Name: Walker Beak Mason
Address: Steepleton Lodge Barn, Long Lane, East Haddon, NN6 8DU
Telephone: 01604 771101

Ensuring compliance with Building Regulations is a fundamental part of delivering successful developments. Acoustic performance plays a key role in meeting these requirements, particularly in residential and noise-sensitive environments.

Approved Document E: Sound Insulation Requirements

Approved Document E “Resistance to the Passage of Sound” 2003 (with amendments up to 2015) deals with the Requirements of Part E of Schedule 1 to the current Building Regulations. It deals with the protection against sound from other parts of the same building, protection against sound within a dwelling and reverberation in the common internal parts of buildings containing flats or rooms for residential purposes. The core performance standards for dwelling houses or flats, depending on whether they are purpose built / formed by a material change of use, are 45 / 43 dB D_nTw+C_tr for airborne sound insulation and 64 / 62 dB L’_nTw for impact sound insulation.

Approved Document O: Overheating and Noise Considerations

Approved Document O ‘Overheating’ (AD-O) was released in December 2021 and came into effect in June 2022 and provides standards for controlling overheating in new residential buildings. It also provides guidance on noise, including noise levels above which windows are likely to be kept closed, which must then be accounted for in the overheating strategy.

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WBM provides support to ensure that developments meet the acoustic requirements of Building Regulations and associated guidance. We work with design teams, contractors, and stakeholders to deliver practical, compliant solutions across all stages of a project.

Our relevant standards and guidance: