New regulation on noise protection for buildings and sound insulation in Turkey

Abstract

The new regulation titled "Noise Protection and Sound Insulation in Buildings" prepared by Istanbul Technical University for the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, aims to organize the requirements and enforcements for noise control in all kinds of buildings. Throughout the preparation process of this regulation, the relevant standards, legislation and guidelines of different countries were reviewed. The new regulation covers three major aspects: a. Acoustical design of buildings, b. Evaluation of the acoustic performance of buildings, c. Inspections upon complaints about the existing buildings. Along with the draft regulation, the "Guideline on Acoustical Design, Implementation and Inspection of Buildings" which describes the acoustical principles for the design stage, assessment procedures and standard tests to be performed for the buildings requesting acoustic performance certificate, checklists and the format of evaluation reports were prepared. A prediction method to satisfy efficient sound insulation for simple buildings was proposed with the practical solutions. The five (5) factors are accepted in the evaluation of building acoustics, in terms of indoor noise levels, airborne and impact noise insulation values, according to the proposed classification system, mechanical system noise levels and reverberation times related to noise reduction. The new descriptors proposed in the COST TU 0901 Project regarding noise and sound insulation were described with the proposed conversion factors applicable to the earlier rating units. Training programs were arranged for facilitating the application of the new regulation. This paper explains the scope and the structure of the new regulation and, introduces the insulation assessment model proposed in the guideline.