Noise Controlled Effectively During Construction of New Neighbourhood

Project Overview

The ambitious High Leigh Garden Village project in Hertfordshire will provide a brand new living and working environment and deliver a long lasting economic legacy to the county for years to come. Construction began on this purpose-built village in summer 2018.

The aspirational new neighbourhood will include 523 high quality homes, a primary school, shops, hotels, gym facilities, restaurants, commercial spaces, play areas, sports pitches, landscaping and an 80-bed residential care home. This newly forged community will be built on disused land with poor transport links, so phase-one of the development was to lay the groundwork for the future commuters of High Leigh.

Breheny Civil Engineering was engaged by the developers to construct a new roundabout to service the village. Breheny required temporary noise barriers to reduce the impact of construction on the occupants of nearby properties and contacted RVT to find a solution.

Challenge

For health and safety reasons, the construction work on the roundabout required a full road closure and because of this, Hertfordshire County Council would only permit the work to be carried out between 8pm and 5am. Conscious of nearby residents, roadwork contractors Breheny sought help from RVT to reduce the noise levels as much as possible

Solution

Despite the challenging nature of Breheny’s project, RVT quickly found a solution – the Soundex Acoustic Curtain system.

Soundex acoustic curtains

RVT’s BS EN 32.9 dB rated Soundex barriers are the solution of choice for many contractors. These acoustic curtains provide unrivalled sound attenuation and absorption.

The Soundex acoustic curtains were perfect for the High Leigh Garden Village project and reduced construction noise by up to 32.9dB. The curtains are specifically engineered to screen intense noise and their unique velcro fastenings ensure that a seamless barrier can be maintained to protect the public and surrounding businesses from auditory pollution. The system also incorporates eyelets onto all edges to enable easy suspension.

RVT were able to deliver and install the system quickly for Breheny so that construction could commence without delay.

The acoustic curtains system served its purpose admirably, reducing the noise heard by the residents and they also doubled up as an effective light barrier during the night works. I would certainly consider this barrier for future jobs if the situation required a similar solution” - Site Supervisor, Breheny