When building, converting, or generally making improvements to a building, sound insulation is a consideration that cannot be overlooked. There are two main types of sound which are under scrutiny when it comes to construction and sound insulation, airborne sound and structure-borne (impact) sound. This article is designed to help you understand in greater detail what airborne sound is, what causes it, and how it can be reduced.
Post-pandemic Construction in the UK
As the UK economy, the war in Ukraine and Climate change continue to occupy the front pages, you could be forgiven for forgetting that less than 12 months ago the country was still battling the 2-year-long COVID-19 pandemic.
But, with the worst health crisis in living memory now in the rear-view mirror, just how well is the construction industry, specifically house-building, coping in picking up the pieces following the most turbulent of times?
Put simply, Sound Insulation Testing is a test carried out to check the sound insulation performance of certain elements of a building. Part E of the Building Regulations require that when any new or converted building results in two adjoining dwellings being separated by party (shared) walls or floors, they must be tested to ensure they are sufficiently insulated to avoid excess noise passing between them.
One of the methods in moving towards a carbon zero 2050 adopted by the current UK government has been to create energy-saving schemes for households and businesses, such as the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).
What is ESOS?
The ESOS is a mandatory energy assessment scheme for large organisations in the UK. It was introduced as a part of the government’s response to Article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) – a common framework of measures for increasing energy efficiency within the European Union back in 2012.
On 15th December 2021, the government published their updated Building Regulations for England, which included amendments to Approved Document F (Ventilation) and Approved Document L (Conservation of fuel and power), as well as the release of a new approved document for Overheating (Part O).
Here, we’ll take a look at how the changes to Part L, in particular, affect one of our services – Air Tightness Testing.
