SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 1

NOISE INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING

CONSTRUCTION
“Noise is the most impertinent of all forms of interruption. It is not only an interruption, but also a
disruption of thought.” - Arthur Schopenhauer

Introduction
1. Noise is generally considered to be unwanted sound and sound can be considered unwanted
due to reasons of volume, type of noise, the time of day, or any factor making sound unpleasant or
annoying. As this is often subjective noise pollution can be controversial. Noise pollution impacts
upon health and wellbeing by causing disturbances that create poor quality environments. Noise
pollution in residential environments can cause physical and mental health deterioration. In the
workplace and educational environments, these symptoms can accompany reduced productivity and
quality of work. Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or
balance of human or animal life.
2. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines and transportation
system, motor vehicles, aircraft, and trains. Outdoor noise is summarized by the word environmental
noise. Due to poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and
residential building can result in noise pollution in the residential areas. Indoor noise can be caused
by machines, building activities, and music performances, especially in some workplaces. There is no
great difference whether noise-induced hearing loss is brought about by outside (e.g. trains) or inside
(e.g. music) noise. High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans, a rise in
blood pressure, and in increase in stress and vasoconstriction, and an increased incidence of coronary
artery disease. In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection
and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to permanent hearing loss.
3. The design of these buildings needs to concern both unwanted noises, viz., noise from air
conditioning plant, waste pipes and external road traffic and also issues of privacy so that one does
not hear one’s neighbor. The management of these issues has become increasingly more important as
the quality of such buildings and the purchaser expectations rise.

Acoustic Criteria
4. In many countries building codes and standards are written to define appropriate levels of
performance. Such codes become law and set a minimum level of acoustic amenity. Beyond this there
are standards which can be implemented as law or used as good codes of practice to satisfy building
code and local government requirements.

5. However, it is not difficult to define and quantify specific levels of acoustic performance. It is
important on any project to quantify the performance requirements. There is rating systems to define
as follows.
(a) Transmission loss. During transmission of air-borne sound from the source to the
recipient; a reduction in the sound intensity takes place and this is termed as ‘Transmission
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 2

Loss’. This transmission loss is numerically equivalent to the loss in the intensity of sound
expressed in decibels (i.e., dB). The following facts regarding transmissions loss require special
attention:
(i) The efficiency of sound insulation of any barrier, such as partition, wall, floor etc.
is expressed in terms of the transmission loss of air-borne sound that occurs while the
sound is being transmitted through the barrier.
(ii) The transmission loss or sound insulation offered by a structure depends upon the
materials used and the method of construction employed.
(iii) Transmission loss varies directly with the frequency of sound.
(iv) Higher sound insulation of a barrier is indicated by the larger transmission loss.
(b) Impact isolation.
(c) Noise levels (dB). The maximum level of noise which will neither annoy the occupants
nor damage the acoustics of the building is termed as acceptable noise level inside the building.
Some maximum Acceptable noise levels which have been laid by the Indian Standard (Is: 1952-
1962) for various types of buildings are as follows.
(i) Hospitals – 40-50 dB.
(ii) Class rooms or lecture rooms - 45-50 dB.
(iii) Residential buildings – 45-55 dB.
(iv) Factories – 60-65dB. etc.
(v) Some example of sound insulation between individual rooms:
▪ Between houses or flats: 40 dB.
▪ Between one room and another in the same house or flat: 30 dB.
▪ Between lecture rooms: 40 dB.
▪ Between 2 wards in hospital: 30 dB. etc.
(d) Reverberant noise (Rt 60 – the time taken for a sound in the space to drop 60 dB)
6. In addition, there are a whole series of standards describing how to assess and document
particular noise characteristics. There are standards for measurement, testing (field and laboratory)
and measurements equipment. These standards are now set around many of the ISO standards. These
standards help set building requirements legally when written into the project specifications. Further
to this there are building code criteria, and often the nation’s government will also have it’s say as to
what is required to maintain the quality of building acoustics.

Sources of Noise Nuisance

Residential Buildings
7. These are the buildings used for the accommodation and habitat of people where the sources of
noise are as discussed below.
(a) Outdoor Noise. The main sources of outdoor noise in residential areas are traffic
(aeroplane, railways, roadways), children playing, hawkers, services deliveries, road repairs
blaring loud-speakers and various types of moving machinery in the neighborhood and
building operations.
(b) Indoor Noise. As far as indoor noises are concerned, conversation of the occupants,
footsteps, banging of doors, shifting of the furniture, operation of the cistern and water closet,
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 3

playing of radio, television, music system, cooling and ventilation machinery, etc. contribute
most of the noise emanating from an adjacent room or an adjacent building. Noise conditions
vary from time-to-time and noise which may not be objectionable during the day may assume
annoying proportions in the silence of the night when quiet conditions are essential. In the case
of flats, the main sources of noise are from other flats and from stairs, lifts and access
balconies. Plumbing noise is another cause. In semidetached buildings, outdoor noises from
streets are noticed more than indoor noises from neighbors.

Educational Buildings
8. These are the buildings used for educational purpose where mass gathering of teachers and
students occur in routine for teaching learning process and the sources of noise are as discussed
below.
(a) Outdoor Noise. The outdoor sources of noise produced on school premises, which cause
disturbance within the school, include the noise arising from playgrounds, playing fields and
open-air swimming pools. Though playgrounds are used mainly during break periods, they are
also used for games and physical education at times when teaching is in progress in the
adjoining class rooms.
(b) Indoor Noise. Indoor sources of noise are as follows.
(i) Singing, instrumental and reproduced music which may take place in class rooms
and in dining and assembly halls particularly in primary schools. In secondary schools,
specialized music rooms are generally provided.
(ii) The movement of chairs, desks and tables at the end of one period may disturb a
class engaged in a lesson in a room below.
(iii) The shutting and openings of doors and windows which may occur at any time
during teaching periods.
(iv) Audio-visual presentations in class rooms.
(v) Wood and metal workshops, machine shops (engineering laboratories), typing
rooms etc. which produce continuous or intermittent sound of considerable loudness.
(vi) Practical work carried out in general teaching areas.
(vii) Gymnasia and swimming pools.
(viii) School kitchens and dining spaces where food preparation and the handling of
crockery and utensils persist for the greater part of the school day.
(ix) Corridors and other circulation spaces.
(x) Plumbing and mechanical services.

Noise Measurement
9. When planning noise control measures or forming a basis upon which to judge the noise of a
projected plant, measurements are the most important starting point. Without existing measurements,
or sometimes future predictions from existing measurements, of a noise situation, objective decisions
about the need for noise control cannot be made, neither can its effectiveness after installations be
judged. Because of the large variety of noise characteristics and the corresponding large number of
measurement and assessment techniques, great care is required in deciding which measurements to
make and how to interpret them. The sound pressure level which is read from a sound level meter
does not always give sufficient information to judge a hearing noise danger, or for use as a basis for a
noise control program. Both experience and special training are required to be able to carry out
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 4

measurements in complicated situations. In many cases, though, a standardized sound level meter and
relatively simple measurement methods are adequate.

The Purpose of Measurements

10. Measurement instruments and methods should comply with the standards which apply to the
noise measurements to be carried out. The standards include requirements for the measurement
instrument, measurement method for noise from different types of machines, and assessment of noise
annoyance and damaging effects. The most important international standards are those published by
IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) and ISO (the International Standards
Organization). IEC is concerned primarily with the design and construction of instrumentation and
ISO primarily with the measurement technique, experimental conditions, measurement parameters,
and reduction of measured results to a common point of reference. Most are available in English and
French and many have been adopted directly or with only small local changes by individual countries
as their National Standards. There are many different reasons for carrying out noise measurements.
The most usual are discussed below.
(a) To determine whether or not noise levels are high enough to lead to permanent hearing
damage. Equivalent sound pressure levels of over 85 dB should be investigated further.
(b) To obtain a basis for noise control measures to be applied to machines and equipment
installed and used.
(c) To determine sound radiation from different utilities unambiguously e. g. to compare
with values stated in a noise guarantee or declaration.
(d) To ensure that noise levels are not disturbing to third parties e.g. residential areas in case
of industrial areas and could be neighbors in case of residential areas.
11. A sound level meter is designed to simulate the human hearing as closely as is possible and
practical, while giving a repeatable and objective value. As the human ear responds not only to the
level of a sound but also to its frequency, and to some extent duration, these parameters must be built
into the sound level meter.

Critical Acoustic Issues

12. From field data of several high-rise residential buildings constructed in last two decades the
following factors are important in defining the levels of acoustic amenity in residential buildings.

Architectural Details
13. Architectural design is the basis for constructional parameters and comfort facilities of a
building. Thus, the details as discussed below has to be addressed for suitability.
(a) Facade acoustic isolation. In particular for the management of external road traffic and
entertainment noise. In the design of curtain wall systems, it is important to ensure that the
facade provides effective isolation (privacy) both vertically and horizontally between adjacent
residential areas.
(b) Floor impact isolation. For the management of impact noise from hard floor surface to
protect lower noise sensitive areas. Floor impact noise is one of the most common complaints
about noise that is experienced even with impact treatments applied.
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 5

Figure 1. Curtain wall connection detail. Figure 2. Floor impact noise transmission paths

(c) The design of party walls. To ensure that noise from one apartment does not impact into
another adjacent apartment and to provide the levels of isolation expected within, the market
many of these walls are now of cavity construction.

Figure 3. Cavity wall details.

(d) Waste pipes. Waste pipes from one level often pass through a floor slab, set across in the
lower ceiling void and drop down a riser shaft. This horizontal transfer in the ceiling void is
often a source of noise for the lower area.
(e) Entrance doors. These should have acoustic seals to provide a moderate level of privacy
between lift lobbies and apartments.

Figure 4. Typical sound rated door detail.

SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 6

(f) In sink garbage disposal units. These should never be installed in high rise buildings.
These create high levels of structure borne acoustic energy that it is clearly audible in adjacent
areas.
(g) Road traffic and aircraft noise. Such noises are a significant impact into high rise
buildings and when buildings are located near to major traffic routes or under aircraft flight
paths it is appropriate to consider acoustic double-glazing systems.

Figure 5. Acoustic double-glazing system to manage aircraft noise.

(h) Pools above sensitive areas. Swimming pools can be subject to high impact loads from
boisterous activity in the pool. This impact can easily be transmitted as low frequency sound to
lower areas. To control this noise requires high levels of vibration isolation usually achieved
with a minimum 45mm deflection springs.

Figure 6. Swimming pool isolation system

(i) Other Issues.
(i) Entertainment noise
(ii) Rain Noise
(iii) Wind buffeting building facades
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Service Details
14. Mechanical plants, if not sufficiently acoustically treated, can have a significant impact onto the
overall acoustic amenity of occupied areas. Key considerations are extract and supply fans, air
conditioning fan coil units, chillers, cooling towers and external condensers as follows.
(a) Duct regenerated noise. Often mechanical duct systems are required to travel up the full
height of the building. These ducts can also change location up the building and set across in
the ceiling void of sensitive areas. Such ducts if sized at too high velocities or if the bulkhead
around the duct does not provide sufficient acoustic isolation, can generate high levels of noise.
(b) Heat exchange pump rooms. These can be required for buildings over 50 floors where a
mid-level pump room is required to circulate condenser water in a condenser water loop. These
pumps are high power flow and can easily impact noise into adjacent sensitive areas (above,
below and each side).
(c) Fan Assisted Variable Air Volume boxes (VAV). These, when located in the ceiling
void, can be noisy and should only be used as a last resort.
(d) Pool filtration plant. If not acoustically treated this can impact noise to outdoor amenity
areas adjacent to the pool.
(e) Condenser and chilled water pipe systems can easily impact both pump, water flow and
valve noise into sensitive areas adjacent to the riser shaft.
(f) Lift motor rooms (particularly mid-level). Lift motors are relatively noisy. Noise and
vibration from these rooms can easily affect adjacent apartments. Usually these will require
cavity walls, sound rated doors and the lift motor to be well vibration isolated.
(g) Lifts travelling in lift shafts. Where lift shafts pass beside sensitive areas, the wall should
be upgraded with an additional secondary plasterboard wall on the inside of the apartment.
(h) Garbage Chutes. These are noisy and should be supported from vibration isolation
mounts and be made of fibrous cement and not steel. Ideally, they should be located away from
apartment separation walls.
(i) Water supply pumps. Experience has found these to be a common noise source in high
rise buildings. They should be well vibration isolated with flexible connections between the
pump and the pipe work. Photo 3 shows an installation where no consideration was given to
these treatments.

Figure 7. Water supply pumps above penthouse suite

(j) Standby power plant. These can generate high noise and vibration levels and even
though used for short lengths of time can be significantly annoying. Ideally, they should be
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 8

located away from sensitive areas in a sound rated enclosure. If located on the roof they must
be very well vibration isolated and acoustically enclosed.
(k) SPA Baths. The pumps in these baths have the potential to create low level, tonal noise in
lower areas. This noise can be such as to be significantly intrusive requiring that the pump or
bath be vibration isolated from the building structure.

Noise Control Principles

15. The management of noise is often addressed by applying basic principles in the design of these
buildings. There are three main ways to reduce noise in buildings viz., reduce noise at the source,
change to quieter methods of work, prevent or reduce propagation.

Reduce Noise at the Source

16. It is often possible to reduce noise radiation from production equipment, material handling, and
work in progress, for example by damping sound radiating panels, quietening power sources and
transmissions, and reducing noise from compressed air exhausts. Sometimes machine alterations or
enclosures do not give sufficiently good results, and if it is the work process itself which causes
intense noise it can be difficult to predict the results of noise control measures. In such cases effort
might be better aimed at changing the working methods and processes themselves.

Change to Quieter Methods of Work

17. In many cases changing the method of work is the only way to get to grips with noise
generation. This often requires that production equipment or part of it must be replaced and one must
be aware of the availability of less noisy equipment for both production and material handling. This
requires co-operation between the buyer, supplier, designer, and safety organization.

Prevent Propagation
18. The noise in a workshop is often dominated by a relatively small number of intense noise
sources. Personnel who are working on quieter machinery or with work which does not produce noise
are very often unnecessarily exposed to other noise sources in the same room. If these sources are
screened or provided with an enclosure the noise level is reduced both close to and far from the
source, benefitting everyone in the room. By setting up sound absorbing ceiling and wall panels,
noise levels within the room far from the noise sources can be reduced. These measures however do
not significantly reduce the noise exposure of personnel working on these machines.
19. Alteration and replacement of production equipment may mean that personnel monitoring this
machinery need not be in its vicinity if monitoring can be carried out in a sound insulated control
room. However, this should not be exploited in order to avoid or cut down on noise control in areas
where maintenance and repair staff spend the greatest proportion of their time. In order to prevent
vibration from noise sources spreading through the building structure and through machinery, it is
often necessary to vibration isolate machines or introduce vibration isolating joints in the building.

20. Typically, the following concepts will be applied to minimize having to apply detailed acoustic
treatments.
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(a) Keeping noisy plant and activities away from quiet areas. This is the most basic and
yet most effective principle in managing noise.
(i) Locate noisy plant away from penthouse suites or executive offices.
(ii) Do not locate air conditioning plant in occupied area ceiling voids.
(iii) Do not locate night clubs and residential areas in the same building.
(b) Avoid mid-level plant rooms and avoid high speed equipment (pumps, fans, lifts, etc.).
Generally, it is much better acoustically to select equipment at lower speeds and larger
physical dimensions (i.e. larger fans running at slower speeds). Run equipment where possible
at a lower speed for night time operation.
(c) Design low velocity and pressure duct and piping systems. Generally, this will mean
larger ducts but reduces the potential for these ducts to be a source of unwanted noise.
(d) Design heavier systems. Generally, the greater the mass the greater potential to isolate
noise and vibration.
(e) Decouple where possible.
(i) Party walls with separated leaves provide considerably higher levels of acoustic
isolation than solid walls of the same and even greater mass. We often find that
plasterboard systems with separated studs will provide considerably better acoustic
isolation than a much heavier masonry wall. Such plasterboard systems have become the
main party wall in Australia. However, we find a significant reluctance in the SE Asian
and Middle East regions to accept plasterboard walls. These markets prefer to have “solid”
feeling walls, even though they will be heavier and provide a lower level of acoustic
isolation.
(ii) Use double glazing systems where high levels of facade isolation are required. Good
double-glazed systems require air gaps in excess of 50mm. At this gap the system is not a
good thermal insulating glass due to convective air and heat pumping in the void. Hence
thermal and acoustic isolation design requirements can conflict. Another problem can
occur with low air gap glass in that resonances can occur in the cavity meaning with the
overall result that the glazing provides less isolation than a single glazed system with the
same overall thickness of glass.
(iii) Floating floors can be used for roof top chiller and cooling tower plant rooms to
significantly reduce the levels of sound transmission to lower areas.
(iv) Sound locks can be used for the doors of plant rooms and noisy places to minimize
sound breakout through the entrance doors.
(f) Vibration: isolate mechanical plant. Minimize the transfer of such vibration as noise
into the building. Such treatments range from rubber pads under AHU cases to high deflection
springs under chillers. All major plant (chillers, pumps, fans etc.) will need to include spring
mounts with spring hangers for the associated pipework. In sensitive locations consideration
should also be given to vibration isolating vertical pipe work risers. Cooling towers can either
be supported on neoprene pads or springs depending upon the tower and the location.
(g) Use carpet where possible instead of hard floor surfaces. Where hard floor surfaces are
used, consideration should be given to floor impact isolation and also in busy active areas the
levels of reverberant sound.
(h) Keep waste pipes above floor level. Where possible do not allow waste pipes to penetrate
the floor slab to lower sensitive areas.
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 10

(i) Acoustically lag waste pipes. Use ceiling voids of sensitive areas and/or place them
inside acoustically rated bulkheads.

Figure 8. Waste pipe bulkhead and lagging detail

The Real World
21. The above is what can be considered the acoustic engineers “design list”. In reality we have to
deal with the issues discussed below.
(a) High rise buildings located immediately adjacent to high traffic volume motorways,
airports, railway lines and other high-rise buildings. These sites can often be the last sites to
develop.
(b) High rise buildings looking down to or over mechanical plant on other buildings.
(c) High rise buildings at such a height where there is minimal ambient noise and hence
internal noise from plant and occupants can be more readily audible (penthouses in inner city
areas can be very quiet internally).
(d) Spaces for plant rooms and acoustic treatments becoming smaller. Height restrictions and
attempts to maximize the number of floors means that ceiling void spaces are being reduced.
(e) Budget costs are creating spaces where the ceiling is the concrete slab of the upper level
floor. Such a construction has the potential for high levels of impact noise.
(f) Night clubs in and immediately adjacent to, high rise buildings.
(g) Hard floor surfaces as a market preference (stone, tile, timber).
(h) High sound volume plasma TVs mounted onto party walls with a bedroom on the other
side. To minimize this noise some consultants are specifying walls between apartments as
separated steel studs with 3 layers of 16mm fire rated plasterboard on each side with a
fiberglass infill.
(i) In an attempt to maximize views and capitalize on the value of roof deck areas, top level
penthouse apartments are being located adjacent to major items of mechanical plant
(condensers, cooling towers, chillers, fans, pumps etc.).
(j) Higher buildings with mid-level plant rooms.
(k) Buildings built to a budget and yet expected to perform well acoustically.
(l) Higher speed fans pumps and lifts.
(m) Projects with unrealistic design development and construction programs. Hence due
consideration is not being given to critical acoustic issues.
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 11

Recommendations
Site Planning
22. The most desirable method is to locate the residential buildings in a quiet area away from the
noisy sources like the industrial areas, rail tracks, aerodromes, roads carrying heavy traffic, etc.
(a) To minimize ground reflection, the dwellings should be surrounded by the maximum
amount of planting and grassed areas and the minimum amount of hard surfacing. This applies
particularly to high density areas.
(b) Where for maintenance reasons a large amount of hard paving is necessary, it should be
broken up by areas of planting and grassing. Narrow hard paved courts should be avoided
between adjacent tall buildings.
(c) Roads within a residential area should be kept to a minimum both in width and length, and
should be designed to discourage speeding. Area-wise planning, with zones from which
vehicular traffic is altogether excluded will greatly help to reduce noise. Roads with through
traffic should be excluded from residential areas, but where sites have to be developed adjacent
to existing major roads the same principles should be observed in the siting of blocks.
(d) Play areas for older children should be sited as far away from dwellings as possible.
Special care should be taken with old peoples’ dwellings. They should not be placed
immediately adjacent to service entries, play spaces, or to any entrances where children may
tend to congregate.

Internal Planning
23. The orientation of buildings in a locality should be planned in such a way as to reduce the noise
disturbance from neighborhood areas. The noncritical areas, such as corridors, kitchens, bathrooms,
elevators and service spaces may be located on the noisy side and the critical areas, such as bedrooms
and living space, on the quiet side.
(a) Windows and doors. Windows and doors should be kept away from the noisy side of the
building as given below, wherever possible.
(i) When windows of a building, particularly those of bedrooms in apartments or flats,
face roads carrying heavy traffic or other noises where the external noise is of the order of
80 to 90 dB(A), the building should be located at a distance of about 30 m from the road,
but a distance of 45 m or more, where possible, should be aimed at for greater relief from
noise.
(ii) When the windows are at right angles to the direction of the above type of noise, the
distance from the road should be arranged to be about 15 to 25 m.
(iii) In case another building, boundary wall or trees and plantations intervene between
the road traffic and the house/flat further noise reduction is achieved and, in such cases,
the above distances may be reduced suitably.
(b) Layout plans. It is desirable that rooms adjoining party walls and above/below party
floors should be of similar use. By this means, bedrooms are not exposed to noise from
adjoining living rooms, and there is less risk of disturbance of sleep.
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(i) In semi-detached houses, the staircase, hall and kitchen should adjoin each other on
each side of the party wall, thus providing a sound baffle between rooms requiring quiet
conditions.
(ii) Bedrooms should not be planned alongside access balconies, and preferably not
underneath them. Where the approach is by an internal corridor, a sound baffle may
usefully be provided by arranging internal passages and bathrooms between the corridor
and the living room or bedrooms.
(iii) Water-closets should not be planned over living rooms and bedrooms, whether
within the same dwelling or over other dwellings. Soil pipes should not be carried in ducts
which adjoin living rooms or bedrooms unless the side of the duct next to these rooms is a
solid wall containing no inspection openings.
(iv) Refuse chutes should not be planned next to living rooms or bedrooms.
Sound Insulation
24. It is the process to prevent from being disturbed by the activity in the next room, whether the
room is upstairs or in line, the construction has to prevent sound from being transmitted. This doesn’t
have to be a massive concrete slab or wall. Soundproofing relates to the overall ability of a building
element or building structure to reduce the sound transmission through it.
(a) Reduction of air-borne noise. The weighted sound reduction index, Rw, of partitions
between individual rooms or apartments of a building unit shall be suitably increased, where
required, for critical areas.
Table 1 Sound Insulation Between Individual Rooms (Air-Borne)

(i) Where communicating doors are provided, all doors should be so designed as to
provide recommended insulation between the rooms.
(ii) There are cases when a set of houses or flats have to be built for the people who
work at night and sleep during the day.
(iii) It is desirable to consider the design of at least one such room in each of the
houses or flats which will provide an insulation of about 45 dB in that room.
(iv) The insulation values referred to are applicable with doors and windows shut.
(b) Suppression of noise at the source itself. All items of equipment that are potentially
noisy should be selected with care. Water-closet cisterns should not be fixed on partitions next
to bedrooms or living rooms. Plumbing pipes should be isolated from the structures. Lift
motors should be mounted on resilient supports. Access doors from machine rooms to internal
staircases should be well fitting and of solid construction. Special noise control measures may
be required for electrical and mechanical services such as diesel generators, outdoor air
conditioning units, cooling towers, etc.
(c) Reduction of air-borne noise transmitted through the structure. Reduction of air-
borne noise requires the use of rigid and massive walls without any openings. Openings are
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the major cause of penetration of noise through a barrier. While designing it should be borne
in mind that all components should provide a sound transmission compatible with that of the
rest of the barrier so that an equivalent amount of sound energy is transmitted through each
portion of the barrier. Ventilating ducts or air transfer openings where provided should be
designed to minimize transmission of noise. For this purpose, some sound attenuating devices
may be installed in these openings. All partitions should be sealed effectively where they butt
against rest of the structure. All doors and windows should be properly gasketed where a high
degree of sound insulation is desired.
(d) Reduction of structure-borne noise. This requires the use of discontinuous or on
homogeneous materials in the construction of the structure.
(e) Reduction of impact noise. The floor of a room immediately above the bedroom or
living room shall provide impact sound pressure level (L´n, Tw) not greater than 60 dB. For
example, 150 mm thick concrete floor with thick carpet (12 mm) covering would satisfy this
requirement.
(f) Main staircases in blocks of flats are often highly reverberant. Some of the surfaces at
least (for example, the soffits of stairs and landings) should be finished with sound absorbent
materials wherever required.

Green and Sustainable Materials for Noise Control

25. As previously discussed, many new materials for noise control as alternatives to the traditional
ones have been proposed in recent years. These materials can be divided into two main categories viz.
natural materials and recycled materials. Sustainable materials are in many cases comparable to
traditional ones as far as thermal and acoustic performance. Though for many products physical
properties have not been deeply analyzed and are not yet certified, they have already reached a certain
technical and commercial maturity; in Italy, for example, many sustainable materials are listed in
official prices lists for public tenders.
26. There is a great variety of natural fibers proposed for thermal and acoustical applications; most
of them are commercially available such as coconut, kenaf, hemp, mineralized wood. As for natural
materials, the less treated they are, the higher they perform in energy saving; native materials have to
be preferred to reduce transport energy. It is well known that natural fibers have negative impact as
far as climate change due to CO2 absorption during the growth of the plant. Nevertheless, other
performance has to be considered: vegetal fibers are more subject to fungal and parasites attack and
are less resistant to fire than mineral fibers. The non-toxicity of the chemical products used for
cultivation must be taken into account too. Many recycled materials, such as waste rubber, metal
shavings, plastic, textile agglomerates can be used to prepare acoustic materials. It can be useful to
mix various recycled materials of different granulometries to obtain the desired performance; in these
cases, a binder or glue have to be added in a proper proportion.

Sound Absorption
27. Natural fibers are generally good absorbers. The extremely wide variety of natural fibers allows
to find a suitable material for almost every absorbing need. Many natural materials as kenaf, flax,
sisal, hemp, cork, sheep wool, bamboo or coconut fibers show good absorbing performance and can
therefore be used as sound absorbers in room acoustics and noise barriers. The NRC rating is an
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 14

average of how absorptive is a material at four frequencies (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz) and is here
used for a comparison of the various materials. In particular, bamboo and sisal fibers show an
absorption coefficient at 1000 Hz and more very close to the one of glass fibers (more than 0.90).
Kenaf panels show an absorption coefficient higher than 0.80 above 500 Hz. Coconut fibers panels
have an absorption peak of about 0.80 at 1000 Hz, for flax panels the peak reaches 0.90 at 800 Hz
while for sheep wool panels the peak is 0.90 at 3000 Hz. Vegetable wastes such as grass, pine or
gorse leaves, corn cobs, used in sandwich panels, have an absorption coefficient similar to
polyurethane foam or mineral wool. Reed matting has been recently proposed for absorption
applications, with excellent performance at medium-high frequencies. Not all-natural materials, of
course, have satisfying absorption performance: wood and cork, for example, due to their structure,
show poor absorption properties.
28. Among alternative materials from a mineral origin, expanded clay, expanded perlite, expanded
vermiculite, pumice can be quoted. Expanded clay shows good sound absorption performance in a
wide frequency range (higher than 0.80 in the range 500-5000 Hz), though it requires quite a high
amount of energy for its production. The recycled material mostly used to correct the sound
environment in enclosed spaces is cellulose obtained from used newspapers, added with flame
retardants and biocides. Wet cellulose fibers are generally sprayed directly on walls or ceilings and
their sound absorption properties are even better than those of mineral wool: absorption coefficient is
over 0.70 in a significant frequency range (500-1000 Hz). Other promising materials are metal
shavings and textile agglomerates. Rubber crumbs are good acoustic materials with a broadband
absorption spectrum and are particularly suitable for traffic noise barriers, also due to their durability.
29. Cold extrusion processes have been recently proposed to obtain porous materials from recycled
carpet waste; the results show absorption coefficients very close to the ones of a standard commercial
glass wool. Also, Polyester fibrous materials, made from recycled plastic bottles, have been recently
investigated.

Airborne Sound Insulation

30. Several natural materials are commonly used as thermal and acoustical insulation in
multilayered walls: among these flax, coconut, cotton, sheep wool and kenaf mats are the most
present on the market. Their sound and thermal insulation performance are in many cases as good as
those of traditional materials. Many studies have demonstrated that the sound insulation of double-
leaf walls with low density animal wool (sheep wool) or heavy vegetal wool (latex-coco) is equal or
better than the one of walls with mineral wool or polystyrene of the same thickness (about 69 dB in
heavy double walls). Loose-fill cellulose fibers and batts made of cellulose or flax fibers in timber
frame walls showed the same airborne insulation of glass wool. Also mineralized wood panels with
magnesite or Portland concrete are used for sound insulation applications, as well as cork panels, with
satisfying properties. Dry loose cellulose fibers are already commonly used for thermal and acoustical
insulation by filling the cavities in walls and roofs, especially in the United States. When it is
obtained from recycled newspapers, it appears to match energy and raw materials savings and health
issues. As for the acoustical properties, they are as good as traditional material ones.

Impact Sound Insulation

31. This is probably the most common use for many natural materials (cork, coconut fibers, wood,
wool) and also for many recycled materials. Resilient layers made of natural materials can be very
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 15

good for floating floors to increase impact sound insulation: when the panels are accurately designed
and installed, their performances are as good as other traditional materials.
32. Recycled rubber layers made of waste tyres granules are an interesting alternative to traditional
materials, especially now that tyres are banned from landfills. Because of the large amount of used
tyres available worldwide, new applications have to be found and their use as impact sound insulating
layers is very promising. Also recycled carpet wastes are interesting materials as far as impact sound
insulation, especially if made of a mixture of fibrous and granular waste. The acoustic properties of
these underlay materials compare favorably with those of commercially available ones. Another
proposed material is EVA (Ethylene-vinyl Acetate Copolymers) residues employed in the
manufacturing of shoes soles; thanks to its elastic properties, the performance is comparable to
traditional materials, with a reduced cost. Finally, wood tailings and cork shavings have been recently
investigated, as well as natural wool; the main peculiarity of these materials are the aptitude to keep
acoustical performance nearly constant in time.

Conclusion
33. The management of noise in construction of buildings is a complex process requiring good
planning, design, management, documentation and processes. When managed correctly the end result
can be a significant increase in the internal amenity of the building and with not necessarily a
significant increase in cost. By the application of many basic principles, many noise problems can be
avoided without the need for engineered solutions. As the levels of affluence increase, the
expectations from owners/occupiers rise significantly requiring that issues of acoustic amenity be
addressed in detail. A building with poor acoustics can easily gain a bad name and be difficult to
either sell or lease.
34. The levels of acoustic amenity provided in a building directly affects the quality of the building
and the re-sale value of such spaces. To this end there are now rating systems that allow the acoustics
of buildings to be rated and to be used as a marketing. It is also found that as market values rise,
occupier expectations also rise with the expectation that they will be provided with a high level of
acoustic amenity. The achievement of high levels of acoustic amenity is in the design detail which
must be addressed at the design development stage. It is very difficult once a building has been
constructed to “upgrade” the acoustics. It also has to be understood that good acoustics come at a cost
and that generally one “gets what one pays for”. Good acoustic design requires attention to detail. It
can be often small failings (e.g. door seals that do not seal tightly) that mean a significant loss in
performance.
35. Acoustical sustainable materials, either natural or made from recycled materials, are quite often
a valid alternative to traditional synthetic materials. Airborne sound insulation of natural materials
such as flax or recycled cellulose fibers is similar to the one of rock or glass wool. Many natural
materials (bamboo, kenaf, sisal, coco fibers) show good sound absorbing performance; cork or
recycled rubber or polymers layers can be very effective for impact sound insulation. These materials
also show good thermal insulation properties, are often light and they are not harmful for human
health. There is however a need to complete their characterization, both from an experimental and a
theoretical point of view, and especially to propose a standard and unique procedure to evaluate their
actual sustainability.
SOUND INSULATION PROVISIONS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 16

References

Books
Bureau of Indian Standards: National Building Code of India (2005).

Australian Building Codes Board: Handbook of Sound Transmission and Insulation in Buildings
(2018).

Housing and Building Research Institute: Bangladesh National Building Code of India (2015).

Stand-alone Web Document

Noise Reduction in Buildings Using Sound Absorbing Materials. Retrieved on 14th Sep 2019 from
https://cyberleninka.ru/article/v/noise-mitigation-in-buildings-using-sound-absorbing-materials
Noise Control in Residential Buildings. Retrieved on 15th Sep 2019 from https://www.engineering
civil.com/noise-control-in-residential-buildings.html

Web Document on University Program or Department Website

Dronacharya College of Engineering (December 2015). Noise Control on Buildings (Shikha
Choudhary, Shweta Jain, Shweta Sheokand, Vivek Kumar). Retrieved on 30th Aug 2019 from
http://ijirt.org/master/publishedpaper/IJIRT143092_PAPER.pdf

International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV). (July 2013). Noise in High Rise Buildings
published in 20th International Congress.’ Retrieved on 15th Aug, 2019 from
http://www.palmeracoustics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/pdf3.pdf