Acoustic Design Advice
At JG Acoustics Ltd, we offer extensive expertise in acoustic design, supported by our in-depth knowledge of construction materials and sound insulation testing. Our experience allows us to assess the strengths and limitations of different construction types, helping to ensure your project complies with The Building Regulations Approved Document E.
We provide comprehensive acoustic design appraisals ahead of our testing services, covering a wide range of projects from initial planning through to completion. Our approach is professional, clear, and proactive, ensuring you receive expert guidance at every stage while keeping costs in check.
As qualified and accredited acoustic consultants, we carry out sound insulation testing and issue certification upon project completion. This guarantees that your results are recognised by building control, giving you confidence in compliance and quality assurance.
Comprehensive Acoustic Design & Testing – JG Acoustics Ltd
At JG Acoustics Ltd, we can support the development of your project’s acoustic design from the initial planning stage through to pre-completion sound testing. Our expertise ensures that key acoustic elements – mass, isolation, and absorption – are carefully considered to optimise sound insulation performance.
To help clients achieve compliance with Approved Document E, we offer a structured four-step acoustic design advice package, which can also be tailored to specific project requirements.
✅Site Survey Visits
We assess the existing site construction to identify any potential acoustic weaknesses.
✅Sample Sound Testing
We conduct sound insulation tests on existing constructions, providing an accurate performance overview. This allows us to deliver targeted acoustic design recommendations based on real-world data.
✅Acoustic Design Appraisal
A detailed desktop assessment of the proposed separating walls and floors using architects' drawings, ensuring the design meets the required acoustic performance standards.
✅Final Pre-Completion Sound Testing
Conducted in accordance with Approved Document E, ensuring compliance and securing building control approval.
Our structured approach streamlines the path to compliance, giving you confidence that your project meets all necessary acoustic requirements.
Common Causes of Test Failure
-
Common Structural Elements – Components such as floorboards, joists, continuous drywall sections, concrete slabs, and cement block walls can facilitate noise transfer between spaces.
-
Structural Steel Penetration – Steel beams often contribute to sound leakage, particularly when plasterboard is attached directly without acoustic isolation measures.
-
Plumbing Voids – Gaps around pipes, as well as wall and floor slab intersections, can create weak points that should be filled with mortar or other dense materials to enhance sound insulation.
-
Window Openings – Single-glazed or poorly insulated windows allow significant noise ingress and should be upgraded to double or secondary glazing for improved acoustic performance.
-
Electrical and Service Penetrations – Features like light switches, telephone sockets, and recessed lighting can weaken sound insulation, especially if openings are aligned between adjoining dwellings.
-
Structural Junctions – Connections at walls, floors, and ceilings can allow sound to travel unless properly sealed with acoustic mastic.
-
Partition Terminations – Where partitions meet adjacent walls, unsealed junctions can provide a pathway for sound leakage and should be treated with appropriate sealing materials.Good Workmanship - Design calculations are based on laboratory-tested data, but real-world performance depends on construction quality and site conditions.
-
Workmanship plays a critical role in sound insulation, as installation errors and material inconsistencies can weaken a partition’s effectiveness. To account for these variations, a tolerance is often factored into the design process, typically around 6 dB. However, field performance can sometimes fall below expectations due to construction defects, poor sealing, or other on-site issues. Addressing these factors early in the process is essential to achieving optimal acoustic performance. Common examples of this include:
❌ Using the wrong screw length for resilient bars, inadvertently fixing them to studs or joists, reducing their effectiveness.
❌ Mortar or dirt buildup inside cavities, creating sound bridges. Similarly, wall ties covered in excess mortar lose their resilience, compromising acoustic performance.
❌ Incorrect installation or omission of flanking strips, allowing unintended sound flanking paths.
❌ Gaps left unsealed at junctions between walls, floors, and ceilings, allowing airborne sound to leak through.
❌ Light switches, telephone outlets, and recessed lighting fixtures can compromise sound insulation if penetrations are installed back-to-back with those in the adjoining dwelling. To minimise sound leakage, ensure proper acoustic sealing and staggered placement.
❌Over-compression of mineral wool insulation reduces its sound-absorbing properties and can create unintended rigid connections between partitions, leading to increased sound transmission.
