Procurement of Sustainable Noise-Reducing Devices: State-of-the-Art Review from EU Project QUIESST

Abstract

There is a pressing need for the sustainability of noise-reducing devices (NRDs) for transport systems to be considered by procurement agencies, policy makers, and industry professionals/designers in order to be in line with a growing sustainable agenda for surface transport systems including the supporting infrastructure. This need has been recognized by the European Union (EU) and an appropriate research project has recently been commissioned. Quietening the Environment for a Sustainable Surface Transport (QUIESST) is a three-year project funded by the EU that began late in 2009. It is a multidisciplinary project undertaken by 13 EU partners from eight countries. Within the project, the University of Bradford is the specialist research team tasked with assessing the sustainability of noise-reducing devices. These devices are designed to control noise from surface transport (both road and rail) and include noise barriers and absorptive claddings. For the purpose of this research, sustainability was defined as: the optimal consideration of technical, environmental, economical, and social factors during the design, construction, maintenance and repair, and removal/demolition stages of NRD projects. A comprehensive literature review has been carried out of the relevant European standards, design guides used around the world by road and rail authorities, and existing research on NRDs conducted by academics and leading practitioners to identify sustainable practices and gaps in the knowledge base. It became evident that sustainability factors are not being fully considered across the whole life cycle of NRDs. At the present time and based on the available data, it is not possible to quantify and rank NRDs in terms of sustainability for a given site, project, or case study. Clearly this has major implications for the management of the procurement process. Further data collection and analysis are required to provide guidance that can be considered useful for all stakeholders. This is the aim of the further stages of this work package within the QUIESST project. This paper presents an overview of the current state of the art for the sustainability of NRDs, and describes some of the major deficiencies while highlighting knowledge gaps and the further research that is needed.