Work in progress at the Exide office. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

With the decibel devil turning workplaces on city thoroughfares into war zones, the sounds of silence are being sought ? and bought ? with a desperation.

Take Exide House, at the chaotic AJC Bose Road-Jawaharlal Nehru Road crossing. With the ambient noise levels rising way beyond the permissible 65-decibel mark, hi-tech sound barriers have become a must, even if they come for Rs 650 per sq ft.

?The extent of noise and air pollution is very high inside our office. So, we decided to reduce the hazards and engage an agency for a solution,? said S.B. Ganguly, chairman, Exide.

For Nitson Amitsu, implementing the project under the guidance of architecture firm Tag Architectonics, the mandate is to bring down the level of ambient noise from around 100 decibel to 40-60 decibel.

?As the number of vehicles in the city has gone up significantly in the past few years, the noise pollution levels at some key crossings have risen to around 100 to 120 decibel during day-time. Many people have contacted us to get rid of sound pollution hazards,? said Sonesh Gulati of Nitson Amitsu.

For those seeking solace, a range of soundproofing techniques, from structural glazing to using Armstrong tiles, are in vogue. ?For both acoustic and thermal insulation, we are using hermetically sealed insulating reflective glasses,? said Gulati.

In case of glazing, the structure is wrapped with two-layered glass ? an air gap separating the two sheets ? fitted in aluminium frames with modern sealant.