Evaluation of Building Construction-Induced Noise and Vibration Impact on Residents

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 1579
• Main Authors: Zou, Chao, Zhu, Ruijun, Tao, Ziyu, Ouyang, Daiqiao, Chen, Yekai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 20.02.2020
• Subjects: Air pollution; Background noise; Buildings; Case studies; Construction; Construction sites; Evaluation; Flooring; Floors; Light rail transportation; Noise; Noise levels; Noise standards; Questionnaires; Sustainability; Traffic; Urban areas; Vibration; Vibration analysis; Vibration measurement; China
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su12041579

Environmental noise and vibration induced by building construction are increasingly prominent in daily life. If the noise and vibration level exceeds the corresponding standard limits stipulated by the country, humans’ normal life, working, or studying efficiency would be interfered. This paper aims to explore how residents respond to noise and vibration mainly induced by the building construction. The noise and vibration measurements, as well as a questionnaire survey, were conducted. Through analysis and comparisons, it is shown that the noise impacts were concentrated in the area near the construction site. For the noise and vibration transmission within the building, the noise levels were amplified in the lower floors and gradually attenuated with floors, and the vibration levels decayed with the floors. The noise impact was much greater than the vibration impact. Building construction was found to be one of the most annoying noise and vibration sources, while the subway operation has little impact on residents according to either subjective or objective evaluation. The ratio of noise and vibration dissatisfaction was less than that of annoyance, which demonstrated that the residents’ psychological capacity was high toward the impact of noise and vibration. The proposed dose-response relationship can apply in a similar community environment. Once the noise levels within the building obtained, the residents’ noise annoyance can then be estimated.