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Abstract: In most countries in Europe, building regulations specify sound insulation requirements for dwellings. The requirements are expressed by descriptors defined in standards. Within building acoustics, ISO standards are implemented as European (EN) standards and national standards. Sufficient sound insulation between dwellings is important to protect against noise from neighbours and to provide privacy and possibilities for activities without causing annoyance. In 2008 a comparative study investigating the legal requirements for sound insulation between dwellings was carried out. This paper is a result of that study and describes and discusses the main requirements for airborne and impact sound insulation in 24 countries in Europe. The comparison shows considerable differences in terms of descriptors, frequency range and level of requirements. It is concluded that regulatory sound insulation requirements need tightening in some countries. As a starting point for further discussion, suggestions for airborne and impact sound insulation criteria providing “standard” and “increased” comfort are given. While tightening regulations implies a growing need for exchange of information and experience, the diversity in Europe creates difficulties for efficient cooperation, and harmonization of descriptors is needed. The benefits of harmonizing descriptors include facilitating the exchange of construction data, design details and development of design tools. Based on experience, legal requirements and classification criteria could be adjusted and optimized. It is proposed to establish cooperation in Europe and to prepare an “acoustical” housing directive with a related strategy paper “Research for quieter European homes in 2020” in the same way as with European initiatives for environmental noise. The noise issue has also received increasing attention from WHO. In a large analysis of European housing coordinated by WHO, neighbour noise was identified as a health problem, and reduction of noise exposure in the home was included in the proposed main objectives for a housing policy. This paper is one of two related papers about sound insulation of dwellings, dealing with requirements and descriptors in building regulations in Europe. This paper focuses on requirements, the other paper, , focuses on descriptors for requirements, including suitability considerations, one of them being the correlation with subjective evaluation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Regulatory sound insulation requirements for dwellings have existed since the 1950s in some countries and descriptors for evaluation of sound insulation have existed for nearly as long. However, the descriptors have changed considerably over time, from simple arithmetic averaging of frequency bands in the beginning, to a variety of more complex descriptors developed in different countries and later included in EN ISO 717:1996. As a result, this EN ISO standard provides a large variety of descriptors rather than presenting a more limited number of harmonized descriptors. In 2008 a comparative study was carried out of legal sound insulation requirements in 24 countries in Europe. The comparison of requirements for sound insulation between dwellings revealed significant differences in descriptors as well as levels. This paper focuses on descriptors and summarizes the history of descriptors, the problems of the present situation and the benefits of consensus concerning descriptors for airborne and impact sound insulation between dwellings. The descriptors suitable for evaluation should be well-defined under practical situations in buildings and be measurable. Measurement results should be reproducible and of course correlate well with subjective evaluation. More noise sources – including neighbours’ activities – and an increased demand for high quality and comfort, together with a trend towards light-weight constructions, are contradictory and challenging. This calls for exchange of data and experience, implying a need for harmonized descriptors. A suggestion to harmonize airborne and impact sound insulation descriptors in building regulations is given. This paper is one of two related papers about sound insulation of dwellings, dealing with requirements and descriptors in building regulations in Europe. This paper will focus on descriptors for requirements, the other paper focuses on the strictness of requirements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]