Whether you’re trying to focus on a specific task or simply enjoy some peace and quiet, road noise can be a nuisance. This can be anything from the sounds of outdoor construction, emergency vehicles with blazing sirens, or dozens of cars honking at each other during heavy rush hour traffic.
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Even if you’re inside an office, school, restaurant, or government building, all types of unwanted noise can permeate and interrupt meetings, classes, meals—anything that requires or greatly benefits from silence (or at least a lack of harsh sounds). Fortunately, if you’re looking to how to deal with construction noise or block road noise from piercing through your building’s walls, there are a handful of solutions available to you.
In this guide, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about how to block road noise, including the factors that impact road noise, the principles of acoustics and how sound travels, the materials and strategies you can use to help reduce road noise, and the benefits you may experience by preventing external noise from penetrating your building.
In most instances, road noise comes from moving traffic. However, this isn’t always the case. Construction projects, industrial noise, trains in freight, and airplanes taking off or landing can all contribute to disruptive loud sound levels.
The final noise you hear from these elements inside your building is based on factors like the distance and the path the sound takes as it travels from its source to the building. As sound waves are disrupted or deflected, the sound will either be amplified or reduced.
For instance, sound reduces by three decibels when it hits hard surfaces like pavements, whereas it decreases by four and a half decibels when bouncing off softer surfaces, like trees.1
In general, the road noise you may hear from traffic will depend on:
Besides these, other factors like vegetation, traffic management, or roadway alignment relative to a building can determine the level of road noise individuals hear inside the building.
Road noise reduction comes down to applying acoustics to minimize external sound to comfortable levels in your building. When we say acoustics, in this case, we’re referring to techniques used to modify sound in rooms. These techniques typically involve reducing noise through soundproofing or treatment.
When it comes to soundproofing vs acoustic treatment options, soundproofing reduces noise levels by blocking sound, whereas treatment optimizes sound to make the noise impact more pleasurable. There are also sound-absorbing materials that can help reduce noise by, you guessed it, absorbing sound.
When it comes to reducing road noise in your building, soundproofing and sound absorption are going to be the most practical and effective solutions.
Let’s explore some common ways to create noise barriers with the following soundproofing and sound-absorbing materials:
Cellulose soundproof insulation was developed as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fiberglass and synthetic acoustical panels. It’s made from foam, which is an excellent material for insulating a room and absorbing any sound that may try to permeate the room from the outside.
By absorbing outdoor sound, cellulose wall absorber panels can significantly help reduce the amount of road and street noise that seeps into a room. Plus, these panels are easy to install, as they typically don’t require any special equipment.
Ceilings often contain gaps where road noise can travel into a room and create distractions. Hybrid soundproofing materials, like the Noise S.T.O.P.™ Sound Barrier Acoustical Ceiling Tiles, can help block sound from passing through these gaps in your ceilings.
These ceiling tiles are made from mass-loaded vinyl, making them suitable acoustical treatments that reduce echoes and reverberation in large rooms. This can also be beneficial during presentations, performances, or concerts in auditoriums that require high-performance acoustics.
One of the most versatile sound blockers on the market is a viscoelastic damping compound—a sealant that reduces sound vibrations transmitted from one room to another.
Using this type of inter-layer sound blocker is an easy and effective way to minimize road noise transmitted via the gaps in your building’s structure, as it’s applied in the same way that caulking is. Viscoelastic damping compounds are also:
At Acoustical Surfaces, our viscoelastic damping compound, Green Glue, offers an incredible cost/performance ratio compared to other materials, like drywall.
For businesses operating in historical buildings, climate seal solutions like the Climate Seal Acoustic Window Inserts can reduce sound by as much as 60%. Offices, restaurants, and hotels can all benefit from these types of sound blockers, as they reduce road noise levels and act as thermal insulators. This means they may help to keep cool air in your building during the summer and warm air in your building during the winter, lessening your electrical usage and bills.
Additionally, climate seals are easy to install, can be removed for cleaning, and are typically very subtle, meaning they should have minimal impact on your building’s aesthetic.
If you’re a contractor doing construction work near residential or commercial buildings, you can reduce the noise you produce by using an outdoor acoustic sound barrier. Specifically, the echo barrier is a reusable material that can dramatically reduce your outdoor noise levels.
The echo barrier is quick to install and can be attached to temporary or permanent fencing, limiting road noise levels in suburbs or cities. These barriers are also weatherproof, so they can be used at any time of the year and in any climate.
Not to mention the echo barrier can also help you comply with construction noise ordinances, which are common in cities like New York City.2
Although installing sound absorbing or soundproofing material to reduce road noise may require time and financial investment, there are several benefits that can make the effort well worthwhile.
What are some of the benefits of blocking road noise?
Road noise can be incredibly distracting during meetings, presentations, or classes. This can cause participants to strain as they listen to a speaker and can make information hard to hear.
For instance, if a poorly soundproofed office building is located right next to a construction site, employees in meetings might become distracted by the continuous noise and miss out on information that’s critical to your company’s future. However, soundproofing can reduce these noise levels, improve sound clarity, and make meetings more comfortable for all participants.
The same applies to classroom settings in schools where loud road noise can distract students, preventing them from focusing on the lessons at hand. Blocking road noise can eliminate this distraction so that your students can concentrate on their studies and excel in class.
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Blocking road noise can also help create the right ambiance, which is particularly important for businesses like restaurants. When customers don’t have to listen to loud outdoor noises (like sirens or construction) while having a meal, they’re more likely to enjoy the entire dining experience and return in the future.
Likewise, road noise can hinder operations for other businesses that need silence to function optimally, like:
By blocking road noise in these instances, you can create a more comfortable atmosphere for your customers, guests, and staff.
Interestingly, studies have shown that consistent exposure to road noise can increase stress levels and worsen underlying health conditions like diabetes.3
This means that regardless of what type of building you own or operate, reducing road noise can significantly impact your health and the health of everyone else in the building. When it comes to employees and students, less stress means a more pleasurable work or school experience and in turn, more motivation and better productivity.
If you’re looking to block road noise, consider working with a team of experts who understand the ins and outs of sound control in buildings and room acoustics and can help you find the right material to soundproof your building and optimize its sound quality.
At Acoustical Surfaces, we take pride in helping you identify your noise problem and determine which solution will best meet your sound needs. To learn more about how to block road noise at your business, contact us today.
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Acoustic panels, acoustic baffles, sound panels, and acoustic boards. The list of names continues. Call it whatever you prefer, just like many manufacturers do. For sake of clarity, we stick to acoustic panels in this guide. Despite the descriptive name, you will find various interpretations, both wide and narrow along with different use cases.
Therefore, in this guide, we will dive into the basics of acoustic panels. More specifically, we will answer the following questions:
To get the most out of this guide, make sure to check one of our other guides, The Basics of Noise Reduction, where we zoom in on the essential terminology of acoustics.
The category of acoustic solutions is growing, and within this segment, you will find a range of different solutions, including acoustic panels. These are not limited to acoustic baffles suspended from the ceiling. To treat acoustic problems in your office, studio, and meeting room, there are plenty of other solutions available—some of which we will present to you in this guide.
But, first things first. Let’s define what an acoustic panel is.
An acoustic panel is a sound-absorbing panel used to mitigate background noise and reduce the reverberation and echo in a space. When we talk about an acoustic panel, we refer to it in its broadest sense including vertical and horizontal panels.
With a better understanding of what acoustic panels are, we can now move on to the next question: when to use acoustic panels?
As mentioned earlier, vertical and horizontal panels can be characterized by different features related to their acoustic performance. However, we can specify it even further.
In general, vertical panels help mitigate sound transfers in a space, preventing that sound travels from one end of the room to the other. Vertical panels may also aid in lowering background noise to an acceptable level. For instance, in many modern open-space offices, the noise levels range from 60-80 decibels, while the recommended level is 45-55 decibels.
Therefore, if the goal is to reduce background noise and the reverb time, possible vertical solutions include:
Alternatively, opt for sound-absorbing wallpaper, such as BuzziSkin Printed, to bring dull walls back to life!
In order to remove background noise completely, ideally, you have to build floor-to-ceiling partitions or remove yourself from the noise source. Yet, vertical panels can go a long way to help reduce sound transfers.
Horizontal panels, on the other hand, are primarily used for direct absorption. To stop sound waves from spreading, absorptive panels must be used to convert the sound energy into heat through friction. Made from sound-absorbing materials or soft acoustic foam, all our horizontal panels are performing well in terms of absorption.
Examples of possible solutions for direct absorption include a range of ceiling-suspended panels such as BuzziLand, BuzziDonut, BuzziBlox, and BuzziPleat.
Check out another guide providing more in-depth recommendations for which acoustic solution might be best to solve your acoustic problem. Read it here.
Whether you want to limit sound transfers, reduce background noise and reverb time, it’s crucial to determine the location of the acoustic panels to achieve the best performance. Finding the ideal positioning depends on several factors, including
Here, we will primarily share general advice on where to apply acoustic panels. For specific recommendations and simulations, we suggest you get in touch with our acoustic help desk. Generally speaking, we can define a few guidelines for placing acoustic panels. The first step involves asking yourself: What is the size of the space? Are you dealing with a small or big space?
In smaller rooms, for instance, meeting rooms, designated focus areas, and private offices, sound waves will typically first bounce against the walls. Why? These are usually the hard surfaces closest to the sound source. As a consequence, you should be looking into using wall-mounted acoustic panels. These will help absorb the sound, reducing the number of waves that are sent back into the room. Examples include BuzziPod, BuzziSkin, BuzziMood, and BuzziBlox.
In bigger rooms and large spaces, sound waves behave differently. Sound energy propagates in any space, but in larger spaces, less sound energy is bouncing back into the room as the original sound sometimes drops dead before even reaching a hard element.
Yet, often sound waves do hit a hard surface before dropping dead—typically the ceiling rather than the walls. In these cases, horizontal ceiling-suspended acoustic panels can help improve the sound of the space considerably. When suspended from the ceiling, horizontal panels absorb undesired sound waves. For improved acoustic performance, install the panels in different suspension heights. The air pockets between the panels will capture sound waves, preventing them from traveling even further in spaces with high ceilings.
Examples of possible ceiling-suspended panels include BuzziZepp, BuzziDonut, BuzziGrid, and BuzziPleat. Some of these acoustic panels also come with an LED option for improved functionality. This way you can turn your acoustic panels into acoustic lighting and combine two features in one.
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