Sound-proofing is one of the considerations behind funding to the tune of $1 million that has been awarded to researchers at the University of Auckland.

With homeowners installing ever more powerful entertainment systems in their home, researchers are aiming to develop a new type of wall, better designed to shut out the unwanted sounds of the people next door.

It is expected that 30% of Auckland’s housing will be medium-density by 2050 and acoustic intrusion is more likely in this type of dwelling.

To that end, the team of mechanical engineers at the Faculty of Engineering’s Acoustic Research Centre has been awarded $991,000 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

The team aims to create a new kind of partition material which will reduce the capacity of a wall to vibrate in response to sound, thus providing better sound insulation, particularly from low frequency noise, such as bass beats, which travels through walls more easily.

Lead researcher Dr Andrew Hall says that sometimes it feels like Sting is playing his bass in your living room which, ordinarily, he likes but not at 2 a.m.

Andrew and co-researcher Dr George Dodd and their team have shown that internal mechanisms, acoustic metamaterials, can push back against vibration, negating the need to increase density, mass or thickness of the partition material.

They are also investigating the use of Helmholtz resonators to improve the noise insulating properties of a wall.

Andrew says: “They respond much like when we blow over the top of a glass bottle, and so absorb and reflect sound.”

The team hopes to explore the effectiveness of these devices using 3D printing.

Andrew adds: “Our system aims to raise New Zealand’s sound insulation standards to meet the internationally recognised minimum performance expressed in overseas building codes. More and more people are living in urban settings in close proximity to others, and tackling noise pollution will have enormous benefits for their health and wellbeing.”