Permanent Sound and Vibration Protection for Vienna's Musikverein Concert Hall

The acoustics in the Vienna Musikverein's "Goldener Saal" hall are among the best in the world. In 2002, an underground tunnel was built just four metres from the building. To minimize the disturbance to the listening experience of visitors in the Musikverein, the decision was made to use a mass-spring system (MSS) with discrete Sylodyn® bearings from Getzner when the underground line was built.

The challenge

Protection against noise and vibration immissions in Vienna's Musikverein building due to the underground railway service
250 trains per track and per day
High long-term performance of the mass-spring system
Siding for damaged trains: in addition to the mass of the slab, stationary train loads have also been exerting stress on the Sylodyn® bearings over extended periods of time
More emissions in the tunnel caused by the new V train type

The Getzner solution

The slab sits on elastic discrete Sylodyn® bearings spaced two metres apart. The planned natural frequency of the 100-metre mass-spring system is 5.5 Hz, which is the lowest ever vertical natural frequency achieved with an MSS of elastomer bearings so far.

Advantages for customers

No noticeable noise or vibration immissions due to underground traffic
Constant spring characteristics of the mass-spring system with discrete Sylodyn® bearings even after 17 years of operation

The one-of-a-kind 'Goldener Saal' demanded particularly careful planning, component selection and implementation to satisfy the Musikverein's extremely stringent immission protection requirements.

Dr. Andreas Oberhauser Superstructure, Head of Department, WIENER LINIEN GmbH & Co KG