Acoustics are a key aspect of a building's comfort. Nobody likes being disturbed by neighbours, the sound of chairs being moved on the floor above or the constant drone of heavy traffic.
In the past, timber-frame construction often struggled with the preconception that its acoustic performance was below par. However, following intensive research and extensive testing, we can confirm that it actually often outperforms traditional construction techniques, thanks to a number of innovative solutions.
 

MBS offers solutions for:

• Party walls: Using two decoupled frames, each with cladding on the non-cavity side, D_nT,w values of ≥ 68 dB are achieved in situ.

• Partition walls: If heavy demands are placed on the airborne sound insulation between different rooms in a building, the preferred composition is to detach the cladding on one side of the frame using a resilient metal profile. This results in R_w values of ≥ 54 dB.

• Separating floors between dwellings: For the floor's impact sound insulation to work to best effect, the top part of the floor is separated from the bottom part by inserting acoustic decoupling pads. Further balancing out the weights above and below these pads yields the following results in situ:

  L’_{nT, w} + C_{I, 100‑2500} < 44 dB.

• Façades: The same technique is used as for partition walls.

  Rw + Ctr > 50dB is easily achievable

To ensure the safety of building users, certain requirements must be met. These requirements are naturally more stringent for apartment and non-residential buildings than for individual homes.

MBS has developed a number of solutions for the fire-resistant construction of apartment and non-residential buildings. These have been subjected to European test standards under laboratory conditions or been shown by design calculations to comply with Eurocode 5 Part 2.

MBS offers solutions for:

• Exterior walls, partition walls, party walls: (R)EI60

• Load-bearing interior walls: R60

• Floors: REI60

• Façade elements: E(I)60