Acoustic design

What is acoustic design?

Acoustic design is a set of measures aimed at protecting a room from extraneous noise and creating a favorable acoustic atmosphere in buildings of various purposes. In order to begin acoustic design of a building or structure, it is necessary to carefully study all the intricacies and features of the architectural plan, as well as take into account external noise sources (equipment, infrastructure development, density of adjacent traffic, as well as technical characteristics of the house).

The customer's requirements for the future acoustic project are of great importance, since it is the correctly drawn up technical specifications that are the key to the expected result. Not every customer can correctly formulate the task, therefore, the order for acoustic design of the object is directly processed with the participation of an acoustic engineer.

What tasks does sound design perform?

According to the norms of current legislation, construction requirements and operating rules, each real estate object, depending on the specifics of its operation, must comply with sanitary and hygienic standards, including in matters of noise levels. The main task of acoustic design is to develop such modern architectural, construction and design solutions that would reduce the negative impact of noise to a minimum. It is reliably known that increased noise levels have a negative impact on the psycho-emotional health and physical condition of the population, and non-compliance of real indicators with DBN standards leads to the application of sanctions.

The requirement is one of the mandatory elements of the design documentation of a residential, industrial, commercial property. The acoustics project is checked by representatives of government agencies, namely representatives of Rostekhnadzor or Rospotrebnadzor. If the acoustic design is incorrectly drawn up, representatives of government agencies make significant claims that can even delay the commissioning of the building. Accordingly, by ordering acoustic design from professionals, you will save yourself from many unpleasant and unprofitable moments.

The main tasks of design?

When developing a construction and architectural project for any type of building, special attention is paid to noise, since it has always been and will be a problematic aspect, especially when it comes to megacities. All noises are conventionally divided into acoustic (vibration of particles in different environments) and radio-electronic. The main task of acoustic design is to create such an acoustic calculation and select an architectural formula to reduce the impact of acoustic noise. Acoustic design in any buildings performs a number of tasks:

determining the noise level with the identification of its sources, classification and main characteristics;

is mandatory documentation for commissioning a building;

search for optimal tools that reduce the level of external noise and hum, sound vibrations and reverberation;

selection of practical elements that actually affect the noise level and their application in accordance with established technical standards.

Many people confuse acoustic calculation with design, but the difference is not colossal. Acoustic design is a larger-scale work that is formed using several computer methods with a large amount of initial data.

What stages are they divided into?

According to the DBN, GOST, SNiP, SN standards, acoustic design should take place at the stage of general design of the building, i.e. at the time of development of its architectural and construction project. At this stage, all communications, external noise factors, proximity to industry or a road or a train station, etc. are taken into account.

After receiving all the initial data regarding existing and potential noise sources, its specificity and level, design documentation is developed, which specifies special measures or tools that will prevent excessive noise or subsequently solve the soundproofing issue based on general requirements. To carry out acoustic design, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the list of measures corresponding to the following stages:

collection of data on the construction site of the future building;

analysis of existing sound sources, their nature, specificity and characteristics;

analysis of key parameters of the future building (its shape, construction material, concept, presence of features in the construction process or weakened structures);

determining the noise level and the need for sound insulation, which will be needed based on the initial data

direct acoustic calculation (selection of calculation points based on the area of ​​the room and its purpose; summation of all sources by level and specificity of sound);

comparison of the calculated data of the acoustic calculation with the current sanitary standards.

Most of the stages of acoustic design are carried out using digital technologies, but the final result and the effectiveness of all activities depend on the initial stage (collection and analysis of initial data).

How is it done?

Acoustic design is based on tools for optimizing reverberation, which affects the intelligibility of sounds, the appearance of hum, "bass" in the room or its distortion in any way. In 70% of cases, designers are faced with a "fluttering echo", which is accompanied by unpleasant and sharp overtones. Designers encounter this situation both in shopping centers, large office areas and even premises allocated for artistic leisure. Optimization of all negative sound moments significantly improves the acoustics of almost any sound system, transforming its real potential and the quality of the output sound.

The rules and requirements for acoustic design are regulated by a set of technical standards - DBN B.1-31-35 with a note on industry standards and the specifics of the future use of the premises.

Acoustic design is implemented based on its main stages and is performed according to the following algorithm:

identification of noise sources and their characteristics by modern acoustic devices and technological programs;

measurement of key physical and acoustic characteristics of the building;

calculation of individual sources and noise levels, summing up the indicators to create a single noise interference system;

determination of the minimum, optimal and maximum permissible noise levels, based on sanitary requirements and DBN standards;

creation of a computer model of the room indicating multi-colored noise flows;

selection of universal tools for construction and design impact to normalize the noise level;

determination of the effectiveness of the proposed measures and determination of the quality of the tools;

noise level measurement after applying acoustic design;

preparation of acoustic passport of the premises.

Not every construction company can carry out a correct acoustic calculation, since knowledge only in the field of industrial and civil construction will not be enough. If the noise level in the room causes discomfort and distorts sounds, then you cannot do without an acoustic calculation performed by professionals.

Types of sound design?

It is impossible to achieve ideal sound insulation, the absence of hums and other defects without careful collaboration between an acoustic engineer and an architect, designer. If we are talking about the acoustic design of concert halls, theaters, cinemas, etc., then there are 3 main types of design:

Natural acoustics. Visitors hear the real sound of a voice or instruments, but its quality is affected by the overall acoustics of the room. This type is possible in rooms that are designed for up to 3,000 people.

Mixed acoustics. Here, a combination of natural sound system, sound amplification and external noise insulation occurs. This formula is used in rooms with a capacity of up to 4,500 people.

Artificial acoustics. Sound reproduction equipment and external noise insulation are combined.

After the acoustic design is completed, the customer company receives the corresponding project and acoustic passport, which reflects the current data on the level of noise insulation, sound insulation and reverberation.