Building acoustics and vibration
At ISVR Consulting, we offer a wide range of services in building acoustics and vibration to support our clients’ projects. These can include on-site measurements, laboratory testing, computer modelling and design work. We work in accordance with applicable British, European or International Standards, or relevant industry guidance and regulations. We can also advise on, and work to, alternative design criteria if appropriate.
Services
Some of the services we offer include:
- Sound insulation design and testing of buildings; we are accredited to undertake sound insulation testing through the Association of Noise Consultants registration scheme ↗ for compliance with Building Regulations
- Environmental noise measurement and assessment, including assessments to the NPPF/NPSE in support of planning applications
- Measurement and assessment of noise and vibration from railways, metros, other transport and nearby construction; prevention or mitigation of noise and vibration problems
- Dynamic modelling of structures
- Design of laboratory facilities with sound and vibration isolation for low-noise and low-vibration applications, such as electron microscopes, silicon chip fabrication, and rooms housing vibration sensitive equipment and processes
- Design guidance to prevent wind-induced noise in or around buildings; “whistling buildings”
- Specification of the design and qualification of test rooms, including anechoic and reverberant chambers and liaison with designers, builders and suppliers. ISVR Consulting assisted Saint-Gobain to specify their hemi-anechoic chamber for NVH measurements and choose their primary supplier.
- Design of sports and entertainment facilities, including vibration isolation of fitness suites from the rest of the building
- Laboratory testing of materials, including sound insulation, transmission loss or acoustic absorption measurements
We are also experienced in collaborating with industry professionals such as architects, builders, engineers and environmental health officers.
See also:
- Designing low-vibration laboratories ↗ (Article on the University of Southampton website.)
- Vibration modelling and performance evaluation of specialist buildings: a designer’s approach. Christos Karatsovis and Malcolm Smith, 24th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV24), London, 23-27 July 2017 (pdf 500 KB)
- A new empirical prediction approach for groundborne vibration in buildings. Daniel Lurcock and David Thompson, 24th International Congress on Sound and Vibration (ICSV24), London, 23-27 July 2017 (pdf 890 KB).
- Assessing noise and vibration in buildings using finite element modelling: understanding the factors influencing predictions. Christos Karatsovis and Daniel Lurcock, Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics 38(1) 2016, 280-287 (pdf 1.11 MB)
Standards and Regulations
Some of the applicable standards and regulations we work to include:
- BS 8233 – Guidance on sound insulation and noise reduction for buildings
- BS 4142 – Methods for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound
- Part E (Approved Document E ) ↗ of the Building Regulations for England and Wales
- BS 6472 – Guide to evaluation of human exposure to vibration in buildings
- BB93 – Acoustic design of schools – performance standards
- HTM 08-01 ↗ – Acoustic requirements and design of health care facilities published by the Department of Health
- BREEAM acoustic performance ↗ and sustainability assessment schemes
- BS EN ISO 10140 – Laboratory measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements
- BS EN ISO 16283 – Field measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements