Acoustic Insulation help to reduce and stop the transfer of sound in a building. This could be from one room to another, one floor to another, or from one apartment or hotel room to another.
There are two types of sound. Impact sound is the sound produced by impact and felt, as well as heard, such as a washing machine spinning on a kitchen floor, a door shutting or footsteps on a staircase. Airborne sound is the sound that is heard, such as a conversation, music or the TV.
Flanking Transmission is the passage of sound through floors and walls. These sound paths must be identified and eliminated, before the appropriate acoustic insulation system can be fitted. Flanking Transmission is often a problem in new builds, and especially in refurbishments, where it might not be possible to alter the structure of the building in order to reduce flanking transmission.
There are various ways and means of reducing the effects of impact and airborne sound. Acoustic flooring can be used to separate floors, and provides more sound control. Depending on the room how much the room will be used, and how noisy the room is, there are different sorts of acoustic flooring. A staircase or landing will need different sorts of acoustic flooring to a living room, or a dining room. Resilient bars and panels can be used to improve sound insulation on walls and ceilings. Whether the room is in a flat, an office, or a hotel can also make a difference to the sort of sound control that is needed/.
Sound control and acoustic insulation is an important consideration in any building work. There are government legislations which state the permitted noise levels, and the ways and means of controlling the noise. UK Building Regulations state that noise is a health and safety Melamine Foam issue, and that people have the right to be at home without a threat to their health from noise. This includes sleeping and resting.
There are different regulations governing new builds and refurbishments in terms of sound control. If you are refurbishing an old building, or making changes to your own home, office or hotel, then you may have to use different sorts of sound reduction products than if you were building a new home, office or hotel.
Depending on the type of sound control products you are using, you will need to have your building tested. Pre Completion Testing (PCT) applies to many builds and refurbishments, and requires that the build or refurbishment is tested for compliance with the UK Building Regulations.
If you use Robust Details (RD) products, then your project will not be subject to PCT. Robust Details compliant products meet or exceed the standards required by PCT, and so the PCT is unnecessary.
Now you know more about acoustics and noise, and how important it is, isn’t it time you thought about Acoustic Insulation?
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