On the acoustical retrofit of existing buildings: comparative study of regulations in Europe and other countries

Over the last recent years, an increase in people's awareness has arose about the benefits effects of the indoor environment on human comfort and health conditions. In terms of acoustics, noise reduction and sound transmission control has become a significant issue to be taken into account, since domestic complaints about noise have increased five-fold in some countries. Overall, it is estimated that in the last two decades only 15% of the housing stock will be at least at the level of the current standards demand for new dwellings, so that attention thus be focussed on existing buildings, as they provide more possibilities to be renovated. In this regard, it is interesting to note that not all national Building Codes and Standards take into account the regulation of old buildings, precisely when most of the housing stock was built at a time with lack of regulatory policies. The aim of this paper is thus to develop a comparative study of the acoustic requirements established in current building regulations around the world, mainly focused on the acoustical retrofit of existing buildings. The analysis aims to solve some doubts that arise in this field.