While the previous chapters predominantly provide basic planning information for noise abatement, this section gives examples of how to reduce the noise pollution. We do not claim to present all imaginable planning details as this would go beyond the scope of a manual. If you want to know more, please have a look at the detailed bibliography in chapter 7.

LÄRMFINDEX 95, an information guide on noise abatement published by the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), helps to find contacts who can give further information and indications, also on who is responsible in the case of noise problems.
 

Principles of noise abatement

The respective higher sound level values have turned out to dominate the result in the case of both energetic sound level addition and averaging due to the logarithmic sound level scale (see section 2.4.2).

Three important factors and basic instructions for noise abatement purposes arise from this:n sich aus diesem Sachverhalt drei wichtige Folgerungen und prinzipielle Handlungsanweisungen:

• If several sound sources interact, the priority must be given to the sound source with the biggest impact.

• Noise abatement measures are only as effective as they are at their weakest point. Unintended noise gaps and the resulting high sound levels can render an actually efficient noise abatement concept ineffective.

• The concentration of sound sources brings about the most favourable immission conditions as the energetic doubling even of a high sound emission only results in a sound level increase of 3 dB. But human beings only perceive a level increase of 10 dB or the tenfold of the emitted sound energy as "twice as loud".