Overview
FrançaisABSTRACT
Acoustic regulation of buildings is evolving. For buildings subject to obligations of results of the housing and tertiary areas, evolution is due to revision of the height requirement, the adaptation of the texts to the rules of expression of acoustic performance imposed by Europe or publishing text in a previously unprocessed area.
Architects and contractors are not all confirmed acousticians, and some provisions of the regulations are difficult to understand. A presentation of the acoustic criteria with examples of calculations appeared desirable.
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Mathias MEISSER: Arts and Manufactures Engineer - This article is the updated version of article C 3 365v2 entitled "Building acoustic regulations" written by Mathias MEISSER in 2014.
INTRODUCTION
In France, regulations governing noise abatement in buildings set minimum acoustic quality requirements, depending on the intended use of the building. It is up to the client to take account of special circumstances and, if necessary, to request higher performance levels than those required by the regulations. This should be the case, for example, when the planned building is located in a particularly quiet environment.
Building acoustics regulations mainly apply to new buildings, additions and extensions.
All builders are bound by regulations concerning the acoustic characteristics of buildings. These texts are peppered with terms that are not always universally understood:
sound pressure levels ;
decibels ;
A-weighted decibel ;
octave intervals centered on a frequency ;
noise spectrum ;
normalized sound insulation for pink emission noise ;
standardized sound insulation ;
standardized impact sound pressure level ;
reverberation time ;
equivalent absorption area...
In the thirty years between the first acoustic regulations applicable to residential buildings (June 14, 1969) and the most recent (June 30, 1999), methods for predicting a building's acoustic performance have been refined, but the vocabulary used, the units and the calculation methods have not changed. As a result, builders have been able to develop reflexes that enable them to adapt the means to be implemented to the results required.
In 2000, it became necessary to "translate" the acoustic performance of buildings and construction elements into the "European language" specified in mandatory European standards. The result was a change in acoustic terminology, the expression of results and calculation methods. We felt it essential that this presentation of building acoustic regulations should show the differences between what has been practised for thirty years and what must be used now. However, we have assumed that the reader is already familiar with the basic concepts of decibel, decibel A and noise spectrum. Nevertheless, as the unit "decibel" is a special one, a reminder of the tools for handling it will be given.
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KEYWORDS
noise | standards | regulation | impact noise | acoustic | sound insulation
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Building acoustics regulations
Standards and norms
- Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building components – Part 2: Measurement of airborne sound insulation. - NF EN ISO 10140-2 - 2021
- Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building components – Part 3: Measurement of impact sound insulation. - NF EN ISO 10140-3 - 2021
- Assessing the sound insulation of buildings and building components – Part 1: Airborne sound insulation - NF EN ISO 717-1...
Regulations
(list in chronological order of texts in force in May 2021)
Loi n° 92-1444 du 31 décembre 1992 relative à la lutte contre le bruit – J.O. du 1 er janvier 1993 – NOR : ENVX9200186L.
Arrêté du 30/08/1990 pris pour l'application de l'article R, 235-11 du code du travail et relatif à la correction acoustique des locaux de travail –...
Appendice
Table 1 lists the standardized sound insulation values to be found in the decrees relating to the acoustic characteristics of buildings: a decree dated June 30, 1999 (residential buildings) and the three decrees dated April 25, 2003 (educational establishments; health establishments; hotels). The full text of these decrees is available at http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/Les. The first two lines correspond to the main reception...
Directory
Manufacturers – Suppliers – Distributors (non-exhaustive list)
Software tools
AcouBAT by CYPE: building acoustic performance simulation software. It also contains an extensive database of product performance data.
Documentation – Training – Seminars (non-exhaustive list)...
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