Building Regulations Part E.

Part E at a glance - Summary of the main changes in the 2003 edition

The New Approved Document E, (2003 Edition) was implemented in 1^st July 2003

This applies to houses, flats, hotels and hostel types of accommodation constructed as new build or material change of use. The SoundPro Solutions guide provides examples of constructions including Rockwool and Rockfon products that meet the requirements of the New Approved Document E (ADE).

The guide should be used in conjunction with Approved Document E, and due attention be paid to the flanking noise and other requirements outlined therein.

Robust Details

Compliance with Robust Details will negate the requirement for pre-completion site testing of new build separating structures for dwelling houses and flats. Robust Details are based upon meeting sound test values which are in excess of those required by Approved Document E.

This guide will also highlight proposals for Robust Details involving Rockwool products.

Protection against sound from other parts of the building and adjoining buildings

This requirement now includes ‘rooms for residential purposes’ in addition to dwelling houses and flats.

‘Rooms for residential purposes’ covers a room or suite of rooms, which is not dwelling house or flat and which is used by one or more persons to live and sleep in, including rooms in hotels, hostels, boarding house, halls of residence and residential homes. This term excludes rooms in hospitals or similar establishments used for patient accommodation.

For the first time there is a requirement for pre-completion site testing. The onus is upon the builder to demonstrate that required levels of sound insulation are achieved.

Protection against sound within a dwelling house

A new requirement setting standards for internal walls and floors in dwelling houses, flats and rooms for residential purposes. Pre-completion site testing is not required. Compliance is based upon laboratory testing.

Reverberation in the common parts of buildings containing flats or rooms for residential purposes

A new requirement ton control reverberation in common parts of building containing flats and ‘rooms for residential purposes’. Pre-completion site testing is not required.

Acoustic conditions in schools

New schools are now controlled under the Building Regulations. This includes sound insulation, reverberation time and indoor ambient noise levels. The normal way of satisfying requirement E4 will be to meet the values for sound insulation, reverberation time and internal ambient noise which are given in section 1 of Building Bulletin 93 ‘The Acoustic Design of Schools’ produced by DfES. (ISBN: 0 11 271105 7).

Part E required performance standard

The requirements of E1 may be satisfied by meeting the sound insulation values set out in Tables 1a and 1b of Approved Document E, a summary of which is shown in the tables below. Compliance is established by on site pre-completion testing.

The requirements of E2 for internal wall and floor constructions will be satisfied by achieving the sound insulation values set out in Table 2. These are based upon laboratory tested values. There is no requirement for pre-completion site testing for compliance with E2.

The new performance requirements are considerably more onerous than those set out in the 1991 Edition. This is due to the addition of a low frequency correction factor (Ctr) which must be applied to the pre-completion measure of airborne sound. As a consequence, the new values will be more difficult to achieve for many types of construction.

Note:

·          Associated flanking constructions should be followed.

·          The person carrying out the building work should arrange for the sound insulation testing to be carried out by a test body with appropriate third party accreditation.

Part E at a glance - Summary of the main changes in the 2003 edition

Importance of design and good workmanship

In all cases, good design and installation should be followed It is imperative that measures to eliminate or minimise flaking sound transmission are considered at the design stage and that products are installed correctly by the builder.

Failure to do so may lead to limitation of acoustic performance and the requirements of the Building Regulations not being met.

Flanking Noise

When attempting to make any sort of construction compliant to the Part E Regulations it is important to note that the sound does not always go straight through the building element. Indeed if the wall/floor/partition concerned has good sound reducing capabilities then the sound will simply find the easiest way to get from A to B. In short, if it can not go through the wall, it will go up and over or around the side. This is called Flanking Transmission and occurs when sound travels along elements shared by adjacent structures.

If flanking construction are not correctly specified or constructed, flanking transmission can exceed direct transmission and damage the overall capabilities of the construction. One way of dealing with this issue is to use isolation strips around the perimeter edges of floors and walls, as well as the use of acoustic sealant wherever possible.

The New Approved Document E provides advice with respect to flanking details, and the appropriate Rockwool Acoustic Intumescent Sealant, fire stopping and cavity closing products to achieve compliance are detailed within this guide.

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