Client:
McAleer & Rushe
Sector:
Residential Housing
Location:
Westminster
Industry:
Residential
Following our involvement in phase 1 of the project, a development on Great Peter Street, we were asked to be involved in phase 2, the Westminster Quarter development.
The project consisted of one 8 storey building and one 5storey building, housing 102 private luxury residential apartments. Due to the location in central London, there were a number of factors that had to be considered in the design and construction of the project.
Our initial assessment included environmental noise surveys to assess the level of external noise.
We found two main sources of noise intrusion:
1. Taxi activity
2. Mechanical plant noise
We also provided an acoustic assessment of the external façade and the internal walls and floors of the buildings.
The project was required to comply with BREAAM regulations and the local authority planning conditions.
The first of two challenges we had to take into consideration was mechanical plant noise. Local authority planning conditions did not allow the mechanical plant to be located on the roof, requiring instead that it be installed at a different location. The updated location was within the quietest part of the site, establishing a challenging environment in which to reduce the noise impact of a mechanical plant that was shared between the apartment buildings.
During our initial assessment, we also established that the ambient noise level was being affected by sporadic individual events rather than continuous noise; taxis were using Great Peter Street as a back route through central London.
To lessen the noise impact of the mechanical plant, we distributed the elements of the system across a wide area. By avoiding one loud central system, we were able to have quieter levels of noise throughout the development.
Regarding the ambient external noise from the road due to taxi use, we looked at both the requirements of the council and the measured noise data we had collected. After establishing that the overall noise was being increased due to individual events, we spoke with the local authority and explained our findings. With this evidence, we were able to negotiate a relaxation in the council’s limits and criteria.
Adnitt Acoustics are well suited to involvement in this style of project due to our diligence and investigative experience. By keeping open channels of communication and conducting a thorough investigation, we were able to achieve our goals.
