Refurbishment and Fit Out / International / 2015 / 02 - Health and Wellbeing /
HEA 05 - Acoustic Performance
Information correct as of 13thNovember 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.
Acoustic performance standards - KBCN0922
For the Acoustic performance standards credits it is possible to use either:
- the building regulation requirements or other appropriate good practice local standards
or
- the good practice criteria outlined in the BREEAM manual.
If assessors want to use standards that have not been approved yet, they should submit these to BRE along with all relevant documents detailed in the standards approval process. The extent and scope of these local standards and the SQAs justification statement will be checked by BRE acoustic experts to ensure that the overall effect is similar to the stated BREEAM requirements.
Applying internal partition sound insulation criteria to internal doors - KBCN0665
Where sound insulation criteria apply to internal partitions the calculations do need to include any doors which are part of the wall in question.
While sound insulation performance of a typical door will be lower than for a typical wall, with careful design, specification and detailing, this can be overcome.
Applying the requirements to shell only + shell and core assessments - KBCN00075
A Suitably Qualified Acoustician (SQA) must carry out a quantifiable assessment of the specification of the built form, construction and any external factors that are likely to affect the indoor ambient noise levels. From this assessment, the SQA must confirm that the developer’s scope of works will enable a future tenant utilising a typical fit-out and specification to meet the levels required to demonstrate compliance with the BREEAM criteria.
Where the specific room functions and areas within the building are yet to be defined, the acoustician’s assessment should demonstrate that the criteria for the most sensitive room type likely to be present in the building is capable of being achieved. Where the typical fit out would include a range of requirements (e.g. offices with a mix of open plan, cellular offices, meeting rooms and breakout areas; or retail with sales floor, stock/storage, office and staff rest areas), the acoustician should make an assessment based on a speculative layout and outline specification to determine whether the requirements of the relevant best practice standard are achievable and include examples of the most sensitive room types.
Where the majority of a building’s floor plan will require high performance acoustic environments (e.g. classroom/seminar buildings), then the BREEAM requirements must be achieved for the entire shell where specific layouts are not determined by the built form.
Post-construction testing is not required subject to confirmation from the project team that the built form, construction and any external factors have not changed from those used in the SQA's assessment.
14-Feb-2024 - Scheme applicability updated. Clarified applicability to shell only assessments. Title updated.
09-Aug-2019 - Updated applicability to UK NC 2018
08-Dec-2017 - Clarification added regarding post-construction evidence.
Appropriate project stage to appoint a suitably qualified acoustician - KBCN0256
BREEAM requires that a suitably qualified acoustician is appointed at an appropriate stage of the project, so as to ensure that early design advice on criteria of pre-requisition is met. The aim is to ensure that costly amendments to building designs are not made as a result of late appointment of the acoustician. Ultimately, it is for the assessor to determine at what stage of the project is deemed to be appropriate for this appointment to have taken place given the project specific circumstances and procurement type.
CN1 – Part 1: Fabric and structure - KBCN0854
CN1 is applicable to more projects than simply Part 1 only assessments (as stated in the Technical Manual). It states where a Part 1 only assessment cannot demonstrate full compliance with the criteria defined in the relevant tables, 1 credit is available (unless multi-residential) where an SQA completes the tasks listed within CN1.
Instead of being relevant to Part 1 assessments only, this text is actually relevant to any assessments which include Part 1, and do not include Part 4.
This covers the following combinations of Parts:
- Part 1 only assessments;
- Part 1 and Part 2 assessments;
- Part 1 and Part 3 assessments;
- Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 assessments.
Please note: In relation to projects which are not multi-residential, one credit is available where the project demonstrates compliance through CN1 for 'indoor ambient noise and sound insulation', and one credit available where the project demonstrates compliance through CN1 for 'reverberation times'.
Compliant test body – alternative compliance route using a Suitably Qualified Acoustician - KBCN1412
Where acoustic testing and measurement has not been performed by an organisation or individual that meets the definition of a compliant test body, compliance with this requirement can still be demonstrated where a Suitably Qualified Acoustician has reviewed the relevant test report(s).
The test report must:
a) Be countersigned or authorised by a Suitably Qualified Acoustician
b) Include a clear statement that the acoustic testing and measurements have been carried out in accordance with the BREEAM or HQM testing requirements
AND
c) Include evidence that the verifier meets the definition for a Suitably Qualified Acoustician within the relevant BREEAM or HQM technical manual
Hotels and Residential institutions – Short term stay - KBCN0652
For projects registered as 'Hotels and other residential accommodation - short term' two credits can be achieved under this issue:
- One credit - indoor ambient noise and sound insulation, criteria 2 to 5
- One credit - reverberation times, criterion 6
Criteria 7 to 9 are relevant only for multi-residential projects, classified as 'Residential accommodation - Long term stay'.
The pre-requisite is still required in order to achieve the credit for any project type.
Technical manual to be updated accordingly in next reissue.
International suitably qualified professionals - KBCN1266
In some issues the International NC and RFO schemes prescribe specific requirements for suitably qualified professionals. We appreciate that some countries might have different recognition schemes in place, and these might differ from the BREEAM requirements. Where this is the case, assessors should submit a technical query with appropriate information, and we will review and approve each situation on a country basis.
Prerequisite – users with special hearing and communication needs - KBCN0969
Intent
Criterion 1c ensures that the suitably qualified acoustician has influenced the design of the asset to:
- Meet the acoustic requirements of users with special hearing and communication needs.
- Ensure that accessible acoustic design is considered where this is not adequately covered by local legislation.
What this should cover will depend on the asset type and expected users.
Asset users
The UK Department for Education document BB93
Acoustic design of schools: performance standards building bulletin 93 (February 2015) defines users with special hearing or communication needs as those with any of the following:
- Speech, language and communication difficulties.
- Visual impairments.
- Fluctuating hearing impairments caused by conductive hearing loss.
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- An auditory processing disorder or difficulty.
- Being on the autistic spectrum.
This list is not exhaustive, and the suitably qualified acoustician must consider typical asset users, along with the other points a-d when giving early design advice regarding room layout, sound insulation and reverberation times.
Accessibility features
The principles of accessible design are universal and could be applied in a wide range of assets. Additional features that could be relevant to accessible acoustic design include, but are not limited to:
- Designation of quiet zones.
- Hearing assistive technologies.
- Induction loop systems.
- White noise machines.
- Infrared and FM systems to provide direct audio to individuals with special hearing needs.
- Noise barriers.
The suitably qualified acoustician must use their professional judgement to determine the scope of any such features as part of the design. Where no features are applicable this must be clearly justified.
04-Sep-2024: Wording and intent clarified. Information on additional accessibility features added. Scheme applicability updated. Title updated.
01-Mar-2019: Amended to clarify that this is a 'typical' list of users, but does not impose a new requirement.
Remedial works – timing of acoustic re-testing - KBCN1164
The intent of CN "Remedial works" is that, where these are required, re-testing is carried out prior to handover and occupation.
However, it is permissible to carry out the re-testing post-occupation. This is provided any specific guidance for particular building types related test conditions have been met (for instance, it may be that some building specific guidance requires furniture or carpets to not be present during the testing).
Compliance cannot be achieved based on a letter from the SQA confirming that the contractor has followed their advice to achieve the required performance.
07.11.18 KBCN amended to allow for re-testing to be carried-out post-handover.
Information correct as of 13thNovember 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.