Less noise, more living quality

Noise reduction and ventilation come together on balconies Eemplein Block 5

In late March 2025 in Amersfoort, construction began on Eemplein Blok 5, a stylish residential tower at Gaslaan and Nieuwe Poort that will house 197 social and mid-rent homes. The new building will be realized with an eye for sustainability, comfort and innovation. For example, the shell and facade parts are made of prefabricated concrete. In addition, extra attention will be paid to water retention and biodiversity. In order to meet the requirements for noise levels and ventilation, Mview+ is equipping the balconies on the noise-exposed facades with all-glass parapets and M-view balcony glazing, in which two Silent Air Facade Boxes are used per balcony.

Living in noise-exposed locations

The Bbl sets specific noise requirements for residential environments, knows Waldo Duin, director of Mview+. “In order to meet these requirements, residential projects have traditionally been built in low-noise locations. Utility buildings such as offices tend to be located on the edge of these locations, where they serve as noise barriers between the noise-sensitive and noise-exposed zones. Due to the scarcity of housing locations, more and more of these offices are being transformed into housing. Increasingly, new residential buildings are also being built on noise-sensitive sites. Noise-reducing measures are necessary in this case to ensure optimal living and noise comfort in accordance with the Bbl.”

Soundproof buffer

Block 5 in the Langs Eem en Spoor district also faces high noise levels, Duin knows. “With the construction of the residential tower, developer REDV, housing corporation Portaal and Bouwbedrijf Van Grunsven are transforming an inconspicuous area with vacant lots, worn-out commercial buildings and annoying barriers into a real eye-catcher near the Eemplein, the city center and the railroad. The latter in particular causes considerable noise pollution on the facades, for which we worked out a suitable solution. Commissioned by Bouwbedrijf Van Grunsven, we fitted all balconies on the noise-exposed facades with full-glass parapets and M-view balcony glazing with Silent Air sound-attenuated ventilation strips. As a result, the balconies are soundproofed. The loggia that is then created behind the balcony glazing provides a soundproof buffer for the rooms behind that can be soundproofed.” 

Balconies with outdoor climate

“In order to comfortably and properly ventilate the rooms behind, a sufficiently ventilated balcony is necessary,” Duin emphasizes. “Because of the heavy noise load, a fixed opening in the balcony glazing is not possible here, but by integrating the Silent Air Facade Boxes, everything satisfies nicely. By including a soundproofed slot at both the top and bottom of the balcony glazing, the minimum ventilation requirement of 3 liters/m²/sec fine, while at the same time we reduce noise by more than 18 dB. Moreover, because the boxes run flush with the glazing, safety remains guaranteed. It is not possible to use the boxes as a kind of step.”

Prefab prepared

Mview+ will start assembling the balcony systems in March 2026, following the façade builder's pace. “Prior to assembly, the side posts are already prefabricated in our factory in Tiel,” Duin concludes. “This allows us to very easily install the bottom rail, intermediate rail and top rail, into which the glass is then inserted. In this way we can realize up to twenty balconies per day and optimal quality and dimensional stability are guaranteed.”