Sterling House, Reading
Client: Thomas Homes
Testing: Air tightness & Sound insulation
Lead Test Engineer: Joseph Matic
The Development:
Thomas Homes constructed the development of 50 new apartments in central Reading. The construction is a concrete frame with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR).
On completion of the build, Thomas Homes requested both Air tightness testing and sound insulation testing to evidence compliance with L1A Building Regulations. Our accredited engineers were able to book a test date within a week of the enquiry.
Preparation for Sound and Air Testing:
Air and Sound Testing were undertaken at the final stage of construction; the apartments were fully complete apart from carpets being laid. In preparation, the perimeters of the apartments had been sealed, the MVHR was switched off and the MVHR grilles taped prior to testing.
Sound Insulation Testing:
Sound testing was carried out on a sample of party walls and floors across the development. In all cases, the dwellings achieved the Approved Document F requirements. All sound testing was undertaken on one day to minimise costs and disruption. We provided indicative results on site and certification was issued the next day.
Air Tightness Testing:
The target for the air tightness was under 4m3/h/m2@50Pa and our accredited test engineers were able to undertake testing of all apartments on a floor on a single visit.
We were able to report excellent results, ranging from ‘2.6’ to the ‘4’ required during our visit. Results were consistent across the lower floors. Variations were evident, with the smaller plots tending to be closer to the ‘4’, while larger plots were around a ‘3’.
The results were a little higher on the top floor and there were a couple of units where the result slightly exceeded ‘4’. In these cases, the air leakage paths were identified by depressurising to show up air leakage paths and we advised on how these could be immediately addressed. The test was then repeated without additional cost or visits. The certification was issued on the following day.
“Air Leakage Testing provided a quick and efficient service. Their technical knowledge helped us to quickly resolve a minor issue and meet Building Regs requirements.”
Dave Skeet, Thomas Homes
