Places for People is a placemaking and regeneration company that is committed to investing in the long-term sustainability of the social housing and communities it provides.
Salford Foyer is one of the properties managed by its supported living subsidiary, Living+. It provides supported housing for single homeless people aged 16-25. Places for People recently decided to convert the ground floor of the existing building into additional accommodation, allowing it to help even more young people in the local community.
Proposition
The building control officer required sound insulation testing to be carried out between the flats in the proposed conversion. Miller Goodall was brought in to carry out the tests, which revealed that the flats were not achieving the minimum performance required.
“The standard set for sound insulation purposes is a minimum standard, and we often try to achieve a higher standard than that required by Building Regulations, ensuring a better environment for people using the space.”
Jo Miller: Director – Acoustics, Miller Goodall
Investigation and Outcome
We carried out sound insulation tests for airborne and impact noise and found that the airborne sound insulation performance was below the minimum Building Regulations requirement for this type of development (43 dB DnT,w+Ctr).
We were able to provide same day, straightforward advice on how to improve the performance of the floor. This enabled the architect to make the necessary amendments to the building design and for the improved construction to be quickly implemented onsite. The follow up test successfully achieved the Building Regulations requirements.
Sound Insulation Testing
For sound insulation testing, there is a clear benefit to using an acoustic consultancy with experience in identifying the causes for failures and in advising how to put them right. Ideally, professional acoustic advice should be sought early on to ensure a coordinated design that meets the sound insulation requirements from the outset. This saves costly remedial work if compliance issues are discovered during testing and after the building work has finished.
At Miller Goodall, we have found that the most effective way of providing advice on sound insulation is to review architectural plans early on, paying particular attention to party walls, floors and ceilings. We can also provide important advice on detailing at junctions to ensure the onsite performance is not let down by flanking issues, which are a common cause for failures during tests. Our early involvement allows for realistic costing of a project and helps the developer to get it right first time. If a client does not have an architect, we can provide advice on the choice of walls and floors for the best acoustic outcomes.
