Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Façade-Level Monitoring of CO2 Variability under Urban Heat Island Conditions using Low-Cost Sensor Data Loggers
Published on: December 12, 2025
Case study: A survey of perceived noise in Canadian multi-unit residential buildings to study long-term implications
Maedot S Andargie1, Marianne Touchie1,2, William O'Brien3
1Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Abstract:
Trends of urbanization, densification, and telework all point to increasing exposure to ambient noise for workers. With the lockdown policies implemented in response to COVID-19, a research opportunity to study perceived noise exposure for teleworking arose. This paper presents the results of a survey on noise issues in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) and the consequent effects on occupants' well-being and productivity during the lockdown. Responses were collected from 471 MURB occupants across Canada. The results show that, despite the decrease in environmental noise, many are annoyed by outdoor noise, particularly from traffic and construction activities, and indicated that it affects their ability to work. Effects on ability to work from home were more frequently reported for indoor noise sources particularly airborne and impact noises coming from neighboring suites. Our findings, however, show that noise coming from occupants in the same suite (i.e. roommates and family) present the biggest issue. The findings indicate that existing noise conditions in MURBs might not be suitable for a permanent large-scale implementation of teleworking.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Building Separation Joints
Volume-change joints address the effects of expansion and contraction due to temperature and moisture variations. They are strategically placed at discontinuities in a building's mass where cracking is most likely and are spaced about 150 to 200...
Sound Intensity Level
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and...
Movement Joints in Buildings
The simplest type of movement joints, working joints, are...
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
Unsoundness of Aggregate due to Volume Change
Parallel Resonance

