Residential Accommodation, driven by the Building Regulations Approved Document E (often referred to as ADE or Part E) is not always straight forward to interpret but it sets out guidance and criteria for sound insulation performance for all types of residential accommodation, including dwellings, apartments, hotels, student halls of residence, residential homes.
Depending on the type of property requiring testing; a typical semi detached house would require 1 set of party walls testing as shown in the diagram below. Where as a apartment block would require both party walls and floors testing.
Offices, public buildings, retail, etc need to meet criteria for background noise levels. privacy, and reverberation such as those of BREEAM or other guidance depending on the purpose or situation.
Theatres, Cinemas, Nightclubs, Pubs, Restaurants, etc might be covered by planning conditions, industry standards such Odeon, or criteria tailored to the particular context. They involved high levels of noise, critical internal acoustic requirements and the risk of disturbance to neighbours.
Reporting & lodging the result
Testing is checked onsite and with colleagues. The results of all airborne and impact tests are analysed and reports are generated and our clients receive a detailed PDF report of the findings of the testing carried out and the final results.
Schools, particularly where affected by the design requirements of Building Bulleting 93 (BB93), BREEAM, etc. Background noise, sound insulation and internal acoustics are key to all teaching and performance spaces, as well as dining and assembly halls, offices, etc.
Hospitals are covered by criteria in HTM 08-01, BREEAM and other guidance. Please see our page on isolation suites for more information on Health Technical Memorandum 08-01: Acoustics for NHS sites. A typical hospital includes noise sources such as external noise, mechanical services, trolley movements, outside visitors and staff. Additionally, the noise receivers can be highly sensitive. Added to this are the additional problems of high reverberation due to hard cleanable surfaces, and the need for high levels of speech privacy.
Intensely specialist acoustic environments such as audiology suites are also an important part of our work.