Sound insulation performance in Danish multi-storey housing 1850-2009 and upgrade possibilities to meet current regulations

Denmark has 1 million dwellings in multi-storey housing and 2.7 million dwellings in total. According to a social survey in 2010, about 35% of occupants in multi-storey housing are disturbed by neighbour noise, while for other housing types, it’s less than 10%. Thus, there is a strong need to improve sound insulation in multi-storey housing. The paper quantifies dwellings built in different periods of 1850-2009 and summarizes key characteristics of building types and constructions as well as related sound insulation performance, some being far from fulfilling the limits in the latest Danish regulations. Sound insulation data from selected building types are presented, and improvement potential and feasibility based on benefits and drawbacks of different solutions are discussed. To include practical experience in development of solutions, several housing associations have been contacted, but even when carrying out major refurbishment work, focus is on energy issues, building maintenance and visual qualities, and sound insulation improvement almost never considered. Thus, it is clearly a challenge to change the mind-set of involved parties to apply a more holistic approach and include sound insulation improvement, when upgrading dwellings in other aspects, implying reduced risk of acoustic slum and increased quality of life for occupants