We spend a reported 90% of our time indoors. It means that occupancy comfort should always rank highly on the agenda when designing a building and all the intricate components that are installed within it. An article published by the BBC in 2019 pinpoints how the sound in our homes can affect our mood, a sentiment shared and further explicated by numerous scientific studies investigating the effects noise has on our comfort indoors. Creating a building which enables noise reduction is therefore crucial to the health and happiness of inhabitants. Sarah Cartwright, Senior Product Manager at Polypipe Building Services explains why noise reduction is a key consideration in modern building design.
Keep noise levels down
If we take a high-rise residential property or luxury hotel as an example, noise reduction will be a top priority within these premises where the standard of living is high. An excess of noise has negative impacts on people’s general health and wellbeing, and can compromise the level of indoor comfort inhabitants that expect to be maintained. This is coupled with the ongoing pandemic, in which many people are continuing to work from home. Furthermore, if you’re doing night work and have to sleep during the day, minimal noise is crucial.
The role of a building’s pipework is to dispense vital services throughout a building. Yet, in the execution of its duties, pipework has to be designed in a way that keeps noise levels to an absolute minimum.
Changes to building design have impacted sound levels, however. An increasing number of buildings are being installed with better insulation to conform to the changing standards. The caveat here is that by having better-performing insulation, the natural noise of the building is decreased. And, if insulation is reducing the natural noise of the building, the sounds which the building services packages make will be more noticeable to the human ear.
An engineered, noise reducing system
Here at Polypipe Building Services, we keep a firm eye on the future, which is why we have launched a system with noise reducing properties to ensure high-rise residential buildings and the like are comfortable for inhabitants.
Terrain Q is an easy-to-install push-fit system with multilayer technology, ideal for a range of commercial and high-rise residential buildings. Terrain Q has been engineered to reduce noise levels and has a 20dB rating for structure-borne sound.
The latter benefit is of particular worth when thinking about noise reduction. When water flows through a pipe, it creates a vibration which can penetrate the fabric of a wall. Compared to airborne noise, which tends to be a shorter sound, structure-borne noise travels further. The industry standard for structure-borne noise is 30dB. Polypipe Building Services has engineered Terrain Q to 20dB as this is considered ‘silent’, even at night when sound carries more. Terrain Q’s black intermediate layer enables this, comprising a mineral-reinforced plastic which ensures high stability and noise insulation. As well as offering noise reduction benefits, Terrain Q has fire and anti-fouling resistance properties.
Human beings spend the majority of their time indoors, which means these places have to hit the mark when it comes to noise reduction. Having an optimum environment such as this keeps everyone happy and ensures buildings perform well on the inside too.