The type of glazing you choose can have aesthetic and thermal benefits but can also have acoustic benefits.
Living near a noisy transport network, road, rail, air or a combination of all three, industrial activities, city centres can mean noise levels within your home are higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and can be grounds for planning applications for housing to be refused. What is the answer? Installing a higher specification of double glazing is not necessarily going to resolve the issue, not all glazing is created equal.
The are many factors to consider such as the type of glass i.e. laminated glass, the thickness of the glass and the size of the gap between the panes, the gas that fills the gap i.e. air or argon. Also, the type of frames and whether they contain trickle vents and if they do, the type of trickle vents.
It is a bit of a minefield but to simplify matters lets just consider the acoustic characteristics. First and foremost, you need to know how loud and the frequency of the noise outside you want to reduce. Whether a noise is predominantly low frequency or high frequency is significant.
As part of a planning application for a residential development an environmental noise assessment may be required. The existing external ambient noise levels including the frequencies are measured. Analysis of the recordings will dictate the sound reduction required to meet the criteria of BS 8233:2014. It could mean standard double glazing with trickle vents is acceptable or enhanced glazing with thicker panes of glass, a wider space between and acoustic trickle ventilation are needed. In some cases, trickle ventilation of any type is not appropriate and an alternative method of ventilation is required.
When adding secondary glazing or replacing windows as part of a strategy to reduce disturbance from external noise it is also advantageous to measure the external noise levels to ensure the correct glazing is specified.
Laminated glass can have standard, acoustic or stiffened inter layers, so it is important to be specific. Acoustic trickle vents also offer a range of sound reduction so care should be taken to match the correct trickle vents to the acoustic glazing.
Cost is always a consideration and armed with the correct technical data means the glazing and acoustic trickle vents are not over specified and consequently the costs are kept as low as possible. In the same vein it is also worth considering which rooms require acoustically enhanced glazing. Bathrooms, cloakrooms, utility rooms generally can have a lower specification glazing. Windows screened from a noise such as a road by the building may also be a lower specification.
In summary from a noise perspective whether to meet planning criteria or personal comfort/preference understanding the noise that needs to be reduced is important to ensure the correct glazing and trickle vents are selected. All glazing should be correctly installed and finished to a high standard.
We would always advise to get in touch at the beginning of a project so we can provide comprehensive advice.
If you need a noise survey, acoustic deign advice, or some other noise related project please click here to get in touch.