ᐅ Which material is best for the structural shell regarding thermal and sound insulation?
Created on: 23 Jan 2020 10:03
D
DASI90
Hello everyone,
We are currently considering which material to use for the shell construction. Our goal is to achieve at least KFW 55 energy efficiency, and due to noise levels from the nearby railway, we also need passive sound insulation. External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) are not an option for us. Therefore, I see two possible solutions:
- Filled Poroton brick without additional external or internal insulation
- Cavity wall construction with calcium silicate blocks and core insulation
I currently prefer the first option, as I assume it is still more cost-effective than the two-layer masonry and results in a less thick wall. However, I am not sure if the filled Poroton brick will meet our sound insulation needs.
Could anyone share their experiences regarding the thermal and sound insulation properties of the above options?
We are currently considering which material to use for the shell construction. Our goal is to achieve at least KFW 55 energy efficiency, and due to noise levels from the nearby railway, we also need passive sound insulation. External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) are not an option for us. Therefore, I see two possible solutions:
- Filled Poroton brick without additional external or internal insulation
- Cavity wall construction with calcium silicate blocks and core insulation
I currently prefer the first option, as I assume it is still more cost-effective than the two-layer masonry and results in a less thick wall. However, I am not sure if the filled Poroton brick will meet our sound insulation needs.
Could anyone share their experiences regarding the thermal and sound insulation properties of the above options?
Bookstar schrieb:
The masonry is not the main issue. Use filled Poroton bricks; they are excellent for sound insulation, 36.5cm (14 inches) thick with perlite. That will give you about 48 dB.
Your windows are much more important. Standard triple-glazed windows provide poor sound insulation. They only offer around 32 dB, and that only for high frequencies. Low frequencies pass through almost unhindered!
So, use soundproof glass at least level 4. It doesn’t cost much more but has a significant effect.What do you mean exactly by “doesn’t cost much more”? Could you give a rough percentage estimate compared to conventionally used glass?
Scout schrieb:
Nominally, these might still be considered "solid walls." But with a density below 0.6 and very thin remaining ribs, they are more like a biscuit in structure. At least that’s the impression. You seem to know your stuff. Or?
We built with Unipor Coriso W07 blocks. Easily reached KfW55 standard, using an air-to-water heat pump and controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, as well as triple-glazed windows. However, we made the mistake of choosing the standard glass, as the window manufacturer said it would be sufficient. You don’t hear much noise, but nowadays I would definitely opt for higher-performance glazing.
Baufie schrieb:
You seem to know what you’re talking about. Or not? Are you trying to imply something about me?
Regarding sound insulation, I would like to refer again to my previous post:
Scout schrieb:
My in-laws built right next to the high-speed rail line (less than 30 meters away) using 1.8 solid sand-lime brick. It worked out great. But the soundproof windows make at least an equally important contribution, so you definitely shouldn’t skimp on those....
By the way, my in-laws used 24 solid sand-lime bricks plus external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS). Together with soundproof windows, the result is excellent—inside you only hear a faint rustling, whereas in the old house next door (brick) you actually had to stop conversations until the train passed by. For the type of brick you mentioned, I found sound reduction values of 47 dB for 36 cm (14 inches) and 48 dB for 42 cm (16.5 inches) thickness.
Sand-lime brick already provides 49 dB sound insulation at 11.5 cm (4.5 inches), 54 dB at 17.5 cm (7 inches), and 60 dB at 24 cm (9.5 inches).
A cavity wall combining 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) and 17.5 cm (7 inches) layers together with mineral wool insulation achieves around 65 dB sound reduction. Anyone who can’t notice a difference of almost 20 dB should probably see an ear specialist. Even the 13 dB difference compared to 24 cm sand-lime brick is already quite significant.
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