Acoustic

Building Acoustics Assessment and Design

• Assessment and review of existing or planned partition walls and separating floors, separating, and flanking details for new build and refurbishment.
• Providing the most efficient solution for building elements to meet sound insulation rating requirements to comply with Scottish Building Standards, Section 5, and Part E.
• Consultancy for architectural team with accurate detailing on flanking path to prevent noise concerns and issues.

Room Acoustics

• Measurement and design for optimum reverberation time (RT) along with associated objective acoustic parameters i.e. speech intelligibility based on room function, for spaces including but not limited to music/broadcasting/production studios, auditoriums, conference & meeting rooms, workplaces (offices, factories, restaurants, sports centres/halls, and performance spaces.
• Measurement, assessment, and design for compliance with HTM 08-01 (Hospitals) and BB93 (Schools) in terms of reverberation time, speech privacy and speech intelligibility (STI).
• Providing ideal finishing materials in terms of sound absorption performance taking architectural/interior design concept into consideration.

Services/Plant Noise Mitigation/Control

• HVAC, CHP units, internal/external mechanical plant & equipment (MEP).

Acoustics for Environmental Impact Assessment

• Noise Impact Assessment (NIA) upon BS4142, BS8233 standards, Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN), CRN, Industrial and Commercial Noise Assessment.

Workplace Noise Assessment and Mitigation

• Noise hazard identification, site noise mapping, personal exposure monitoring and prediction.
• Ambient noise mitigation solutions for indoors (controlling reverberation time) and outdoors (barriers and so on).

Mechanical Noise & Vibration Assessment

• Noise issues associated with rotating machinery, structural dynamics, transmission paths and isolation methods.

We always use a source-path-receiver model to address acoustic issues. This focuses on identifying the root mechanical source of any noise. This is an approach historically practiced and promoted by ISVR and recommended in British Standards.

It is usually the most cost efficient approach because any one source can have multiple paths and receivers. If the source mechanism can be addressed, then we can eliminate the need for mitigation of the multiple noise paths to the receivers. In order to achieve this, the engineer needs to have a very broad understanding of machinery, physics and noise source mechanisms involved. We offer this experience as a service.

Mitigation measures are only required where the source cannot be directly addressed, which is the case for most issues relating to transport noise and residential dwellings.

We provide acoustic measurement and assessment services with respect to the environmental impact of noise either; to a new residential (or other noise sensitive) development; or from the introduction of a development with the potential to create unwanted noise.

Noise related targets are set by the local authority, however the guidance behind these targets is based on WHO research into the impacts of noise. In many cases, particularly for new housing developments within built-up areas, the existing noise climate and its stress associated health effects can limit the local authority’s ability to approve a development. This is often due to higher levels of transport associated noise (air, road and rail) - an issue which is not to expected to improve in the near future.

Where we cannot mitigate the source of the noise directly, we do: identify excessive environmental sources and flag these to the local authority; design building facades to meet defined internal noise and ventilation requirements and design robust noise mitigation solutions to achieve low noise levels within external garden areas.

BS4142: Methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound

BS8233: Guidance on sound insulation and noise reduction for buildings