Acoustics and buildings - Technical solutions

Acoustic treatment of a building aims to weaken the transmission of airborne sound between the exterior and interior, and to restrict its propagation from one dwelling to another, from one room to another. It can also seek to attenuate impact noise and its radiation into structures. Acoustic insulation needs to be particularly effective between apartments in a block of apartments, all the more so as the attenuation of external noise propagation means that occupants perceive the emanations of internal airborne noise and impact noise more intensely.

The role of acoustic correction is to control sound propagation and reverberation time inside a room or, for example, in the common areas of a building, by installing absorbent materials. It can also improve the sound inside a space (auditorium, concert hall, sports facility, etc.). The two approaches - acoustic insulation and acoustic correction - can complement each other to reduce noise levels while ensuring a qualitative treatment of sound environments.

To avoid the sound bridges that encourage parasitic transmissions, it's essential to implement sound insulation with care. All walls must be treated equally, and structural elements must be separated from each other. Like cold bridges, sound bridges are weak points through which noise is transmitted. To this end, insulation must be reinforced in the gaps between walls and partitions, and around pipes, boxes and fittings.

In buildings located in a noisy environment, or where acoustic requirements in terms of insulation are high, it is advisable to call in an acoustician. The same applies to optimizing sound perception, for example in an auditorium or concert hall.