Concrete @ your Fingertips

Masonry - Acoustic properties

The requirements for the resistance to the passage of sound are contained in Approved Document E of The Building Regulations. This is concerned with external noise, noise between and within dwellings and for other residential buildings. Indicative standard forms of construction meeting these requirements are given in the Approved document and take into account the form of construction, the junctions and connections between the different elements and the properties of the materials being used. 

All dwellings and residential buildings now need to be tested prior to completion to ensure that they meet the sound insulation requirements of The Building Regulations. As an alternative, one of The Robust Standard Details developed by HBF may be used if it is wished to avoid the need for site testing. Where an indication of a wall’s resistance to the passage of sound is required, the ‘mass law’ curve can be applied which relates the mass of the wall to the sound reduction index. Alternatively testing in an acoustic flanking laboratory or transmission suite can be carried out.

For further information see the Concrete Block Association or the Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products Association 

Acknowledgement: Concrete Society