When constructing your home, you need to consider noise reduction methods. Noise can travel by air or it can be produced by impact. Noise can be transmitted directly and indirectly.
Airborne noise
Airborne noise is the product of the energy transmitted between rooms or buildings, the transmission of this noise decreases with the increase in the frequency of the noise source.
Sound testing for the isolation of airborne noise should be used in any place where there are walls that separate areas with different occupation such as between houses, between a home and other parts of the same building such as stairs, corridors or the garage, among others.
Impact noise
Impact noise is commonly caused by a shock or vibrating source in direct contact with an element of the building, such as the floor or a wall.
Insulation against impact noise must be used wherever there are floors that separate areas with different occupation such as between houses, between rooms that will be used to sleep in, between the house and other parts of the building located above the room.
Indirect transmission
This happens when sound travels indirectly via elements connected to the walls and floors such as wooden beams, metal structures, and pipes, among others.
In your local Building Regulations Guide, you can find the internationally accepted vocabulary in the area of ​​acoustic sound testing. If you require more information regarding any acoustic term or concept regarding construction and noise control, that’s a good place to start.
Materials
Finally, the materials used in the noise control of homes and rooms within the home must meet noise transmission standards.
Solutions
Noise is one of the most frequent complaints in buildings where we work and live. Noise can come from both inside and outside the building.
The first solution we could give to the problem of noise would undoubtedly be to suppress sources or lower their emission to tolerable levels. But this is not always possible, and in most cases, the constituent elements of the building (slabs, partitions, etc.) must be able to reduce the sound emission.
Insulation and absorption
One of the most frequent errors when dealing with architectural acoustics is that of confusing isolation and absorption.
There are several possible effects when a sound hits a partition: the sound can be transmitted to the next room, reflected and returned to the room, or absorbed by the partition itself, disappearing as heat.
In practice, when we speak of sound absorption in a room we are not referring only to the sound that disappears in the form of heat, but to all that is not reflected (that is, the absorbed plus transmitted).
For example, materials such as fiberglass are good absorbents at high frequencies, but if we built a partition only with fiberglass most of the sound would pass from one room to the other, because fiberglass is absorbent but not insulating.
A heavy concrete wall, on the other hand, is a good insulator and does not allow much sound to pass from one side to the other; but it reflects practically all of the sound that comes from within the same room because it is insulating but not absorbent.
It is highly recommended to consult experienced structural engineers or specialists in acoustic attenuation as part of the design process of your new home. Getting the right advice on your new build will ensure your living space is comfortable and peaceful.