Giorgio Raffellini

Sound Insulation Requirements in Hospitals: Comparisons and case studies

Italian and EU regulations for sound insulation of hospitals are very hard to be satisfied. Especially with reference to sound insulation from outside noise, the simultaneous presence of important sound sources (refrigerating units, fans and others) and of sensitive receivers (the patients) imposes high requirements for facade sound insulation. Moreover, the necessity to assure high values of natural lighting in interiors imposes the use of large windows on facades. By using the tabular estimation model defined by annex B of the European Norm 14351 for the calculation of the performance of windows and the model of EN 12354‐3 for the performance of facades, it is easy to show that the limiting values defined by the Italian Law can be achieved only with a perfect realisation of the building construction. In the paper the comparison between EU regulations for hospitals is shown. Moreover, different case studies of hospital buildings are analysed either with a theoretical approach or with measures carried out in site.

Air Quality And Ductwork Contamination: State Of The Art And Guidelines

If the design, installation and maintenance of HVAC systems does not follow suitable standards, they can give rise to several problems, such as: excessive installation and maintenance costs as well as hygienic problems for dust deposition and accumulation. The paper deals with the state of the art duct contamination. The paper also presents the used methodology and the obtained preliminary results of a study carried out on ten hospital buildings. Finally some considerations about the effectiveness of some cleaning methods are presented.