ACOUSTICS & SOUND
A SOUND SOLUTION – ADDRESSING ACOUSTICS IN THE HOME
Lack of sound regulations
Increasing numbers of machines, people, buildings and technology means our world is getting noisier. And this issue isn’t just limited to the outside world, with new research by Geberit finding that unwanted noise inside the home affects more than half of us – and it’s having a direct impact on our wellbeing. Here, Sophie Weston, Channel Marketing Manager for Specification and Developer at Geberit, explores the significance of unwanted noise in the home, and why, in its new White Paper (A Sound Solution), it is calling for a radical rethink of acoustic regulations in residential environments. GEBERIT
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e can all understand the enormous impact of persistent loud noises; in fact, the World Health Organisation, which has tracked noise levels for the past decade, portrays noise pollution as an ‘underestimated threat’. Yet, consider the noises we hear every day inside our homes. The ones perhaps not related to volume or pitch – a dripping tap, the whirr of an extractor fan, or even a flushing toilet. To get a great insight into the impact of these noises on our wellbeing, we surveyed more than 2000 people across the UK – and this highlighted a wider problem than we all may have first thought.
The noisy truth External noise, such as road, rail or air traffic, is something architects and specifiers are aware of the need to mitigate. Yet, FC&A – MAY – 2020
some may argue that, by combatting this external noise, increased insulation has highlighted internal noises – and even amplified them. It seems our survey reflected this, as more than a third of respondents (38%) agreed that they’re affected more by internal noises in the home than they are by the traffic outside. Further to this, more than half of respondents (51%) said this negatively impacted their wellbeing. The UK Green Building Council’s 2016 report, ‘Health and Wellbeing in Homes’, describes acoustics as a key element of designing “stress-free and restorative environments.” So, one could argue, this research might say that we’re letting homeowners down – which is no surprise considering the lack of regulations and guidance around sound-optimisation. 30
Our survey told us that bathroom sounds disrupt a quarter of us (28%) either at night or when relaxing and one in five (19%) told us that they were disturbed by noises relating to flushing toilets, taps or pipes and drains. And yet, despite bathroom elements directly touching walls and floors, we’re lacking clear regulations governing wastewater noise in new buildings. Solutions such as sound-optimised drainage and wall-hung toilets can, of course, help mitigate unwanted noise, yet UK regulations offer very little clarification around using these products. For instance, Building Regulations (2010) Approved Document E ‘Resistance to the passage of sound’, although stipulating that walls and floors should reduce sound transmission to conjoining rooms by 45 dB, doesn’t mention acoustically optimised products. Nor does it set maximum sound levels. Similarly, the only vague reference to reducing sanitary noise in BSI’s British Standard 8233:2014 ‘Guidance for Sound Insulation and Noise Reduction in Buildings’ states that water systems “are not to cause disturbance in normal use”. Meanwhile, the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, an independent body advising Government on increasing highquality design for new homes, released a report proposing a new development and planning framework. Yet, its report didn’t once mention acoustic performance – suggesting that noise is at the bottom of both the environmental and wellbeing agenda.
