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By contrast, modern open-concept design and bare floors promote echo-y spaces and room-to-room noise, with little regard for acoustics.

Jun

2015

Orange Tree Waste Could Be Acoustic Insulation Of the Future

Oranges are a popular citrus fruit and we consume millions of them every year. This creates quite a lot of waste products that researchers in Spain have found to be particularly useful in sound insulation.

Orange tree waste may soon be routinely used in sound insulation as a greener alternative to conventional laminated gypsum boards. In tests, boards produced using orange tree waste actually performed better than the conventional materials, which is unusual for environmentally friendly products where compromises are often made on cost and performance.

Production of the orange-tree-based insulation boards starts when trimmings are gathered and processed before being combined with polypropylene, which admittedly isn’t so environmentally friendly as tree waste, but still a significant step towards sustainability in the sound insulation industry.

In tests the insulation boards produced from orange tree waste had the potential to rate as high as 29dBA. This was a 50% improvement on the performance of conventional laminated gypsum boards.

Oranges may not be the only fruit when it comes to greener sound insulation either. Olive tree waste is also being tested and preliminary results are just as promising.

Sound insulation companies are currently considering the costs involved in using the new greener boards in the future.

Jun

2015

Why Poor Sound Insulation Can Be Bad For Your Health

Offices can be noisy places particularly if they happen to be in the city centre where traffic noise and the general hustle and bustle of daily life adds to noise levels.

Some people seem naturally immune to the noise around them and have the ability to switch off. There are plenty more people however who find themselves in noisy environments that actually end up damaging their health over time.

The importance of sound insulation is now much higher on the agenda when architects are designing buildings because of the effects excessive noise can have on health and well-being. The level at which sound becomes potentially bad for your health is 65Db.

This isn’t actually that high considering that this is the level of a normal conversation and much less than the ring of a telephone. Being regularly and continuously exposed to noise at this level raises the risk of stress related illness by 20%.

The reason sound over certain levels raises the risk of illness is due to the release of adrenalin. Adrenalin is not in itself harmful and can be extremely very useful to us humans. Too much of it released over long periods, however, can cause health problems.

May

2015

Traffic Noise Can Increase Your Waistline Says Study

The last thing you might expect to have an effect on your weight is noise. Yet this is what one Swedish study has discovered and this could force many people who work in offices near busy roads to consider installing better sound insulation.

Weight gain has traditionally been associated with inactivity and eating too much, but the Swedish study on the effects of noise found that noise from traffic had the potential to increase fat deposits around the waste due to the effects of cortisol production.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the body in reaction to stress. Having too much cortisol in the body often leads to weight gain and the Swedish study of more than 5,000 people found that noise triggered an increase which led to weight gain in the majority of participants.

Road traffic noise contributed to a 0.21 cm increase in waist size for women compared to 0.16 cm for men which means the former is more likely to suffer the waist expanding effects of noise. The study also found a direct relationship between an increase in the sources of noise and the amount of fat carried around the waste.

May

2015

The Importance Of Acoustic Design In The Offices Of Today

Noise pollution was once accepted as part of working in a busy office, however much has changed in recent years as business owners see the value of acoustic design in the office.

If you happen to be sitting in an open plan office where phones are constantly ringing, this can place a considerable amount of stress on your shoulders. Noise can be distracting and often an interruption to your train of thought.

If you happen to be sitting near someone with a loud voice the situation can often become intolerable. This is the reality for many people everyday who have no power to change their office acoustics for the better as they would do at home.

Thankfully employers are waking up to the fact that environments can have a direct effect on productivity and profits in some cases. So the important thing is to raise these benefits if you happen to be a staff member suffering from the effects of office noise pollution.

Changes to office acoustics can often be quite straightforward to implement and not necessarily expensive. Interior materials for example should absorb sound. In an office the idea is to prevent sound from travelling too far where people may be having frequent conversations on the phone.

Cubicles can be contained where possible behind lightweight drywall systems which generally consist of two framed plasterboards with an air gap in between. This acts to insulate sound in that area, helping to reduce noise significantly.

This is just one of a number of sound insulation measures you can take to keep the office a pleasant place to be. Contact our experts if you would like to find out more about insulation solutions for your office.

Feb

2015

Can Plants Be A Viable Form Of Acoustic Insulation

As the world becomes more eco conscious, the search is always on for materials that can replace man-made materials with materials that are organic or can be recycled. The acoustic insulation industry is no different and there are currently engineers exploring the idea of plants being used as an alternative method to reduce noise.

The research is being carried out at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country by Zaloa Azkorra, an agricultural engineer. During research into the potential of using plants as insulation, it was concluded that there was “great potential” in using plants for the purpose.

In fact it is proposed that the use of plants could help improve quality of life in homes and offices in a number of ways including, noise reduction, increasing biodiversity, controlling rainwater as well asreducing waste and pollution.

The idea does, however, have its drawbacks. If plants are used for wall insulation then it can be difficult to position them so that they receive enough water and thrive in the polyurethane boxes they will be placed in. Wall insulation made from plants has the potential to become a ‘cool’ alternative to usual methods even if it will be more expensive to maintain the systems needed to maintain their effectiveness.

More information can be found here: http://www.azobuild.com/news.aspx?newsID=19444

Feb

2015

How To Keep The Peace In An Open Plan Office

Open plan offices can be far nicer to work in than being cooped up in smaller rooms. They can also help boost creativity and interaction between employees but there are some disadvantages, one of them being noise!

Offices can be noisy places and if you happen to have several employees all working in the same open plan environment, then things can get too noisy. Not everyone in the office will appreciate the creative noise, the buzzing of phones, the clanging of photocopiers or the sound of knives and forks as people increasingly choose to eat at their desks.

Fortunately there are things that you can do to minimise the disturbance for people who really want a bit of peace and quiet, without moving their desk into the broom cupboard. Acoustic insulation is one of them.

The key is to cut down the level of ambient noise to the point where everyone is happy. Simple things like adding carpets and reducing hard surfaces that don’t absorb noise can help. It is also worth introducing some plants and perhaps curtains and other soft furnishings.

One of the most effective things you can do alongside this is to reconstruct office walls so that theyhave larger air gaps between them. These can be constructed from various materials including mineral wool, cork and rockwool. You can even get sound proofing paint!

If you want to find out more about office sound insulation please contact us and we will be happy to advise on ways you can reduce noise.

Jan

2015

5 Steps To Insulating Your Home

Something as straightforward as insulating your loft correctly can save you £250 on heating bills according to the Energy Trust. This significant financial saving is just one reason to check if your loft is insulated or if the insulation you have is effective.

If your loft is insulated as all new build homes are today, then there is no need to worry, but older properties may well need an upgrade in loft insulation to improve energy efficiency. Unless you are confident that you can do the job to the required standard, then it is worth asking a professional to install insulation for you.

If you do decide to go it alone and do it yourself here are 5 steps to remember:

Check that your roof space doesn’t have any damp creeping in before you start your loft insulation project. Damp can lead to rot and applying insulation over this is not a good idea.
Wear protective gear such as overalls, gloves and a dust mask to prevent fibres irritating the skin and your airways. There are alternative insulation materials available such as sheep’s wool and recycled newspapers that may be more suitable if you don’t like the thought of handling mineral wool.
You should make accurate measurements of your joists and the floor of your loft to make sure insulation is cut to the correct size and fits properly.
It is recommended that the depth of insulation for mineral wool insulation is 27cm. This can vary, however, depending on the material you are using.
If you already have some loft insulation, you don’t need to remove it. Just add the new material on the top. Don’t put boards on top of your insulation as this will compress it and reduce its effectiveness.

Jan

2015

Global Growth In Acoustic Insulation Market…

…Expected To Reach $4,160 Million

A report released this month highlights that demand for acoustic insulation is expected to grow by nearly 6% globally by 2019.

Strict new government regulations are driving growth in all areas of the building insulation industry according to the report. Rising concerns about the health of people living and working in poorly insulated buildings and the need for greater energy efficiency are further reasons for a dramatic risein demand.

While growth is expected globally, Europe currently has the biggest market demand for acoustic insulation. The continent accounts for nearly 38% of total global consumption of insulation materials. Alongside Europe, there is also increasing demand for acoustic insulation in developing nations and innovations and expansion in this area will be further drivers of insulation industry growth in the next four years according to the report.

Asian countries for example have seen a rapid growth in their middle class populations and this has fuelled demand for more comfortable lifestyles. Corresponding growth in the manufacturing industries of developing nations in Asia as well as the building and construction industries has also contributed to further demand for building insulation and associated materials.

Oct

2014

Gatwick Residents To Receive £3,000…

…For Insulation And Double Glazing

Living on a flight path isn’t fun if you don’t like noise and you happen to live one the of the UK’s busiest airports.

To improve matters for local residents, Gatwick Airport are giving residents £3,000 towards getting their homes insulated against noise from the many planes which pass over 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The offer is open to anyone who has a home near the airport and covered by the noise contour map.

Even though the amount of noise generated by modern commercial airlines has fallen by half in recent years with advances in aircraft technology, guidelines have been updated and approved by the Secretary of State for the Environment and the funding received by residents will be part of satisfying the new guidelines.

The loudest noise levels have reduced from 90km² to 41km² near Gatwick, but the airport remains committed to finding other ways to reduce noise. One is to have aircraft descend gradually and studies have also been commissioned to look at noise in particular areas of the airport.

Whatever the measures put in place, insulating against noise is an ideal quick fix way to make living near Gatwick a little easier on the ears!

Oct

2014

Households Offered Up To £7,600 Towards Energy Saving Improvements

Being ‘green’ doesn’t cost the earth as they say and it is about to cost a lot less now that households in the UK are being offered money for making energy efficient improvements to their homes and this includes home insulation.

The Green Deal fund has received an extra £100m in cash which will be made available for anyone who wants to make energy efficient changes to their property.

It is possible to apply for up to £7,600 towards the cost of anything from boilers to insulation and this will include £500 for those who have moved home within the last 12 months.

The fund is not means tested which is good news for people who may not have met the criteria for other state hand outs aimed at improving the energy efficiency of households.

The money will remain available until it runs out, so if you are planning to get your home insulated it would be wise to start the application sooner rather than later even though it will be November before it is revealed how people can apply.

The government has every incentive to offer households a cheaper way to insulate their homes with poor insulation responsible for wasting huge amounts of energy each year. Any reduction in energy usage is welcome given the government’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions.

Metropolitan Insulation Blog