Elysium Healthcare is a private provider of mental health services based in Borehamwood in the UK. They provide specialist hospitals, residential settings and community-based homes throughout the UK and abroad. Spring Wood Lodge, in Guisley, Leeds, provides a rehabilitation recovery centre for women over the age of 18 requiring an integrated treatment approach. The facility has a nine bed and a twelve bed ward and had permission for a new extension to include six bedrooms along with ensuites, lounge, nurse station, clinic, sluice, office, de-escalation room, bathroom and other ancillary and circulation spaces.

Project brief: WBM was retained by Elysium Healthcare Limited through Edmund Shipway LLP, Construction Consultants, to undertake noise surveys and a full acoustic assessment to cover external noise ingress and facade design, internal sound insulation and a detailed assessment of external ASHP plant noise break-out and advice / recommendations on mitigation.

Acoustic aspects: It was critical for the facility to adhere to the guidance in HTM 08-01 as well as to meet the requirements of the Building Regulations Approved Document E (ADE 2003) for the rooms for residential purposes. In addition, WBM followed the guidance within Leeds City Council “Noise & Vibration Planning Consultation Guidance, December 2019, to ensure that all aspects relating to acoustics would meet local and national standards.

Outcome: WBM worked closely with Edmund Shipway LLP as the client’s representatives on all aspects of the project, liaising with the project architects and mechanical contractors closely, in order to establish effective acoustic solutions for the building façade, internal sound separation between spaces and mitigation for the Air Source heat Pump noise break-out. The project is currently out to tende