Anti-Noise Barriers Design

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The design of noise barriers has been VDP’s leading sector since the late 80’s.
VDP performs preliminary designs, acoustic studies, definitive and executive plans, as well as assistance to authorities for the draft of anti-noise barrier tenders documents, work supervision and post-intervention acoustic inspections.

Legislation and regulations provide the starting point of noise barrier planning. The company founders and managers collaborated to the elaboration of the Law 447 of October 26, 1995. Thanks to their experience and expertise they were able to give an important contribution to the definition of technical framework: pre-intervention assessment of acoustic climate, detailed individuation of noise sources, selection and setup of simulation models, preventive analysis regarding post-construction and post-mitigation situation, barrier size planning, architectural studies, renderings and structural planning of acoustic mitigation interventions.

VDP management is composed by engineers that developed the first examples of noise barriers projects and design.

At the executive stage of the projects, besides technical and security issues, VDP studied and continuously develops suitable solutions for both the construction phase (detailed design of the construction site) and the optimization of social integration of the work, with particular attention to the shape and image of barriers.

As a final process VDP carries out post-intervention acoustic inspections according to methodologies and specifications of its Clients (e.g. ANAS, RFI and Highway companies).

Objectives of the work

The design of anti-noise barriers covers different areas, as confirmed by the various technical regulations governing noise-generation activities and classifying areas based on the level of sonic quiet that they should achieve.
During the entire process of anti-noise interventions design, VDP is able to offer support to governing Authorities and Administrations, Managing bodies of the transport infrastructure, or to the production sites, as well as to other public or individuals entities who are looking for qualified and experienced consultancy in the field of acoustic design.

There are four levels of service offered:

1. Preliminary Design – Acoustic study

Acoustic analysis of the project area: census and characterization of the receptors, definition of noise limits to be adopted;
Characterization of the noise level before the start of activities;
Characterization of rail, road source;
Forecast analysis: choice and calibration of simulation model;
Characterization of the noise level after the end of activities and after mitigation;
Typological identification, seizing, design and architectural study of noise reduction interventions (rendering)

2. Preliminary design (major works)

Plan, Profile and Sections;
Anti-noise Typological interventions ;
Structural calculations ;
Construction site;
Additional rendering

3. Final design (main outputs)

Plans, profiles and sections of the project;
Bill of quantities;
Special conditions of contract;
Structural and cnstruction details;
Carpentry artifact;
Interfering Services and systems ;
Rainwater Disposal

4. Post-Design Services

Assistance to Authorities during tender phase;
Supervision of works;
Acoustic tests with methodology by ANAS, FS and Motorway Companies

Offered services

The dimensional and typological choice of a noise barrier is based on a variety of inter-related factors that range from the technical-acoustic ones to those related to social perception and financial ones. The design of interventions noise takes account of:

optimal acoustic performance (sound absorption, sound insulation) in relation to the features of the noise emitted by the infrastructure;
installation, based on the variation of the type of work (viaduct, elevated, etc.), also considering the overhead imposed to the structures;
presence of environmental constraints and inclusion in the territory (visibility, landscape, aesthetic and social factors, etc.);
cost of operations;
limited maintenance costs.

During design phase it is possible to identify two types of goals:

“general goals”, valid for any context affected by the design of noise barriers;
“specific goals”, their formulation is linked to the specificity of the territory concerned.

In this perspective, the design of noise barriers goes beyond design solutions based on specific functional needs and not related to local context. Indeed, it defines noise barriers as final outcome of a process of upgrading and development of the area.

The main purpose of this analysis is determining the overall performance to be met in the relationship between the local context and noise barrier. At the same time, the needs of local population have to be considered, in order to preserve the road safety conditions, the well-being and the desire to protect and enhance the relations with the territory, through appropriate landscaping and environmental mitigation interventions.

Realised projects