architecture. Learning is intrinsically linked

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