4.11 Impact Isolation

Impact isolation is the prevention of foot-fall noise, chair scrapes and the transmission of other noise sources as a result of direct impact with the building structure.

It is more often the case that the mass of the building (even concrete framed buildings) does not provide adequate acoustic protection to mitigate against impact noise. The solution is to add a resilient layer within the floor make up. The resilient layer in most instances can be carpet or acoustic lino (depending on performance requirements). Alternatively, a polyurethane or isolation sheet is located under a floor finish or screed. With this method of isolation, it is important to ensure that the floating layer or screed does not make contact at any point with the building structure. It is therefore essential to install the correct edge detail and follow all other requirements specified by the resilient layer manufacturer.