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Noise pollution is troubling and on the rise.
Without positive action it is not likely to get any quieter. Martin
Althorpe,
Technical Director of Spectus Window Systems, says acoustic windows
can make
a big difference but not enough public sector specifiers know what they
can do.
Noise pollution affects everyone to some degree. Whether it's living
next to noisy
neighbours, barking dogs, lively pubs with all night drinking, airport
flight paths, or
main roads with trucks rumbling to quarries, noise is a serious problem.
Some may
shrug it off, but if you are affected the misery of noise can take over
your life.
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Everyone has different sensitivities to sound.
Some cannot concentrate, others can't sleep.
Those who are badly affected find it wrecks
their health & well-being. The World Health
Organisation research says of the 101,000
deaths from coronary heart disease in the
UK last year, over 3,000 were caused by
chronic noise exposure. It recommends a
limit of 55dB in residential areas, and
wants Governments to commit to reducing
average noise levels to 30-40dB.
Noise pollution has a measurable impact
on physical health, so local authorities and
social housing landlords will have to act.
You ain't heard nothing yet
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~ Martin Althorpe, Technical Director ~ |
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Legislation focuses on
the transfer of internal sounds between walls and keeping
noise pollution down. But the UK is not getting any quieter. More
houses and offices
are being built on brown-field sites near to industrial, retail
and leisure areas.
Roads are getting busier; trucks are getting larger; motorcyclists
and boy racers
challenge each other with souped-up cars. Airports are expanding.
The number of
flights at Heathrow airport increased from 273,000 in 1982 to 477,000
in 2006, and
another runway is due to be built. The UK population grew by 349,000
people in 2006
and the Government wants three million new houses to be built by
2020.
Reducing external noise transfer to our homes is more essential
than ever.
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| The art of sensible
diversification
The ability to change with the market and
find new opportunities in new areas can
be the difference between success and
failure. Increasingly, one-time window
specialists are becoming home-improvement companies offering
home
owners a much wider range of service
and skills. Installers need to find new
sources of demand. The danger is that in
searching for the new, installers move too
far from the old - the stuff they know about
and are good at. Do you really want to find
yourself sitting on a roof reading the
assembly instructions for a wind turbine?
Amazing acoustics
Doors and windows play an important
part in the reduction of noise. Any double
glazed window reduces noise
transmission to a degree but it's only
designed to cut out general background
noise. Serious noise pollution requires
acoustic windows, the profile of which
is specially designed to reduce external
noise. But every component in a window
must be given careful consideration with
regards to materials and properties, from
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Close up of acoustic window.
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the sealed unit to the glazing bead and the material used
to fill the cavities in the
window profile. As a rule, the greater the mass (thickness
and heaviness) of
the window, the better it performs.
Acoustic windows have not had much attention from local
authorities, perhaps
because they might not be aware how effective they can be
in reducing external noise.
The window profile actually plays as important a role as
the glass. These windows
improve the quality of lives for those affected or likely
to be affected, and represent a
relatively permanent solution to an otherwise intractable
problem. It's something for
local authorities to consider when replacing windows and
upgrading properties in
noisy areas.
Peterborough based Omega Group UK Ltd regularly fabricates
and installs acoustic
windows to properties close to main roads, railways and
factories.
Glen Smith, Omega's Group Commercial Manager, explains the
difference between
an ordinary double glazed window and an acoustic window:
"The profile is capable of
holding much thicker glazing and the trickle vents are filled
with foam instead of air."
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| Silence is golden
Several specifiers I've spoken to haven't
heard of acoustic windows - or even the
concept! And those that are aware that
specially designed windows can make
a difference often don't push the case.
The public sector, often ahead of the
private sector, can also learn from
commercial contractors.
Spectus Window Systems helped one
customer produce windows which reduced
external noise levels by 40dB for 100 new
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Internal shot of apartments, showing
the noisy main road. |
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build apartments at Broadway in Salford. Set on a main road,
the windows had to
significantly reduce the noise of traffic. A 40mm double glazed
sealed unit was used
with a special thin bead that allowed the glazing gap to be bigger.
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Social housing specifiers are advised to
specify acoustic windows for both new
build and replacements in noisy areas or
areas likely to become noisy in the future,
to future-proof buildings against further
legislation. Noise is a growing problem
and can be very expensive and time
consuming to resolve once the
complaints start.
For more information on
acoustic windows call
Spectus on 01625 420400.
Right: External shot of new build apartments
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with acoustic windows in Broadway, Salford >
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