The sound of silence

Acoustic Case Studies

The first series of case studies on the acoustic performance of steel framed buildings (SCI publication P371) was published in December 2007. These four case studies demonstrate the excellent acoustic performance that has been achieved with different forms of steel construction. Real test data shows that The Building Regulation’s minimum standards have been exceeded by up to 10 dB for airborne sound and 19 dB for impact sound.

This year SCI will be producing another four case studies which will form the second series. The case studies will be completed ready for publication in December.

SCI are looking for four projects that are suitable subjects for the next four case studies on acoustic performance. We are looking for the projects to cover a range of steel construction technologies e.g. hot-rolled and light gauge, multi-storey and low-rise. In theory the projects can be any type of building (e.g. residential, education, commercial or healthcare) but actual on-site acoustic test data does need to be available. Therefore, residential developments are most likely to be suitable for these case studies.

Andrew Way is currently drawing up a list of possible projects for the second series of acoustic case studies. If you can suggest a project and provide information please contact Andrew at the SCI. The first series of acoustic case studies is available on www.steelbiz.org/.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Way
Principal Engineer
Email: a.way@steel-sci.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 636577