Analyses & verification
Noise analysis: know how loud it will be before the design is fixed
A site next to a railway or road helps shape the design long before an acoustic consultant gets involved.
Where can bedrooms go? Where can a window be opened? And how much of the facade has to be upgraded? Metrika360 simulates noise exposure on the surveyed 3D model: levels per facade, per storey and per design option, based on official noise mapping and our own survey of the building, the terrain and the neighbouring buildings.
Who needs this
Project developers and architects before the design stage. Three decisions are made in this phase, and they become expensive later: the zoning of the floor plans, meaning plant and ancillary rooms facing the noise source and no bedrooms in the loud areas. The massing, for example set-back storeys that increase distance and screening. And the basic question of whether a screen in front of the facade costs less than upgrading every single facade. If you only calculate this after the planning permission stage, you pay for the answer in heavier windows, thicker walls and lost living space.
Clients with a funding approval and a floor area target. Funding tier, cost per square metre and maximum living space quickly come into conflict as the requirements for external building elements rise. Comparing the options shows, before the design is fixed, which route meets all three targets.
Anyone who has already commissioned an acoustic consultant. Plans, 3D model and noise level maps go straight into the report as its basis. What the consultant does not have to collect also does not appear on the invoice.
Municipalities and clients in a local plan procedure. Where the separation principle under the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) applies, the authority expects a robust assessment of the noise. The preliminary analysis shows early on whether and how the development can be justified.
What the analysis answers
How high the level is on each individual facade, storey by storey. How this level changes when the massing, the building position or the screening are changed. And where noise protection is most cost-effective: at the source, in the space in between or at the building element.
Where the data comes from
Public noise mapping provides the indicators LDEN for the day-evening-night level and LNight for the night, plus line data such as train speed and track position. This data is available free of charge, but only shows a coarse grid across the area. The level on the actual facade only becomes visible in a simulation with the real building in the real terrain.
That geometry is exactly what we provide: laser scanning for the existing building, drone survey for the terrain and neighbouring buildings, combined into a georeferenced model in which the calculation runs.
The boundary, clearly drawn
The sound insulation report to DIN 4109 and the formal immission forecast are prepared by an acoustic consultant with the required accreditation. Our preliminary analysis replaces neither. It makes both faster, less expensive and easier to plan, because in the end the consultant reviews a well-considered concept instead of solving a problem. On request, we hand over directly to the acoustic consultant of your choice.
How it works
Capture the building and its surroundings
Measured survey, laser scan and drone deliver the building, terrain and neighbouring buildings as a georeferenced 3D model.
Collect the noise data
Official noise mapping with LDEN and LNight, plus line data such as train speed and track position.
Simulate and compare
Levels on facade, terrain and roof, per design option, as a colour-coded noise level map.
Derive and hand over
Floor plan zoning, a noise protection concept at design level and prepared documents for the acoustic consultant.
Deliverables
- Noise level maps on facade, terrain and roof for each option
- Floor plan zoning as a recommendation
- Noise protection concept at design level
- the georeferenced 3D model, which can also be reused for the daylight and shading study and the site analysis
- the prepared documents for the accredited consultant
Case study
Living by the railway
17 residential units next to a 110 km/h line, and still windows on all four sides.
Further reading
- Daylight and shading study – shadow and sunlight on the same model
- Site analysis – natural hazards and climate risks at the location
- Terrain model – the terrain in which the calculation runs
- BIM as-built models – the building as a model
- Design in existing buildings – from the as-built model to the design
Frequently asked questions about noise analysis
Does the analysis replace the acoustic report?
No. The report to DIN 4109 and the formal immission forecast are prepared by an accredited consultant. We deliver the preliminary analysis early enough for the design to respond to it, along with the data basis that gets the report finished faster.
When is the right time in the project?
Before the design is fixed. After that, zoning, massing and the decision on a screen can only be changed at high cost. For an initial assessment, the address of the site is all we need.
Do we need a separate survey for this?
The simulation needs the building, terrain and neighbouring buildings as a model. If we have already surveyed the site, we calculate on that survey. Otherwise we capture the surroundings by drone, which takes one manageable site visit.
Does this also work for road and industrial noise?
Yes. The method is the same; only the source and the data basis change. For industrial and plant noise, the input comes from the operating data instead of the noise mapping.
What does it cost?
That depends on whether the surroundings have already been surveyed and how many options are calculated. Send us the address and the planned project, and we will come back with a reliable estimate of the order of magnitude.
How loud will it be on your site?
Send us the address and the planned project.