Two key areas that need to be addressed when trying to pass your London Sound Test is by improving the floor construction to deal with airborne noise (TV noise, music and speech). This can be achieved by applying ceiling treatments and mass and isolation to the building components. Impact sound (footfall) performance is increased by the used of resilience layers and isolation of components within the acoustic construction.
Airborne Sound Testing in London
Building Regulations Part E stipulates that the airborne performance requirements are 45dB for new build properties and 43dB for conversion developments, this applies both to party walls and floors between properties. This level is the difference between the source level and the receiver level during London sound tests. Therefore, if the source level in one flat is 110dB and the receiver level in the neighbouring flat is 55dB, the level difference (or sound reduction performance) is 55dB.
Thereafter the measurement is corrected for several factors such as background noise, room characteristics and frequency weighting, giving the final sound insulation performance value of the tested partition. In this case the higher the number the better the sound insulation performance. The measurement is done by using a Class 1 Analyser & Speaker.
Impact Sound Testing In London
Part E stipulates that Impact insulation performance only applies to party floors and is related to the effectiveness of the floor construction in absorbing impact shock such as footfall noise. The measurement is done by using a Norsonic tapping machine. The machine has 5 weights which tapping in regular succession on the tested floor which emulates footfall noise.
The noise levels are taken in the receiving room below, which are then measured and averaged for different tapper positions, which then gives the sound reduction rating of the floor. In this case the lower the figure the better the performance, which is the opposite to airborne noise.
If you have a project that’s needs acoustic design advice or sound testing in London, then please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or phone us directly on 01525 303905.