Bauakustik

Bauakustik, or building acoustics, is the branch of acoustics that deals with sound propagation and control within buildings and their surroundings. It covers the transmission of noise through partitions, floors and facades, as well as the acoustic quality inside rooms.

Key areas include room acoustics (reverberation time, sound absorption, speech intelligibility), airborne sound insulation between rooms, impact noise control on floors, and vibration isolation from mechanical equipment and structures. Flanking transmission and structural-borne sound are considered.

Measurement, evaluation and standards: Airborne sound insulation is rated by weighted sound reduction indices (Rw or Dn,w); impact sound is assessed with L'n,w. Room acoustics uses metrics such as reverberation time (T60), speech intelligibility (STI). Standards referenced include DIN 4109 for building sound insulation and DIN EN ISO 12354 for calculation of building acoustics; ISO 3382 for room acoustics measurements.

Design and construction methods include increasing mass and density, sealing leaks, and decoupling structures to reduce transmission; adding absorption to rooms; floating floors and resilient mounts to isolate vibrations; use of airtight construction to prevent flanking paths.

Applications range from residences and offices to schools, hospitals, theatres, concert halls and recording studios; Bauakustik is integrated into architectural design early and into HVAC noise control and quiet operation.

Outlook: with tighter energy codes and new materials, Bauakustik emphasizes integrated design, measurement-based verification, and computational modeling.