This Is A Window That Blocks Outdoor Noise

When it comes to opening a window, the main dilemma is whether to trade your peace and quiet for some fresh air. Sure, your room gets ventilated, but in exchange it gets noisier because of the sounds outside. Scientists at the National University of Singapore come to address this problem with their Acoustic Friendly Ventilation Window (AFVW). The said window is claimed to “bring in more fresh air than a conventional open window, while still keeping out unwanted sounds.”

There are two horizontal louvered vents built into the assembly, one above the actual glass window itself, and one below it. The bottom vent is open to the outdoors, while the top vent opens into the room. An electric ventilation unit (basically a cylindrical fan) in the lower vent draws fresh air in from outside, pushing it up through the air gap between the panes, and out of the top vent into the building.

Along its way through the window, the air passes through a dust filter that removes pollutants. Additionally, sound-absorbing material located along either side of the air gap limits the amount of noise that makes its way in from outside. As a result, the setup is claimed to provide four times better ventilation than a conventional open window of a similar size, while also providing a fourfold reduction in the perception of outdoor ambient noise.

There's no word on the ventilation unit's power consumption, although it would be lower than that of an air conditioner, and likely similar to that of a standalone fan within the room.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: National University of Singapore/ New Atlas)