ᐅ Street Noise in Penthouse Apartment / Attic Flat

Hello everyone,
we are looking at a very spacious penthouse apartment on the third floor of a multi-family building, which we can almost completely customize thanks to the early stage of the project. However, we have a concern where we hope to rely on your extensive experience: The building is located directly on a busy village street. The architect doesn’t see this as a problem, for the following reasons:

• As part of the renovation of the nearby village square, the street will be resurfaced with a noise-reducing pavement. This should absorb most of the tire noise.
• The street will be downgraded from a cantonal road to a local road and converted into a 30 km/h (about 20 mph) zone.
• He further argues based on the sound cone. Since the building is so close to the street, the sound from the cars goes straight upward. We practically only hear something if we lean over the railing.

In theory, these are all good points. But does anyone have concrete experience with such a situation? We are worried that when we dine or relax on this spacious terrace, we will constantly be surrounded by street noise. Of course, you will hear a motorcycle now and then, but what about regular street traffic?

Thank you very much for your help! Regards, Stefan

I am initially skeptical about low-noise road surfaces and urban areas. Most surfaces reduce tire noise, but at 30 km/h (about 20 mph), this is no longer a major factor... I would need to look into the details, but reducing speed and the number of cars is likely a better argument (so option 2).

Those living at the church square hear the bells quieter than those further away... if there is a taller building opposite your place, sound may be reflected toward you, otherwise I see fewer concerns. People also get used to it, for example near railway facilities.

If you are sensitive or react strongly to noise: look for something else. Otherwise, go ahead.

You ask an expert, who hopefully is not the seller, and then want to question their expertise?

Strange.

In my opinion, the best noise reduction takes place in the mind.

Otherwise, the best solution is a 30 km/h (19 mph) zone.

We used to live in a 3-story ground-floor apartment in a multi-family building that had a great penthouse apartment on top, just as you described. It was in a 30 km/h (20 mph) zone with noise-reducing pavement. During the five years we lived there, the apartment was sold twice because the residents were stressed by the street noise. For us on the ground floor, it wasn’t too bad, but the higher up you went, the louder the street noise became. If you are sensitive to noise, I would advise against it.

Osnabruecker schrieb:

Rolling noise, which is no longer significant at 30 km/h (19 mph)...

Bold claim. Is there any evidence to support that?

As long as there is no intersection near the house causing increased acceleration noise, you should see a significant improvement by reducing the speed from 50 to 30. It makes some sense that the sound energy in the upper floors of houses directly on the street would be lower, but I can’t estimate how strong that effect is. Have you already experienced the noise levels on site?

MayrCh schrieb:

Bold claim. Is there any evidence for that?

Tire noise increases disproportionately with speed. At 30, it is low enough that the impact of different smooth road surfaces is no longer so significant. No evidence is needed for this; it’s basic physics.