At the end of March, the UK will begin to follow their respective Government’s roadmaps out of lockdown and while this is great news for the economy, the pressure is now on to ensure public buildings are ready to be opened. Although the main concerns over the last year have been around the cleanliness and hygiene of buildings, there is another factor that needs to be considered: noise control. Chris Rand, Senior Marketing Executive at Forbo Flooring Systems, explains more here.
From hospitals to offices, leisure facilities to schools, minimising noise as much as possible within these buildings is vital – especially in high traffic applications, as the clatter of footsteps can quickly become deafening if impact noise is not reduced. What’s more, bad acoustics in environments such as schools and offices can have a profound effect on occupants’ health. In fact, a 2018 study by Udemy for Business found that 70% of employees cited office noise as a workplace distraction. The same report also found that over half of the surveyed workers believed distractions such as office noise and chatty coworkers caused them to perform poorer in their roles, with roughly the same amount agreeing that such distractions made them ‘significantly less’ productive.
Fortunately, advances in sound insulation solutions mean that noises coming from inside or outside of a building can now be significantly reduced. In particular, acoustic flooring solutions are ideal for minimising airborne and impact noise within public buildings.
Across the market, there are a number of effective acoustic solutions available, from luxury vinyl tiles to textile options and of course, acoustic vinyl solutions. As well as contributing to sound-controlled environments, acoustic vinyl solutions are also heralded for their exceptional durability, providing an ideal solution in areas of heavy foot traffic.
There are also solutions available which have been designed to offer best in class indentation resistance, making them ideal for rooms where heavy furniture may be placed, or moved around frequently, such as in schools.
Forbo Flooring Systems has recently developed a new Acoustic Collection, which will be the go-to reference point for any project where impact-sound needs to be minimised. It offers a diverse portfolio of products available in adhesive free or traditional fully adhered formats in acoustic, compact and compact acoustic versions. It comprises Forbo’s industry leading acoustic sheet vinyl - Sarlon 19 dB and Sarlon 15 dB – alongside its innovative, tried and tested adhesive free vinyl solution Modul’up 19 dB. Not only does the collection provide exceptional impact sound reduction properties, but Sarlon 15 dB offers the highest resistance to residual indentation.
The three acoustic solutions are also available in a choice of 94 designs, across four design families: Wood, Material, Colour and Graphic, and also include new digitally printed items.
In addition, the Acoustic Collection benefits from Forbo’s new XtremPURTM finish, an extremely high-performance lacquer protection, which provides the best possible resistance against stains, scuffs and scratches and provides a natural matte aesthetic. This new finish also enhances the slip resistance of the collection to R10 and delivers a fire performance of Bfl-s1.
The new Sarlon and Modul’up ranges are just two solutions from Forbo’s Acoustic flooring offering. The wider acoustic collection from Forbo also includes its modular LVT solution Allura Decibel; its safety vinyl, Step Decibel; its renowned sustainable options Marmoleum Decibel and Acoustic, and Forbo’s general sheet solution, Eternal de Luxe Decibel.
For more information about Forbo’s new Acoustic collection visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/acousticcollection or for more information on acoustics in buildings, you can download Forbo’s latest whitepaper, The Importance of Controlling Noise in the Built Environment: https://view.publitas.com/forboflooring-uk/forbo-whitepaper-the-importance-of-controlling-sound-in-the-built-environment-uk
