Soundproofing A Multi Residential & Commercial Space
| Client: | EH Building Contractors |
| Location: | Ellesmere Port |
| Region: | Cheshire |
| Sector: | Commercial & Residential |
Hush Acoustics were called to a former Woolworths Store turned Snooker Hall in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, which was being converted into a ground floor sports shop with nine 1st floor apartments above. We were given a brief to address both the acoustics within the building whilst also meeting the fire regulations required.
Specifying the correct acoustic products
After visiting the site, we specified that our HD1030 system was required to meet these requirements. The HD1030: Hush System LP is compliant with UK Building Regulations Approved Document E and is suitable for refurbishment projects with timber structures that incorporate lath and plaster ceilings. It also has 1-hour fire resistance at ceiling level.
Installing Hush Acoustic Products
Working closely with EH Building Contractors, our HD1030 acoustic system was carefully installed. To do this, the floor was insulated between the joists with Hush Slab 100, rested on Hush Mesh Fire Wire, before a new structural deck of plywood on timber packers were installed, creating a level base to hold the acoustic floor system.
19mm Plasterboard Plank was then laid over and sealed using our Hush Acoustic Sealant. Hush Panel 28 was then fitted as the overlay acoustic flooring treatment, finished over the plank in the opposite direction, ensuring all joints were staggered. The perimeters of the Hush Panel were then sealed using Hush Seal 20 and all joints glued with Hush Bond Panel Adhesive.
Hush Twin Frame Metal Stud Party Walls were installed onto the plywood structural floor and isolated using our Heavy-Duty Isolation Tape. The stud walls were insulated using the Hush Slab 100 Sound Absorber, ensuring the cavity between the two stud frames were kept clear.
Two 15mm Soundbloc Plasterboards were used to either side of the wall, ensuring both the acoustic and fire performance requirements were achieved.
Soundproofing Success
The client had initially discussed keeping the original existing lay in grid ceiling within the shop, however, in order to achieve outstanding acoustic performance, we needed to remove the majority of the perforated metal panels from within the lay in grid ceiling. We were able to keep some of the original ceiling and used higher performing ceiling tiles to replace the others, maintaining the original features as per the client’s request.
Once completed, we carried out our Acoustic testing on site to see if we had been successful in meeting the requirements. First of all, we tested our twin metal stud wall which achieved an airborne performance of 56db (DnTw+Ctr). We then carried out an airborne sound test between the sports shop and one of the 1st floor apartments which achieved a performance of 47 dB (DnTw+Ctr).
All of the acoustic performance was achieved by our HD1030 system without any significant ceiling treatment and our client was happy with the results.
