Joel Parry-Jones, of PKA Consultants is an acoustic consultant who works with architects and builders to help design the acoustic comfort within residential homes. Joel has some sound advice for achieving acoustic comfort in homes:
“Internal acoustics is often overlooked in the design of a new home. The Building Code of Australia doesn’t provide any sound insulation requirements and typically an architect may not consider acoustics in the design stage.
There are two main aspects of internal acoustics: sound transmission – noise passing through a wall or floor and reverberation – sound that reflects and echoes within a space.
Reverberation is treated on a case by case basis, generally by the introduction of more soft furnishings or other absorptive materials, but sound transmission needs to be treated at the construction stage. Homes these days have very loud noise sources such as large TVs, game consoles and home theatres, but there’s also other typical noise sources such as laundries, bathrooms and entertaining areas to consider.
Internal walls are typically constructed with a timber frame and a thin layer of plasterboard on each side. When this type of lightweight wall is left empty, unwanted sound can readily pass through. The easiest and most cost-effective way to minimise sound transmission is to fill the hollow wall with high-density acoustic insulation.”
Click here to watch the full video of Mark in his new home.
For more information: Bradford
