Innovative arc screen development for adaptive traffic noise mitigation of housing development using full scale prototype testing

Abstract

The Housing Authority is responsible for public housing development in Hong Kong. With increasing demand for sites of challenging environmental conditions, the authority has been continuously diverting efforts on innovative design to tackle site environmental issues. One of the frontline development is an innovative arc-screen structure, which was devised to become one of the new generations of adaptive traffic noise mitigation. Its inception was initiated from the need to reduce traffic noise impact of a major highway parallel to the public housing development in Sai Chuen Road. As scale model evaluation of traffic noise reduction is somewhat limited, the project commissioned a full scale testing of an arc-screen prototype built into a 3-storey full size stacking up housing flat model for evaluation. This is believed to be the first time of a full scale experimental evaluation of traffic noise mitigation for housing development. The arc-screen structure has achieved 5 dB(A) nominal noise attenuation performance. Results are encouraging for public housing development applications and will form new generations of adaptive architectural forms of arc-screen uses to suit different needs. The first application is already planned at the Sai Chuen Road development and in-situ performance evaluation will be assessed in second phase.