ACOUSTIC CONSULTANCY

The acoustic consultancy division of Eckel Industries takes pride in being able to diversify its services to the clients’ requirements.  We have provided consultancy on a wide range of acoustic design and noise control issues, and offered economic solutions where possible.

We have consultants available to you with wide experience in dealing with the full range of sectors including residential, commercial, industrial, retail and public facilities.

The following is a guide to our standard services, however if you would like to talk with one of our consultants and obtain a no obligation quotation tailored to your specific requirements, we would be pleased to offer our services.

Services provided:

• Background noise surveys
• Planning Impact assessment to BS4142
• PPG24 Assessments and Building Façade Design
• CRTN/CRN Assessments
• CadnaA- Environmental Noise Prediction
• Internal noise commissioning
• External noise commissioning
• Commercial façade noise assessments
• Construction site noise monitoring
• Noise at Work Assesments
• BB93 School design
• HTM 08-01 Healthcare facility design

Background noise surveys:
Background noise surveys are often overlooked by developers and costly post development noise control solutions are then required by the local planning authority.

To enable initial designs and proposals to proceed through the planning process and to enable mechanical plant suppliers to meet external noise limits, a background noise survey is required to establish the criteria to be met.

The background noise survey will provide design limits for plant to be selected against and provide the initial data for a future full plant impact assessment to be undertaken.

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Planning impact assessments:
Full planning assessments require a detailed knowledge of how noise effects local sensitive premises. A full planning assessment will evaluate the data taken from the background noise survey, and predict the resultant noise levels from the running of proposed new or redeveloped premises in accordance with BS4142.

BS4142 provides the method of assessing industrial noise in residential areas. Eckel Environmental has a detailed knowledge of the requirements within BS4142.

Our consultants can provide detailed liaison with the local authority and design team to provide a cost effective designs and solutions to meet with the local authorities and world health requirements.

Where required suitable cost effective noise mitigation will be suggested, either to individual pieces of equipment to an all encompassing whole development solution.

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Internal noise commissioning:

• Internal room conditions
• Audiology room testing
• Internal office commissioning
• Building element commissioning

Internal room conditions:
From on site testing Eckel Environmental can provide detailed analysis of internal acoustic conditions for any given space.

From this analysis we can provide a solutions to provide reverberation times and speech intelligibility in line with the room purpose requirements.

Audiology room testing:
With the requirement from the department of health to improve the quality of assessments and monitoring for audiology suites, audiology staff need make sure audiology units are maintaining an agreed minimum specification to provide hearing tests are HTM2045 and ISO8253 compliant.

To maintain this specification periodic commissioning tests must be undertaken with,
With our on site testing experience and detailed knowledge of audiology suites Eckel Environmental can provide a detailed analysis of audiology suites and advice on remedial works if and when required.

Internal office commissioning:
Internal noise commissioning of sites is not only taking internal noise levels of offices and plant items reporting the values. In instances where specific investigation is required for noisy mechanical plant, experience and knowledge in plant design and manufacture is required to provide simple and quick solutions to possible noise problems.

Our experience has covered a large amount of internal commissioning for offices, public buildings, industrial, commercial sites and plant areas prior to hand over and solving post hand over noise and vibration problems. Due to our experience in mechanical plant noise issues we can provide specific advice on acoustics for most mechanical equipment available to the building services industries.

Building element commissioning:
Where an internal or external separating wall or floor structure has to meet with a specific criteria we can provide testing for that element and an indication of the structure performance and suggest possible remedial works to be undertaken.

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External noise commissioning:
Our expertise in testing external plant to specification and providing external criteria for plant is vast, having already provided commissioning tests for an array of different equipment and testing standards.

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PPG24:
Planning Policy Guidance 24 provides local authorities with guidance on the suitability of sites for proposed residential purposes.

The Guidance document references the noise levels impinging on facades of residential and buildings for residential purposes into noise exposure categories NEC’s.

The noise assessment for PPG24 is an involved process and requires attention to the requirements of the site as a whole and an understanding of how environmental noise will be effecting the new residential building.

From the data taken on the site survey liaison with the design team is then required to provide a suitable façade assessment and resultant design that will be suitable to all parties concerned.

Eckel Environmental understand the needs of the architect and design teams and are experienced in dealing with detailed large project façade designs.

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CRTN/CRN Assessments
The prevailing noise for most towns and cities is caused by Road and Rail traffic. Reducing the impact of transportation noise has been a high priority in the design and implementation of new schemes.

Eckel Environmental can provide detailed CRTN, CRN assessments and calculate the acoustic impact of new transportation links or the improvement of existing schemes for any given situation.

Having linked this with economical assessments, town planers are able to assess the effect for different forms of mitigation against the cost of implementation to make sure the best choose is being made.

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CandaA Environmental noise prediction software
Eckel Environmental is proud to be able to provide noise prediction via CadnaA noise mapping software. Based upon our experience we are able to offer environmental noise mapping for small and large projects alike taking into account the noise from all sources surrounding any particular site such as industrial, roads, railways construction etc.



Example noise map: The illustration produced with CadnaA shows a factory unit with a proposed large external noise source effecting the local area. Despite the nearby busy road there was concern that the local residential properties may be affected. As well as this predictions were also required for noise levels acting on the factory itself.



Our experience with the prediction software enables our consultants to produce detailed maps based upon numerous input map and file types within tight time constraints of the planning stages, this in turn enables the design to incorporate required noise mitigation solutions. Without this certainty of prediction during the key stages of design costly implications of post completion noise mitigation may be required.

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Commercial Façade Design:
Noise levels impinging on buildings for commercial and office use will effect the internal noise levels and resultant NR criteria met.

Our detailed survey and building façade review, will provide the design team with the assurance of knowing what is required in the building façade design. Protecting the occupants from external noise levels and meeting with the all important internal ambient NR criteria.

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Construction site monitoring:
With concern growing for local authorities over noise sensitive premises being effected by long periods of construction noise. Eckel Environmental can provide long term measuring solutions with staff on hand to provide detailed analysis and reports on how your site is performing and what site operations will most effect the local residential area.

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BB93 Design:
To assist schools and the education establishment, Our BB93 Design service provides a high level of knowledge on the stringent requirements of building regulations Part E-4 and internal design noise levels stipulated within the BB93 document.

Eckel Environmental is able to offer the full service package – from design and survey services, to the specification of noise control products. Taking into account the requirements of the architect and design team, and is used to delivering a high quality service to all parties.

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HTM 08-01 Design:
HTM 08-01 provides guidance to healthcare professionals and individuals involved with health care facility development on the acoustic design criteria that should be applied and basic design issues that should be raised, at early stages of facility planning.

The specification is intended to provide a basic understanding of the acoustic issues arising from the operation of healthcare facilities and put enfaces on acoustics as a major design issue when healthcare facilities are in the development stage.

It is always advised for any new development to take professional advice concerning internal and external acoustic issues. It is no different with the development and design of healthcare facilities, although the document provides a basic understanding of the issues needing close attention. Detailed advice is required by professional consultants on how to achieve a complete design solution on all spaces.

Eckel Environmental can provide detailed assessments of all aspects concerning the design and manufacture of health care facilities. Providing design and commissioning services in line with the specific requirements of HTM 08-01.

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