Overview

Travis Perkins Group has partnered with Compliance to provide a range of Building Control Services.

Why is Acoustic Testing needed?

• Noise is on the increase in our society. It can be a source of irritation and stress for many people and can even damage our hearing if it is loud enough. Many of us are exposed to stressful levels of noise at home and at work.

• As a result, various regulations e.g. Approved Document E in England & Wales, Code for Sustainable Homes and initiatives e.g. Building Bulletin 93 has been introduced to set the levels of acceptable noise in different buildings. In addition, specific clients and/or projects may require heightened levels of sound insulation to ensure privacy or maintain an environment conductive to study.

• Therefore, party walls and floors in many buildings need to demonstrate their performance through pre-completion site testing or by licensing Robust Details. Some sites may also require acoustic consultancy to satisfy planning requirements.

How is Acoustic Testing done?

• Testing involves measuring sound insulation of party walls and floors using specialised equipment.

• Walls are tested for airborne sound insulation, in other words how much of the noise they insulate from one side to the other. This is done by taking a series of readings in rooms on both sides of the wall (as well as background noise levels and reverberation times) to calculate the reduction in sound levels.

• Floors are tested for airborne and impact sound insulation. Airborne testing is done in a similar way to walls by testing in rooms either side of a party floor. Impact testing is designed to simulate footfall and involves a tapping machine impacting the floor and measuring the noise level below. The machine needs to tap the structural floor not any soft covering. Testing takes place before carpets are laid.

In order to pass the following needs to be achieved:

• To achieve Code for Sustainable Homes it is common for performance to be required 3dB, 5dB or 8dB better than the values stated above.

When is Acoustic Testing needed?

• Both new dwellings and conversions are required to demonstrate acoustic performance of party walls and/or floors under Approved Document E. Performance can be proven using Robust Details and/or site testing.

• For houses, a set of tests should be carried out for 1 in 10 of the total number of attached houses on the site. A set is made up of 2 airborne wall tests. For example, if there were 48 houses on a site, 5 sets of tests would be needed, based on 2 tests per set this would mean 10 tests in total.

• For flats, a set of tests should be carried out for 1 in 10 of the total number of flats on the site. A set is made up of 2 airborne wall tests, 2 airborne floor tests and 2 impact floor tests, 6 tests in total per set. For example, if there were 52 flats on a site, 5 sets of tests would be needed. Based on 6 tests per set this would mean 30 tests in total.

• Rooms for residential purposes refer to buildings such as hotels, care homes and student accommodation. A set of tests should be carried out for 1 in 10 of the total number of rooms on the site. A set is made up of 1 airborne wall test, 1 airborne floor test and 1 impact floor test, 3 tests in total per set. For example, if there were 82 rooms on a site, 8 sets of tests would be needed. Based on 3 tests per set this would mean 24 tests in total.

• Other buildings may also require sound testing as part of certain initiatives or for site/client specific reasons for example Schools to Building Bulletin 93, consulting rooms in medical facilities, etc.

Benefits

• Compliance provides an integrated approach to Building Control and environmental compliance at a fixed price.

Maximise performance compliance can provide guidance on the next steps to improve the performance of your buildings through fabric improvements or renewable technology. Our advice and testing solutions can be extended to a full consultancy service if required.

Fixed prices so that you have cost certainty for your project.

• Our services are backed up by qualified professional consultants who are only a phone call away.

• At compliance we have testing engineers located around the country to meet your needs.

• We will give you the initial test result on site and assist in identifying high leakage areas so as that remedial work can be undertaken.