Building Regulations

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Fire

The Building Regulations for Fire generally require a minimum fire resistance between dwellings of 60 minutes, this can increase to 90 or 120 minutes depending on the height of the building as well as other factors such as firefighting corridors. Guidance must be sought from either ADB, TH2 or TGDB, Fire Consultant Engineers and the relevant Building Control Authority before design or construction commences. Internal partitions are usually required to achieve 30 minutes fire resistance, however, this requirement can be affected by active fire protection systems as well as other building considerations.

Please see the following documents for further guidance:
• England and Wales - Approved Document B, (ADB)
• Scotland - Technical Handbook 2, (TH2)
• Ireland - Technical Guidance Document B, (TGDB)

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Acoustics

England
Approved Document E, (ADE) requires residential separating partitions to be able to achieve an on-site acoustic performance shown as DnT,w + Ctr dB. This is usually proven by on-site testing. Please note; when calculating the expected on site performance of separating walls you will need to factor in the Ctr correction, plus an allowance for onsite flanking sound, (usually between 4 and 8 dB). We recommend you seek the advice of an Acoustician regarding the expected flanking allowance for your project. Internal partitions are required to have been proven by test in a laboratory, (Rw) and are therefore not subject to on site testing.

Please see Approved Document E, (ADE) for further guidance.

Table 1 - England and Wales
New Build separating wall (To meet ADE) DnT,w + Ctr 45 dB
Conversion separating wall (To meet ADE) DnT,w + Ctr 43 dB
England and Wales internal partitions (within dwellings) Rw 40 dB

 

Scotland
Technical Handbook 5, (TH5) requires residential separating partitions to be able to achieve an on-site acoustic performance shown as DnT,w dB. This must be proven by on-site testing. Please note; when calculating the expected on-site performance of separating walls you will need to factor in an allowance for on-site flanking sound, (usually between 4 and 8 dB). We recommend you seek the advice of an Acoustician regarding the expected flanking allowance for your project.

Please see Technical Handbook 5, (TH5) for further guidance.

Table 2 - Scotland
New Build separating wall (To meet TH5) DnT,w 56 dB
Conversion separating wall (To meet TH5) DnT,w 53 dB
Scotland internal partitions (within dwellings) No Requirement

 

Ireland
Technical Guidance Document E, (TGDE) requires residential separating partitions to be able to achieve an on-site acoustic performance shown as DnT,w dB. This must be proven by on-site testing. Please note; when calculating the expected on-site performance of separating walls you will need to factor in an allowance for on-site flanking sound (usually between 4 and 8 dB). We recommend you seek the advice of an Acoustician regarding the expected flanking allowance for your project.

Please see Technical Guidance Document E, (TGDE) for further guidance.

Table 3 - Ireland
New Build separating wall (To meet TGDE) DnT,w 53 dB
Conversion separating wall (To meet TH5) DnT,w 53 dB
Ireland internal partitions (within dwellings) No Requirement
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Thermal

Building Regulations for Thermal performance are concerned with minimum energy requirements for both the building fabric and CO2 emissions. Although thermal performances through a single element (wall or roof etc.) are measured using U-Values, compliance can only be demonstrated through Standard Assessment Procedure calculations (SAP). Where restricted air flow to help control thermal transfer is required to separating walls, the cavity can be fully filled with soft fibre insulation in order to
achieve a 0.0 ((W/m²K)) U-Value, which will contribute towards the building’s overall SAP calculation.

Please see the following documents for further guidance:

• England and Wales - Approved Document L, (ADL)
• Scotland - Technical Handbook 6, (TH6)
• Ireland - Technical Guidance Document L, (TGDL)

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Sustainabiility and Mobility

The Building Regulations for Sustainability and Mobility require buildings to be designed with future use in mind, i.e. walls in all bathrooms and WCs to be capable of firm fixing and support for future adaptations such as grab rails. In order to achieve this requirement, plywood or other non-combustible high-performance linings are commonly installed within partition cavities or as a lining layer to provide a direct fixing capability.

Please see the following documents for further guidance:
• England and Wales - Approved Document M, (ADM)
• Scotland - Technical Handbook 7, (TH7)
• Ireland - Technical Guidance Document M, (TGDM)

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Secured by Design

Secured by Design (SBD) is a national police crime prevention initiative that aims to reduce burglary and other crime using the principles of good design and appropriate physical security. Common requirements include installing security mesh or impact resistant linings installed to lightweight separating walls to hinder access through the wall.

Please see www.securedbydesign.com for further guidance.

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Service Installations

All service installations should be compliant with their relevant Code of Practice. Where required they should be installed or adequately protected to prevent them being damaged by drywall screws etc. (This risk is greatly reduced when installing eekowall panels, as the drywall screws are installed prior to the services.) Ensure all service penetrations are fully made good, and that they or the services themselves do not impact on the performance of the partitions or linings. All fire-stopping systems etc. must be capable of supporting the drylining systems stated fire performance.

All guidance provided by eekowall is given in good faith and is not intended to give rise to a duty of care or to create a contractual relationship between eekowall and the recipient. Any guidance provided by eekowall is not intended to replace or act as a substitute for the advice you receive from other experts whom you may consult, for example, Architects, Engineers or Surveyors