Where's the karaoke singing coming from? Experiential lab to raise awareness about noise in neighbourhoods
The workshop at vacated flats in Tanglin Halt will let the public experience how noise from their everyday activities affect their neighbours.

Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann (centre, in white) and members of the CAP for Neighbourhood Noise role play neighbours discussing how to ameliorate noise from a bouncing ball at the Noise Experiential Lab on Sep 22, 2023 (Photo: CNA/Chew Hui Min)
SINGAPORE: Imagine that you're relaxing at home on a Sunday afternoon when suddenly, the loud clacking of mahjong tiles and an out-of-tune rendition of "Top of the World" shatter the calm.
That's one scenario participants faced at a workshop - known as a noise experiential lab - set up in a block of empty Housing Board flats at Tanglin Halt. The interactive lab, run by the Municipal Services Office (MSO), runs from Saturday (Sep 23) until Dec 15 and entry is free.
On Friday, Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann, members of the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) on Neighbourhood Noise and journalists had a preview of the experience set up in eight flat units within Block 36, Tanglin Halt Road in Queenstown.
Participants were split up and sent to different flats to create the disturbances or experience the noise created. In one living room, participants used sound meters to measure the severity of the noise, starting with the karaoke singing and mahjong game.


They then filled in a form with their guesses of where the noise came from and what caused it. They could also watch on television CCTV footage of their "neighbours" making the noises in real time.
In one unit, participants dragged a chair around a room, bounced a ball and pounded a pestle and mortar incessantly. In another, one person swung a hammer on a metal bed to mimic renovation noise.
After experiencing the cacophony, participants walk around the block to hunt for the source of the noise. They then try to negotiate with the neighbour to lower the volume, or stop the clangour.
Ms Sim said that community disputes arising from noise can be difficult to mediate and resolve because it is hard to prove cause and effect. This initiative thus helps with public education and is part of a "holistic approach" to resolving community disputes, she said.
"If someone is unknowingly creating noise, he or she might not be fully aware of the impact on neighbours, and if you're someone experiencing the noise, it can be very difficult to find out exactly what caused it," she said.
"So for the first time, we have set up a noise experiential lab in a realistic HDB setting so that visitors can experience for themselves what everyday actions can have in terms of noise impact.
"We hope that this would raise awareness about what we can all do in order to keep the neighbourhood harmonious and ensure that our everyday actions do not result in negative impact on others."
During the lab experience, participants looked for the source in the units immediately above or beside the affected unit, but it turned out that wasn't always the case.



For Ms Sim, one takeaway was that, very often, people can become very convinced that noise is made a certain way or comes from a particular unit. But such assumptions are often challenged because noise is created and travels in different ways.
"There could be certain kinds of everyday actions that may not sound very loud to the person making the noise, but it can really disturb a family downstairs or living a few units away," she said. "I think that this experiential lab will bring interesting insights not just for people who have themselves suffered noise, but also to the people who are seeking to mediate."
During the workshop, the facilitator also highlighted different ways to reduce noise. For example, padding a pestle with a yoga mat and putting furniture socks on a chair helped to reduce the noise generated significantly.
For activities that could not be stopped, such as the mahjong playing and renovation, there were suggestions to close the windows and doors of the room where the noise was created. Participants then returned to the affected HDB flat's living room to experience and measure the lowered noise levels.
"I think for the general public, it will also raise that awareness of how little actions like for instance, putting on furniture socks, or some kind of insulating material if you're grinding spices ... what a big difference it will make in terms of reducing noise impact on others," said Ms Sim.
Responding to a reporter's question on whether there have been more noise complaints this year, Ms Sim said that neighbourhood complaints spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have since fallen. But noise complaints have continued to remain high possibly because some people continue with hybrid work arrangements.
Ms Sim said that MSO hopes to welcome members of the public, grassroots leaders and school groups to the lab, and if the response is robust, it will look to extend the exhibition.
Dr William Wan, who chairs of the CAP on Neighbourhood Noise, said: “My colleagues and I encourage you, your family and friends to take part in this immersive and engaging role-play experience. We are confident visitors will walk away with a better understanding of noise-related issues.”
The lab is at one of 31 Tanglin Halt blocks identified for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme in 2014. The estate has been vacated, after more than 3,000 households moved out last year from one of Singapore's oldest public housing estates.
All visitors are required to register at www.go.gov.sg/noiselab prior to their visit.