Sound Testing on Office Conversions

APT Sound Testing under-take hundreds of sound tests on building conversions throughout the capital every year. Many of the sound tests we undertake are typically the conversion of existing 3 storey houses in flats, i.e. from one house into 3 flats.

However, we are now seeing an increase in the amount of office blocks being converted into dwellings. When offices are converted into dwellings we often undertake sample sound tests to check the existing sound levels prior to the commencement of works, once we have established the sound tests results we can then come up with a more cost-effective design to comply with Part E of Building Regulations.

Historically we have found that if the floor structure is a typical 200mm concrete slab the sample airborne results are coming close to the requirements of Part E without any modifications to the existing slab; however, the impact results are poor.

This is because the airborne sound is broken down by the mass of the concrete slab, therefore sounds such as speech & TV etc. are minimised. Unfortunately, impact sound test results are poor due to the lack of isolation within the slab, therefore the sound travels straight through the slab to the area below. Sound such as people walking can be very loud and unacceptable.

Using our extensive knowledge regarding the way different materials and construction methods can influence the results of sound testing we can offer easy-to-follow acoustic advice on the most awkward developments.

If you are having problems with your building’s design or simply require some friendly advice please contact us now by visiting the APT Sound Testing website, calling us at 01525 303905, or emailing us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk.