Experimental assessment of isolation performance of a building above metro lines: a case study with dual isolation levels

This paper presents an assessment of the acoustic performance of a five-story residential building constructed directly above a metro line in Prague. The building has been isolated at two levels: first, on top of the distribution beams above the metro tunnel and secondly, at the ground floor. The assessment of the building's performance has been conducted by a direct measurement of ground borne noise radiated inside the rooms and evaluating the vibration transmission loss through the isolation system. The transmission loss assessment was carried out using two different test setups. Firstly, during train pass-byes, ground borne vibrations were simultaneously measured at various locations above and below the vibration cut. Secondly, at the same measurement points, the vibration levels were measured using hammer impacts. Finally, the transmissibility obtained from both test setups was compared and discussed. Additionally, ground borne noise levels were measured inside rooms on different floors above the vibration cut. To identify noise events exclusively associated with train pass-byes, data obtained from synchronized vibration measurements at the center of a room inside an apartment were used. Finally, the measured noise levels were compared with the limit values of noise exposure recommended by the Czech standards.