A notable trial of gas to power a heating and cooling system atop of the historic Sydney Town Hall, home to the Council of Sydney, is a remarkable milestone, almost as historic as the building that has housed the Council since 1884. As part of this historic Trigeneration System installation, a noise mitigation solution was required around the plant deck on the rooftop to alleviate all unwanted noise. Additionally, the noise screen needed to extend above and below the steel deck containing the gas turbines. The acoustic specification by Resonate Acoustics required the noise barrier to be constructed from materials to achieve an internal absorption surface with a NRC rating of 0.9 or above and the external imperforate material to achieve a minimum RW25. Finally, the noise mitigation solution had to be aesthetically welcoming and complement the preexisting and historically significant building structure.
A noise mitigation solution with ModularWalls
The solution offered by ModularWalls included a 3.6m high steel structure that held our proprietary AcoustiSorb75 panels. These panels have a perforated face to absorb sound waves within its core material, resulting in an NRC rating > 0.9. A set of 2.4m wide double doors were also required and constructed from the AcoustiSorb75 panels. ModularWalls installed the required panels in carefully planned site visits across a 4 day period. This precise planning meant the construction of the noise barrier was able to occur without hitch or additional contractors. The pre-finish ‘paper bark’ coloured panels ensured there was no requirement for painting following installation. The colour matched harmoniously with the existing and historic building – much to the delight of the client.
Finally, ModularWalls managed the entire process from concept drawings, detailed design and engineering through to installation, which is why they are Australia’s leader and fastest growing manufacturer of commercial acoustic walls.