Acoustics in schools is covered by requirement E4 of the Building Regulations Document E 2003. This refers to the following performance standards detailed in BB93 2015;

  • Indoor Ambient Noise Levels (IANL)
    Aim is to provide suitable indoor ambient noise levels for communicationConsideration of noise from external sources and building services impacting on the classroom for example.

Table 1 in BB93, details upper limits LAeq,30mins for different room types.
Table 2 in BB93, details the ventilation strategy associated Indoor ambient noise level (IANL) tolerance

  • Airborne sound insulation between spaces
    Tables 3a & 3B in BB93 detail the sound insulation requirements in terms of DnT,w in relation to the activity noise from the source room and the noise tolerance of the receiver room.
  • Airborne Sound Insulation between circulation spaces and other spaces used by students.

Tables 4a & 4B in BB93 detail the sound insulation requirements in terms of Rw and Dn,e,w

  • Impact Sound Insulation of Floors

Tables 5 in BB93 details the impact sound insulation requirements in terms of LnT,w

  • Reverberation in Teaching and Study Spaces

Table 6 in BB93 states the reverberation performance standards in terms of Tmf for different room types.

  • Reverberation and acoustic absorption in sports halls and swimming pools

Table 7 in BB93 states the reverberation performance standards in terms of Tmf depending upon room volume.

  • Sound Absorption in Corridors and stairwells

The absorption requirement is detailed in Section 7 of the Building Regulations Document E 2003.

  • Open Plan Teaching

Requirement E4 of the building regulations considers indoor ambient noise levels, reverberation time and sound insulation, however it does not cover Speech transmission Index criteria (STI).

The School Premises Regulations requires for compliance the consideration of STI in open plan spaces.

STI is used for more complex acoustic spaces, where 3D acoustic design models are required to achieve good speech intelligibility. The main issue is intrusive noise arising from activities in adjacent learning areas and circulation spaces, increasing background noise levels and hence reducing speech intelligibility and causing distraction.

Acoustic Consultancy Package

We offer an acoustic consultancy package for acoustics in schools. From the design stage, through construction to commissioning testing to demonstrate compliance.

Should you require a quotation for your project, please do not hessite to contact Howell Acoustics.