Less noise is promised in sound guidance revamp

Proposals to improve sound insulation in homes, hotels and schools have been issued by the DETR.

The revisions to Part E of the Building Regulations contain a raft of new standards for the acoustic performance of houses and flats. It will also see hotels, nursing accommodation and elderly persons homes brought into the Regulations for the first time.

The consultation document proposes to replace the current rules with five new sections:

• sound insulation between dwellings, including rooms for residential purposes (hotels)
  
• improved acoustic performance between rooms in domestic dwellings, such as between wc rooms and bedrooms
  
• protection against external noise
  
• measures to limit noise produced in stairwells and corridors in multi-residential properties like flats
  
• sound insulation measures for schools

Along with new technical guidance, the DETR is proposing to issue "explicit performance standards" in Part E. These standards will demand pre-completion testing of the sound insulation on a sampling basis, and building control officers will also be able to insist that builders undertake remedial action before dwellings are occupied.

Part E will also give important new guidance on separating wall and floor construction. This includes wet plaster finishes to separating walls, and a minimum mass requirement of 120 kg/m2 for load-bearing masonry walls.

As the latter guidance could create conflicts with the thermal requirements of the revisions to Part L, a 'robust details working group' of industry specialists will convene in February to identify any areas of conflict ahead of the Part E consultation deadline.

Readers can download the Part E consultation document from www.construction.detr.gov.uk/conindex.htm.