Sound Insulation in Building Construction

Issue

There is a trend towards ever more complex buildings, both in timber and solid construction. At the same time, the building acoustics requirements are increasing. Components optimized for sound insulation are therefore in demand, but their realization requires the interaction of many disciplines.

Approach

The influence of various factors on the building acoustics in building construction was empirically examined in several cooperation projects of the Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria “(Bauanschluss” (engl. “Building ConnectionJoint (Window to Wall)”, “Fenter.Türen 2.0” (engl. “Windows.Doors 2.0”, “Schall.Holz.Bau I, II, III” (engl. “Sound.Wood.Building I, II, III”)). Based on these findings, numerous project partners worked together to raise awareness of sound insulation and designs were further developed based on the new information. The project started with optimizing the sound insulation of exterior walls, especially with regard to low frequency ranges, and in subsequent projects the focus was on separating components and ceiling systems with a high degree of prefabrication. In the project “Schall.Hoch.Bau”, systematic investigations were also carried out for single- and multi-shell exterior walls with thermal insulation composite systems and rear-ventilated facades. Based on these findings, prediction models were developed that form the basis for a building acoustics planning tool. These models were also incorporated into the building regulations.

The projects “Bauanschluss”, “Windows.Doors 2.0” and “Schall.Holz.Bau I & II” were sponsored by Dept. WST3 of the Province of Lower Austria.

The projects “Schall.Holz.Bau III” was sponsored by FFG (Austrian Research Promtion Agency).

Result

Thanks to the optimizations developed in the timber construction projects for example, the company partners were able to improve their construction designs significantly, especially in the low frequency range (below 100 Hz). These findings have meanwhile found their way into the in-house developments of the project partners. For the first time, calculation models for the frequency-dependent prognosis of the sound insulation are now available for insulated multi-layer external walls, with which a much more precise calculation of the sound insulation is possible.

 

Contact

Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria
Michaela Smertnig
+43 664 601 19664