Field Measurement and Criteria for Sound Insulation between Dwellings in Europe

Airborne and structure-borne sound transmission are the dominant noise paths in terraced, semi-detached houses and in multi-storey buildings, often causing annoyance when heard. They usually are controlled by applying building regulations before, during and after the construction of the dwellings. As part of a comparative study of the control and promotion of quality in housing in Europe, the acoustic quality in dwellings have been investigated for France, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The study highlights many differences in regulations, criteria and methods of measurement.

The conclusion drawn from this comparison is that there is no uniformity in the regulations for the acoustic quality of dwellings in Europe and much work is needed to establish uniformity.