SITRI Accredited Building Acoustic Testing Services

Air Matters Acoustic Division carry out Acoustic Testing compliance with TGD Part E 2014. We offer third party Independent Acoustic Testing and Reporting in compliance with TGD Part E. All our testing engineers hold a level 8 honours degree from Irish Universities and have SITRI Accreditation. From the 1st of June 2015 all residential developments must apply acoustic testing sampling in compliance with Technical Guidance Document Part E.

Our range of testing includes:

  • Airborne Sound Tests to Walls (as per IS EN ISO 16283-1-2014 or 140 Part 4:1998 where required)
  • Airborne Sound Tests to Floors (as per IS EN ISO 16283-1-2014 or 140 Part 4:1998 where required)
  • Impact Sound Tests to Floors (as per IS EN ISO 140 Part 7:1998)
  • Airborne Sound Tests to Walls (as per IS EN ISO 140 Part 4:1998)
  • Airborne Sound Tests to Floors (as per IS EN ISO 140 Part 4:1998)
  • Impact Sound Tests to Floors (as per IS EN ISO 140 Part 7:1998)
  • Reverberation Time Tests / Measurement of communal spaces in New Developments
  • TGD 021-5  Acoustic Performance in Schools
  • All results are expressed as per IS EN ISO 717 Parts 1 & 2 2013

What is Sound Testing/Acoustic Testing?

Sound Testing is a group of acoustic tests that can be carried out on site to measure how much Sound / Noise moves through building materials / structure such as houses, buildings & workplaces.

Sound Testing is often used to either support an acoustic specification or to demonstrate compliance with specific Building Regulations and/or Standards. When a new construction, or the conversion of an existing building results in two adjoining dwellings being separated by a partition (Party Wall/floor), it is a Building Regulations Part E requirement for this partition to be tested in terms of its sound insulation performance.

Sound Tests may take the form of an Airborne test, an Impact test or both depending on whether the acoustic properties of Walls, Floors or Ceilings are required to be proven. Airbourne Sound Testing is the measurement of how much sound is stopped by separating walls or floors between dwellings and rooms such as bedrooms, classrooms, hotel rooms, offices etc. This is carried out by making a controlled noise on one side of the separating wall or floor and measuring how much sound is being received on the other side. This allows us to calculate how much sound is stopped by the structure under test. Normally the larger room will house the Sound Source and the smaller room, the Receiver.

Technical Guidance Document E, (TGD E Ireland) of the Building Regulations requires new buildings and conversions to demonstrate reasonable levels of airborne and impact sound insulation performance between separating walls and floors.

The below table demonstrates the minimum and maximum performance requirements as defined in TGD E 2014:

  • Test Element
  • New Build
  • Floor
  • Test Element
  • Wall
  • Floor
  • Airborne Sound Insulation
    DnT,W
  • 53 DnT,w dB(min)
  • 53 LnT,w dB(min)
  • Impact Sound Insulation
    L’nT,W
  • New Build
  • 58 L’nT,w dB (max)