On the sound attenuation of balconies

The use of local sound screening measures has become more relevant as urbanization and traffic in urban areas are increasing. Even though it is preferable to do screening measures near the sound sources, this is not always possible. The Norwegian guideline T-1442 allows for certain apartments to have local sound screening measures to reduce sound levels outside of windows. One such screening measure is the use of a balcony to reduce sound levels at the façade. Measurements have been conducted at various balconies to determine reduction of road traffic noise and compare the results to values given in ISO 12354-3:2017. The effect of relative balcony height, angles and balcony screening have been investigated.