DOMOTEX SOUND PROOFING
MOST OWNERS JUST ACCEPT THEM BECAUSE THEY DON’T
THINK THEY CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT - OR THEIR DESIGNERS OR BUILDERS DON’T KNOW HOW TO ADDRESS THEM
Steve Haas | Designer
More worryingly perhaps, Stamford-based acoustical designer Steve Haas said that while “acoustic challenges in the home have always existed ... most owners just accept them because they don’t think they can do anything about it - or their designers or builders don’t quite know how to address them.” Thankfully, this is something not lost on DOMOTEX exhibitors who
are very much engaged in the sort of technology that is changing the landscape here. You only have to look at the success of Germany’s INFLOOR-GIRLOON’s homely, hardworking and “wonderfully quiet” carpets or the impact sound-reducing backing of Swiss Lico’s Hydro Fix. Or even NE Design’s vinyl with HDF core board which includes a cork layer that reduces impact sound to 16dB. The twin-foam element of Selitpro’s 2.2mm AquaStop is also typical of the sort of innovation making good ground here. The Netherlands’ Mac Lean Products have been making their mark in the underlay market as have Interfl or’s in the hospitality sector. Walls, too, have been getting the acoustics treatment, often in the form of panels which not only absorb the sound waves but, importantly, minimise echo. Canvass the views of experts in Hannover and you’ll understand there’s a diff erence between sound proofi ng and sound absorption. The diff erence is that the former tends to stop sound escaping by containing it, whereas the latter works by reducing reverberation which helps to limit the build-up of background noise. The choice you make in choosing one over the other usually depends on the type of noise issue that needs addressing. Reverberation, for example, the eff ect caused by noise bouncing off
surfaces such as hard wood fl oors, windows and doors, leads to the echo eff ect, something that can be helped by increasing the amount of soft furnishings, including, of course, curtains. DOMOTEX exhibitors have also been active in areas where sound
issues matter most. Take Oriental Weavers, for example, recarpeting 3,000m2 of London’s
historic Aldwych Theatre, using Axminster carpets custom-woven with an 80/20 wool/nylon blend, reducing
QUO TE
airborne and impact sound in the auditorium and adjacent corridors, and ensuring minimum distraction for the audience. But of course,
it is fl oors that
bear the brunt when it comes to seeking blame for noise pollution, something that can happen in two ways: via impact sound, that created by feet or anything else that rolls or vibrates on it, washing machines for example, and airborne sound, which typically stems from voices and machinery which can also use the fl oor as a transmitter to reach other parts of a building.
A material’s ability to prevent the
transmittance of airborne sound is measured using a diff erent metric— sound transmission class (STC). An STC rating is a logarithmic measure of a sound’s transmission loss between two rooms, measured across 16 frequencies from 125 Hz to 5000 Hz. Essentially, a material’s STC
rating measures its ability to absorb airborne noise and, consequently, prevent its transmission. Of course, there are times when noise is a welcome addition and can be used to mask unwanted sound by replacing it with something more soothing: the hum of a fan, for example, or a recording that replicates rain or crashing waves, or even birdsong. Diff erent solutions for diff erent moods, designed to make a home a home.
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DOMOTEX MAGAZINE
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