The way we live is changing, so why are standards so out of date?

Noise pollution is a problem that continues to plague our towns and cities, with our increasingly dense populations having to deal with problems like road traffic, airports and busy public spaces. And yet, despite the fact that our world is changing so rapidly, there seems to be little the construction industry is doing to cope with that change and build for a more acoustically sound future.

Architects and specifiers have clear guidelines to adhere to when it comes to acoustics, as everything must be compliant with UK Building Regulations Approved Document E (England & Wales), Section 5 of the Scottish Building Standards (Scotland) and Approved Part G (Northern Ireland), with further guidance available from Robust Details. Unfortunately, many of these regulations and guidelines have been around for a while – and only really scratch the surface of how a building can (or indeed should) perform on a day-to-day basis.

Your life could be at risk

There have been a whole host of studies performed that show why we need better soundproofing for our homes, workplaces, schools and public spaces. According to 2011 research from The World Health Organisation (WHO), the lack and quality of sleep the average person gets these days is being significantly impacted by noise pollution – in fact, it’s actually killing us. WHO conservatively estimates that the “at least one million healthy life years are lost every year from traffic-related noise in the western part of Europe.”

At what cost?

As if it wasn’t enough that Europeans are losing years off their lives thanks to poor acoustics and sound proofing, it turns out we are also haemorrhaging money too. As far back as 2011, the European Commission was warning that the social cost of rail and road traffic noise across the continent was around €40 billion – and that 90 per cent of this could be directly connected to passenger cars and goods vehicles. It looks like things are only getting noisier, while contractors continue the search for cheaper ways to develop buildings and keep costs at an absolute minimum. With little to encourage them to do more than the bare minimum required by current legislation, this paints a pretty dark picture of our future living, learning and working conditions.

Living a better future

So what can we do to change this? Well, awareness that noise pollution is a problem is a good place to start. So too is an emphasis on high performance products that go well beyond the regulations and guidance. Of course, specifiers know that ‘value engineering’ can often see acoustic solutions squeezed, but with an informed approach about why cutting corners in these areas, there’s a real opportunity for these same people to be ambassadors for better living in the future. Hopefully from there, we can encourage the industry to take a fresh look at how we design with sound in mind.