1.3 Acoustics and Cross Ventilation

It is generally accepted that cross ventilation is the most effective form of natural ventilation. Acoustics plays a key role in the design of a cross ventilated building as air must flow freely through the building whilst maintaining privacy across partitions. To allow cross ventilation and maintain privacy, cross talk attenuators are required within partitions adjacent to circulation spaces.

One of the key design benefits of the NAT Vent Attenuator is the simple implementation of cross ventilation through a corridor wall, while still maintaining the acoustic integrity of these partitions. Furthermore, this product enables cross ventilation to vertically stacked rooms, vented through a single stack. In other words, vertically stacked spaces no longer require independent chimneys to maintain the acoustic separation between rooms, resulting in a significant recovery of floor area and a considerable cost saving.

One of the drawbacks of ventilating through the corridor wall is the requirement for an exceptionally large bulk head, such to accommodate large, heavy attenuators. The NAT Vent has been designed to provide exceptional levels of cross talk separation. MACH Acoustics has undertaken extensive research to understand the required levels of acoustic separation across these partitions. Depending upon the air flow and the required level of acoustic separation, the NAT Vent can be as slim as 600mm deep. In some instances, this is required to be increased to 1200mm, depending on the required acoustic performance.