Jean-Marc Wunderli doing noise measurements of fighter jets at Payerne airfield. Empa accompanies the ongoing evaluation process for the purchase of new combat aircraft with extensive measurements and models the expected noise pollution of the various combat jet candidates. Image: Rolf Dammer, VBS
A rippling stream is Jean-Marc Wunderli's favourite sound. However, his everyday research has little to do with calming natural sounds. He deals with completely different ones: noise from aircraft turbines, train noise, busy roads, wind turbines and now even drones. All these emissions are part of the research activities of Empa's Acoustics / Noise Control Lab, which Wunderli is heading since last July. Sounds accompany our every-day lives - some cause stress, others promote recovery. While noise abatement in recent decades has been primarily concerned with reducing the loudest noise levels, densification and the increasing use of technology have led to constant largescale noise. Jean-Marc Wunderli, new head of Empa's Acoustics lab, would like to counteract this trend: "Current research results show that stress caused by noise is better tolerated if access to green areas and recreation areas is guaranteed." Over the next few years, the researchers in Wunderli's team in-tend to increasingly address this issue and develop the scientific basis for improved protection of beneficial acoustic landscapes.
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