Background
Sutton Living Design & Build Limited embarked on an ambitious project to transform The Grove, a locally listed building within the Carshalton Village Conservation Area, from former office spaces into 10 stylish flats. The project required meticulous planning and execution to preserve the building’s historic charm while ensuring modern living standards, particularly in terms of acoustic performance.
Anderson Acoustics was commissioned to provide acoustic design advice for the project.
Key Challenges
- Historic Structure: The building’s age and historic status would pose challenges in modifying the structure without compromising its integrity. The original structure of the building was constructed in 1828, as a residential home, and has been used as offices recently.
- Sound Insulation: Ensuring adequate sound insulation in a building not originally designed for residential use required innovative solutions.
- Compliance: Meeting the stringent criteria of modern Building Regulations while respecting the building’s historic fabric.
What we did
The primary goal of our input was to ensure the refurbishment achieved high standards of sound insulation between the newly created residential units, ensuring privacy and comfort for future occupants. This involved:
- Assessing existing internal partitions and floor
- Advising on the design of new partitions and floors to meet or exceed the requirements of Approved Document E of the Building Regulations.
- Advising on upgrades where necessary to enhance acoustic performance.
Diagnostic Sound Insulation Testing
We conducted sound insulation testing of existing partitions and floors. This helped benchmark the current performance and identify areas needing improvement.
Acoustic Design Criteria
Our acoustic design recommendations followed the sound insulation criteria outlined in Approved Document E, focusing on both airborne and impact sound insulation. This included:
- upgrades to the existing structures – where existing partitions and floors did not meet the required standards, upgrades were proposed to improve sound insulation
- new construction elements: – we advised on the design of new internal partitions and floors using materials and construction methods that provided superior acoustic performance.
Project Progress
Curl la Tourelle Head are the lead architect for the project. Read more on their website here
