4.6 Sound Insulation Details & Service Penetrations

One of the key factors affecting the acoustic performance of separating elements is the acoustic performance of details, flanking elements and services penetrations. It is vital that these elements are addressed carefully.
Flanking and Junctions – Flanking is an important point to consider during the design stages. For high performance buildings, an acoustic consultant should be appointed. Sections 4.7 - 4.10 provide a range of details.

Sealing junctions - As a rule of thumb, all junctions and joints should be sealed with non-hardening mastic. Any holes smaller than 5mm can be sealed with mastic. Large holes should be sealed with plasterboard or mortar as appropriate.

Resilient bars are an important method of boosting the performance
of stud walls. Care must be taken to ensure that the flexibility of the resilient bar is not breached. See sections 4.8 and 4.10.

Services are one of the major reasons for short falls in sound insulation and this is usually due to the poor layout of services during the design stages. It is vital to consider service runs, location of crosstalk attenuators and penetration details. See sections 4.9 and 4.10.

Structures are often overlooked during the design stage. If not considered, details around partitions can become difficult to make good.

Site Construction Details - Having worked across many sites, there are many common faults which have been observed. Most issues relate to services, see sections 4.9 and 4.10.