Driven primarily by sustainable development, low-carbon, and societal challenges, timber constructions are proliferating in the design of new build and renovation projects, regardless of their intended use (residential, office, hospitality, cultural). From an acoustic perspective, these new complexes within the French construction landscape raise questions related to:
The primary objective of an acoustic consulting firm is, among other things, to verify the achieved acoustic performance in situ through standardized tests. Therefore, project success hinges on two sequential technical criteria: firstly, the final performance must meet the objectives established during the design phase (at a minimum, regulatory requirements, certification labels, and specifications); secondly, there must be consistency between the performance calculated during design and the performance measured post-construction. The ultimate goal is to ensure acoustic environments align with user expectations and to significantly enhance the value of real estate assets.
Currently, the sole authoritative document in France for timber acoustic design is the Acoubois study, conducted by CSTB[1], which proposes solutions specifically adapted for residential buildings. Additionally, conferences and working groups, such as the AdivBOIS association, focus on this subject, aiming to disseminate in situ or laboratory results from highly specific tests (e.g., the feasibility of continuous separating elements between spaces). Beyond purely technical data, European theses and research groups have already pinpointed the critical challenge in timber acoustic design: the low-frequency behavior of separating partitions. It is, a priori, standard practice to meticulously analyze these low-frequency behaviors in any design.
Current accessible knowledge almost systematically leads to over-dimensioning in timber acoustic design (thereby safely ensuring compliance with the most stringent objectives), due to the lack of an absolute design methodology that would enable precise dimensioning of each separating element for specific programs or uses. This approach entails the following consequences:
Without a reliable predictive model, only empirical feedback can determine the feasibility of implementing separating elements that have not yet undergone laboratory testing.
Noise and the acoustic design required for its mitigation are complex subjects. Paradoxically, acoustic issues often struggle to gain adequate attention, despite becoming a strategic concern for users.
For a significant portion of the population, the comparison of the sound environment before and during lockdown left a lasting impression. A notable shift in noise perception is now evident, leading to increased awareness. Many have recognized the importance of a quiet urban environment, and the choice to prioritize calm living spaces is increasingly seen as a high-value necessity for preserving health and ensuring a minimum quality of life. Consequently, urban planning and design are refocusing on human needs, with well-being at the core of these considerations.
Urban concentration inevitably generates noise, and surveys consistently identify noise as the leading concern among French citizens:
Beyond these statistics, the annual loss attributable to the poor acoustic quality of existing buildings, which results in excessive noise exposure, is estimated at over 57 billion euros per year in terms of healthcare expenses, absenteeism, decreased productivity, and educational setbacks. Another key observation is that acousticians are often engaged only as a last resort, sometimes solely after multiple user complaints. It is therefore imperative to integrate acoustic considerations during the initial design phase of all types of projects to proactively address this growing awareness, which is intrinsically linked to the urban sound footprint of our living environments.
The acoustic footprint of a location is an integral component of human quality of life. Real estate, a sector with substantial implications, thus represents a pivotal lever for transformative change.
The QUALITEL barometer, conducted in 2017, identifies acoustic issues as one of the three primary 'afflictions' of French housing. In Paris, Europe's second noisiest city, it is even the leading cause of resident dissatisfaction.
Beyond the 1999 acoustic regulations for new housing, which stipulate the bare minimum requirements for a dwelling to be fit for purpose, the regulatory requirements published in 2017 are essential for renovation projects but exclusively address external noise insulation.
Given regulations that target a minimum level of acoustic comfort rather than the complete absence of disturbance, here are some recommendations:
Beyond the current health context, acoustic comfort remains a prominent concern, leading us to consider sound environments with greater attention as a response to many current and future challenges we must address. The objective is to act collectively towards urban requalification and the restoration of spaces compatible with the transition to a healthy footprint in terms of ecology, carbon, and sound environment. This thus encourages different disciplines to collaborate. This has been the case at Sinteo for about ten years, where multidisciplinarity enables the integration of acoustic considerations as early as possible in the study phases. We develop methods, and support and educate our clients in their implementation.
With proven consequences for health (sleep disturbance, stress, etc.) and the economy (productivity decline, real estate depreciation, etc.), ADEME estimates the social cost of noise at 147 billion euros per year in 2021.
Driven primarily by sustainable development, low-carbon, and societal challenges, timber constructions are proliferating in the design of new build and renovation projects across all sectors (housing, offices, hospitality, cultural). From an acoustic perspective, these new complexes in the French construction landscape raise several questions.