Acoustic insulation offers non-intrusive barrier to noise disturbance in homes

[edit] Introduction

As housing schemes become denser, looking to optimise evermore scarce building space, it has led to questions about the quality of life for residents occupying them. Noise pollution is a very modern menace, but it is not only confined to issues relating to air and road traffic.

Disturbances caused by neighbours can affect the overall health and wellbeing of the persons on the receiving end. It can also lead to disputes and ill-feeling and upset the equilibrium among the wider community. Internal noise can also be a disrupter to a harmonious and productive atmosphere, particularly when our households are a place of work or learning. High-performance acoustic insulation provides an effective barrier to internal and external noise without disturbing the aesthetics of a property's interior design. How does it work and which systems offer the best protection?

There is no doubt that building design, particularly in relation to large scale developments, is increasingly being influenced by the need to minimise a property's footprint. If not insulated sufficiently, individual living space can become intolerable due to unfiltered noise emanating from different rooms of the same house.

[edit] Sound affects

Although an invisible menace, persistent exposure to invasive noise can have serious consequences. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report, one in five people in Europe are subjected to levels of sound considered harmful to health. It estimates that long-term exposure to noise such as busy traffic, railways and aircraft causes 12,000 premature deaths per year in Europe alone. Mental health and wellbeing are also found to be negatively impacted by 'environmental turbulence', whilst Oxford University reported a correlation between increased levels of traffic noise over long periods of time and obesity.

[edit] Insulation solution

Having highlighted the real issues noise pollution presents, how can householders protect themselves against its unabating interference? If we want to enjoy our music or TV as loud as we can stand, how is this possible without upsetting the neighbours or other members of the household? Insulation presents a viable and trusted solution to this common domestic conundrum by preventing exterior noise infiltrating a building whilst providing a barrier to sound transmitting between rooms within the property.

Acoustic insulation panels comprising a combination of fibres and recycled polyurethane foam are proven to be particularly effective in reducing sound transmission between walls, up to 87% in some cases, a truly stunning performance that does much to increase the comfort and wellbeing of occupants closeted from incessant, everyday noise pollution.

Recticel has developed a range of products that address the issue of acoustics. Its Intasoft® panels, for example, not only dampen excessive sound transmission, they offer a cleaner, easy-to-apply, reliable alternative to more traditional acoustic solutions such as mineral wool; a material that needs to be applied with significantly greater density in order to attain a similar level of noise reduction. The bonding process involved with Intasoft® panels is crucial to their acoustic performance, as it eliminates vibration between the two surfaces to reduce noise transmission.

[edit] Future approach

In terms of what lies ahead for the development of acoustic insulation, its wider use within retrofit applications will likely depend on the adoption of thermal technology as part of its package. This 'best of both worlds' approach would seem the most logical progression.

Homeowners in large communities shouldn't feel entitled to live in a noiseless vacuum, but relative peace and quiet ought not to be too much to ask for either. Choosing quality acoustic insulation is the first step to creating an effective sound barrier.

Noise is a fact of life and for the most part, provides a positive soundtrack to our day. For every person who is content to write off a baby's cry, a loud TV or music as a trivial inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, to many others – particularly those living on the other side of the wall – regular disturbances of this nature will be intolerable. With modern housing needs requiring residents to live more closely together than ever before, good quality acoustic insulation represents a sound investment for those looking to keep the peace.

This article first appeared in the architectural technology journal – issue 137, published in Spring 2021.

--CIAT

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