No barriers to innovation

Abstract

UK transportation and planning engineers are considered premiere in the area of designing imaginative noise control systems. The particular focus of this paper is the noise barrier. Noise barriers can be fabricated to be reflective, absorbent or both, and must comply with a required standard. In some cases, the aesthetic design of the barrier should response unobtrusively to the condition of the surrounding buildings and infrastructure. A careful analysis of the surrounding area will decide whether the barrier would be suitable as a predominant feature or toned down. Several popular continental and American noise barrier systems are presented in this review.