Curtain Walling: Airborne sound insulation
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Principles
Direct airborne sound insulation is the ability of a curtain wall to acoustically insulate the interior from direct airborne external noise. The sound insulation index should be determined by test in accordance with EN 10140-2. The test results shall be determined in accordance with EN 717-1.
Note that EN 13830:2003 references EN 140-3 which has been superseded by EN 10140-2.
This is a requirement of the existing Product Standard and also the revised Product Standard.
Standards
| EN 140-3 | Acoustics – Measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements – Part 3: Laboratory measurements of airborne sound insulation of building elements |
| EN 717-1 | Acoustics – Rating of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements – Part 1: Airborne sound insulation |
| EN10140-2 | Acoustics – Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements – Part 2: Measurement of airborne sound insulation |
Method of test
Direct airborne sound insulation is measured by mounting the test sample in an opening between two rooms and measuring the sound insulation at different frequencies.
Classification
There is no classification for direct airborne sound insulation. Where required the values should be declared in units of dB.
CE Marking
UK Regulations do not cover noise from outside the building and therefore the direct airborne sound insulation is not required for the curtain wall. The allowable use of No Performance Determined (npd) is as follows:
| Location | npd allowed |
| England and Wales | Yes |
| Scotland | Yes |
| Northern Ireland | Yes |