Noise protection – for the sake of residents!
LK Metallwaren built a noise barrier for a customer in central Franconia to protect the nearby residential areas from the noise emissions of a refrigeration system.
The topic
noise protection
is becoming increasingly relevant in both the public and commercial sectors. The applications here range from mega-projects such as protecting residential areas from notorious traffic noise to enclosures to protect the health of employees in production. While regulatory requirements were previously the main limiting factor, the development of implementing noise protection measures as part of the company’s own social responsibility targets is relatively new.
This has now happened at a well-known manufacturer of food products from the Middle Franconian region. Here, it was particularly the humming noises typically caused by the outdoor cooling systems that disturbed some of the residents in the nearby residential areas and prompted complaints. Although the noise level was still below the legal emission limits, the company decided to take responsibility for the well-being of local residents and to take action to improve noise protection.
The result of corporate social responsibility was the decision to acoustically isolate the outside area of the cooling systems by building a two-part noise barrier to effectively reduce the plant’s noise emissions. Following the inquiry at the beginning of 2023, LK Metallwaren was commissioned with the project after detailed consultation with the customer. Together with him, the decision was finally made to build a wall 3.30 m high and twenty meters long. This consists of a weather-resistant, galvanized steel skin with mineral wool as the inner material and is held in place by an internal steel frame. The carcass connects two 15 and 5 m long wall elements that are aligned at an internal angle of 135 degrees. In this way, the resulting noise emissions in both directions can be reduced and optimally kept away from residential areas.
The concrete foundation for the construction had already been poured by the customer. LK Metallwaren prefabricated the steel panels measuring 7500 x 1500 x 80 mm at the main site in Schwabach. The noise barrier was successfully erected on the customer’s outdoor area over two working days, much to the delight of the local residents!