the source of flanking noise in residential buildings – think banging water pipes or grumbling shower pumps. In recent years, the drive towards higher levels of energy efficiency and air-tightness means that mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems are being installed more often.
To avoid such installations becoming a problem, it’s important to choose low-noise units and ensure that they are resiliently mounted to avoid vibration and noise. Risers too must be firmly fixed.
5. Inner linings
Another way to protect against flanking transmission is to install independent linings within a room or apartment. This may be a viable solution for a retrofit or conversion, although the downsides are that it adds significant cost and reduces the rentable or saleable space.
Acoustic floors reduce both impact and flanking sound transmission and are already a common solution. Products such as Monarfloor Tranquilt can be used as an isolation layer between the sub-floor and the finished screed.
We are seeing more demand for these systems, such as Monarfloor Wall Cap and Monarfloor Tranquilt, for high end attached dwelling, and buildings such as hotels, retirement complexes and build-to-rent apartment blocks. For some architects and specifiers, the fact that they are made from fully-recycled material is an extra bonus.
In conclusion, there are cost-effective and straight-forward ways to reduce flanking transmission and hence greatly improve the environment for those living in or using the building. For new buildings, it is very important to design these measures in early, since retrofitting systems to reduce flanking transmission is expensive and often ineffective.