QUIESST: toward a better knowledge and understanding of how efficient noise barriers could actually be

Since the early 80’s, one models noise propagation; in the early 90’s one started to standardize how to measure the intrinsic characteristics of manufactured noise barriers: in 1997, the EU funded ADRIENNE research; it was a first step, but many problems still remained. Since many years, all the noise propagation software are still modeling noise barriers while characterizing those rather roughly, if not basically, whatever it is for sound absorption, airborne sound insulation or sound diffraction. The EU funded QUIESST research aims to drastically improve the knowledge and understanding of how noise barriers actually works, in function of all their intrinsic characteristics and the environment within which they are installed. This paper introduces QUIESST’s objectives / work schedule for the next 3 years.