Good acoustic design is an important consideration in healthcare buildings, from small doctors’ surgeries and drop-in centres to large hospitals. Among the key concerns in the design of these buildings are ensuring confidentiality in treatment and consulting rooms, creating quiet and restful conditions for patient wards and bedrooms and providing good working conditions for all staff. Every healthcare building is different and we work with design teams to develop a bespoke approach to the technical challenges of each project.
HTM 08-01
Acoustic standards for healthcare buildings are detailed in Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 08-01: Acoustics, which supersedes the previous guidance document HTM 2045. HTM 08-01 sets out acoustic criteria and design guidance covering:
- Noise from road traffic and other external sources
- Noise and vibration from plant and equipment
- Airborne and impact noise transmission between rooms
- Room acoustics
- Audio systems for public announcements
Compliance with HTM 08-01 is required for the HEA section of BREEAM.
Plant noise
Healthcare buildings often have demanding requirements for environmental control, which requires a considerable amount of mechanical plant. We can assess plant noise ingress into the building and advise on noise control measures to ensure that plant noise meets the criteria set out in HTM 08-01. We can also assess plant noise propagation to nearby noise sensitive premises, which is often required to meet planning conditions and for the POL section of BREEAM.
Projects
