European prediction models for building acoustics

Abstract

About 8 years ago work started in the European standardization organization (CEN) to create prediction models for several acoustic aspects in building: airborne sound transmission, impact sound transmission, facade sound transmission, facade sound radiation, and the noise caused by technical equipment. The main aim is to provide the link between the acoustic performance of products and elements, as measured by standardized laboratory measurement methods, and the performance in the realized buildings. So far the prediction models for the first four aspects are (almost) finished. The work on the part concerning equipment noise has yet to start, handicapped as it is by a lack of available knowledge in this area. The chosen approach for the models on airborne and impact sound transmission applies separate independent transmission paths between rooms, which can be shown to be a first-order estimation of a SEA approach. For these models a new quantity has been introduced to characterize the structure-borne sound transmission at junctions of building elements. Further work is focusing on the description of measurement methods to determine this quantity and on verification of the models in order to indicate more precisely their reliability in predicting the acoustic performance of buildings.