City living has many conveniences, but what it often lacks is peace and quiet. Hearing every step the upstairs neighbour takes, the piano practice of the child next door or relentless traffic outside are not conducive to the serenity we aspire to in a home.
Noise is bad for our health. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), noise can lead to a range of conditions including pain, hearing impairment, sleep disturbance, heart conditions and stress-related hormonal responses. Traffic noise alone, says the WHO, is harming the health of almost every third European.
Noise reduction services are big business. In closed-door laboratories, inventors work away hoping to produce the answer to millions of city-dwellers' prayers.
At universities and other institutions, acoustic engineering students are learning the art of noise abatement - skills that are in great demand as living environments become ever more crowded.
A cursory glance on the internet would indicate a range of ready-made solutions. But which ones work? The first thing to do, says acoustics specialist Neil Gross, is identify which sounds are annoying, because noises are of different kinds, and so are the solutions.
Gross is a director at acoustical consultants Wilkinson Murray, which has offices in Hong Kong and Sydney. In effect, people like him are 'noise-busters' who go to people's homes armed with equipment to track down the nasties. They will look, listen, poke and probe, and at the end of the exercise provide recommendations and referrals. Gross says such consultancies are not aimed at selling products.
