Sound absorption coefficient
Approved document E: Resistance to the passage of sound, defines the ‘absorption coefficient’ as:
A quantity characterising the effectiveness of a sound absorbing surface. The proportion of sound energy absorbed is given as a number between zero (for a fully reflective surface) and one (for a fully absorptive surface). Note that sound absorption coefficients determined from laboratory measurements may have values slightly larger than one.
See BS EN 20354:1993 (Acoustics. Measurement of sound absorption in a reverberation room).
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Airborne sound.
- Approved Document E.
- Building acoustics.
- Building Bulletin 93: acoustic design of schools.
- Flanking sound.
- Impact sound.
- Noise nuisance.
- Reverberation.
- Robust details certification scheme.
- Sound absorption.
- Sound insulation in buildings.
- Sound reduction index (SRI).
- Sound v noise.
- Structure-borne sound.
Featured articles and news
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.





















