Financial viability of horizontal sealing elements with different acoustic performance ratings

Abstract

Faced with the constant development in construction resources and techniques, there is a need to know the materials used since they directly interfere with the acoustic performance of buildings. Moreover, residential buildings are products to be marketed in which builders seek to reduce costs and optimize the application of their economic resources in attributes valued by the target audience, and noise reduction is one of these items. Therefore, to promote the use of elements with adequate acoustic behavior to prioritize the acoustic comfort of users and to encourage the use of materials that contribute to this end, the objective of this paper is to analyze the financial viability between the square meter of construction and the acoustic behavior of different flooring systems. The methodology used impact sound insulation data determined in field tests, obtained through laboratory tests, and the cost analysis was done with commercial software. The results showed the importance of implementing floating floor construction systems to achieve good acoustic performance. Furthermore, it was observed that in several cases, the additional cost with the floating floor application becomes insignificant when diluted in a multi-unit building, given the increase in the final sale value of an apartment with optimized performance (minimum/superior).

Keywords:  Building performance. Technology in buildings. Impact noise