María Machimbarrena

Brazilian acoustics regulation: An overview and proposal of façade requirements

The Brazilian acoustics regulation for new residential buildings entered into force in 2013, and during the past years, the construction and acoustic consultancy market developed new procedures to accomplish with the facade requirements. In this paper, typical existing methods are presented, as well as new proposals to be incorporated in the future revision of the Regulation. Furthermore, existing and possible future Brazilian requirements are translated to the suggested descriptor DnT,50 and compared within the acoustic classification scheme for dwellings proposed in ISO/CD 19488.

Acoustic regulations for housing and schools in Europe and South America – A pilot study in 2016

Acoustic regulations for housing and schools exist in most countries in Europe, the main reasons being protection of health of citizens in their homes and optimizing learning and work conditions in schools. Comparative studies in Europe have shown a high diversity of descriptors and limit values for acoustic requirements. Considering globalization and noise as a health issue, it is important to extend attention to other parts of the world and establish dialogue and cooperation. As a pilot study, acoustic regulations in three countries in South America, namely Argentina, Brazil and Chile, have been considered. The findings indicate weaker requirements than typical in Europe, although at both continents there is a joint challenge to review regulatory requirements in those countries needing improvement of acoustic conditions in housing and schools. It is concluded that one of the first steps is to create awareness among authorities and building industry and to exchange experience about construction solutions...

Translation between existing impact sound insulation descriptors, based on a large set of in situ measurements

The need for revision and harmonization of sound insulation descriptors is generally accepted among most building acoustics specialists. Undoubtedly, if all countries used the same descriptors, it would be a great advantage to all the sectors related to the building construction industry, legislators and final users. Concerning sound insulation regulations, the most common impact sound insulation descriptors used are L’nT,w and L’n,w. In some countries, the spectral adaptation term CI is also considered, including different frequency ranges, which widens the choices for impact sound insulation descriptors used in regulations. The purpose of this paper is to determine, based on a large set of in situ measurements, how existing impact sound insulation descriptors relate to new proposed ones, in order to be able to make empirical translations of descriptors. The effect of the spectral adaptation term CI and the effect of the building system (heavyweight/lightweight floors) are also analyzed. Based on the tra...