RVT Group Provide Top Quality Noise Control Solution at Cannon Street

Project Overview

Cannon Street in the City of London runs from the end of London Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral, tracing the route of an ancient riverside track on the north side of the Thames. Far from having any military connection, its name derives from ‘Candelewrithstret’ – the street of the candle-wrights. Today, the Cannon Street area is densely occupied by offices and on the route of many commuters using its mainline and underground stations.

Highways specialist J B Riney (recently acquired by Tarmac) were contracted regularly by the City of London Corporation to make improvements to the City’s thoroughfares. They were tasked with carrying out pavement and surface works to the area in and around Cannon Street, very close to shop fronts and offices, as well as the historic Fishmongers’ Hall.

Being in close proximity to large numbers of people, the works had the potential to create a significant noise problem while they continued.

Challenge

The works were in an area surrounded by offices, and close to routes used by thousands of commuters every day. The noise from the works had to be contained so that the disruption to city workers was minimised.

Solution

The considerable noise generated by the works could have a significant impact on the many people working in nearby offices, as well as those passing by on their daily commutes. Any equipment used to control the noise had to be easy to erect and dismantle as the work progressed, with new areas being worked on as old ones were completed.

A previous attempt to control the noise had been unsuccessful because the measures used failed to create a continuous barrier, giving no benefit whatsoever. RVT were called on to see if the problem could be resolved.

RVT supplied multiple Soundex Q1/1 Contractor Quilts. Each quilt is designed to fit one complete temporary fence panel. They are attached using ‘S’-hooks, suspending the quilt from the top of the fencing. Down the side of each quilt are Velcro connections, which allow the quilts to be joined to create a continuous acoustic barrier with no gaps.

The Q1/1 Quilts have been independently tested and given a BS EN rated noise attenuation of 28.2dB. In addition, they are fully water resistant and fire retardant. The simplicity of the ‘S’-hooks hanging system means that where the location of work moves across a site, as in this case, the quilts are easy to take down quickly and move from one position to another.

"The acoustic curtain product was simple and easy to use. At one stage, the works were taking place directly outside a solicitors’ office, whose occupants voiced complaints about the noise and disruption prior to the curtains being erected. Once the noise control was put in place, the complaints were cut right down. We will certainly use RVT Soundex Curtains again in the future." - Steve Martin, Operations Manager, J B Riney & Co