Non-residential acoustic regulations

Hospital design

The Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) set out the performance criteria for hospitals.The most relevant for partitions are:

HTM 56: Partitions
HTM 57: Internal glazing
HTM 58: Internal doorsets
HTM 81: Fire precautions in new hospitals
HTM 2045: Acoustics – This HTM will eventually replace the acoustic requirements in HTM 56.

In practice, the Building Regulations and Health Technical Memorandums should be referred to as the definitive guidance.

Acoustic performance

HTM 56 offers guidance on the design and specification of partitions that will meet the general requirements of users and conditions of use in health buildings.

Table 25 covers most of the common activity spaces within a typical hospital. The table grades non-loadbearing partitions according to their ability to provide minimum levels of airborne sound insulation for certain areas of activity. For these, and other areas, a number of possible solutions are available, subject to project requirements.

Some key considerations to maintain sound insulation performance are:

Adequate sealing of the perimeter frame and plasterboard faces and around penetrations
The performance characteristics of doors/internal glazing in comparison to that of the partition (section 2.10 HTM 57). A well-fitting door of solid core construction for instance, will achieve a sound insulation of 15-20 dB (section 2.10 HTM 58)
Fitting of sound attenuators within ducts at the point where the partition is penetrated

HTM 2045 ‘Design considerations’ is concerned with the control, reduction and absorption of noise (and vibration) in hospitals, excepting audiology facilities.

The general principles of HTM 2045 ‘Design Considerations’ are that:

Interior environments must be protected from external noise sources
Noise from interior areas should not adversely intrude on other interior areas
Internally generated noise should not adversely affect the external environment

**Table 25: Airborne sound insulation requirements (HTM 56)**
Location	1	2	2	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
1.Consulting rooms	43	43	*	48	43	48	43	53	53	*	48	*	48	*
2.Examination rooms	43	43	53	48	43	43	43	53	53	*	48	*	48	*
3.Treatment rooms	*	53	43	*	53	48	*	48	43	43	48	43	48	*
4.Speech therapy rooms	48	48	*	48	48	53	48	*	*	*	53	*	53	*
5.Offices	43	43	53	48	48	43	43	48	48	53	43	53	43	*
6.Seminar rooms	48	43	48	53	43	38	48	43	43	48	43	48	38	*
7.Single-bed wards	43	43	*	48	43	48	43	53	53	*	48	*	48	*
8.Multi-bed wards	53	53	48	*	48	43	53	43	43	48	48	48	43	*
9.Day rooms	53	53	43	*	48	43	53	43	48	43	48	43	48	*
10.Nurseries	*	*	43	*	53	48	*	48	43	43	48	43	48	*
11.Toilets and bathrooms	48	48	48	53	43	43	48	48	48	48	43	48	43	*
12.Utility rooms	*	*	43	*	53	48	*	48	43	43	48	43	48	*
13.Ward pantries	48	48	48	53	43	38	48	43	43	48	43	48	38	*
14.Plant motor rooms	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
1. Partitions between adjacent spaces marked * in this table should, if possible, be designed out (ie do not locate these spaces next to one another), because the satisfactory sound insulation of partitions between them may require special construction. 2. In the case of plant rooms, there is no specified requirement, and each situation needs separate consideration by the designer. 3. The minimum airborne weighted sound reduction index requirements are taken from BS 5821: Parts 2 & 3.

Fire considerations

HTM 56 provides a list of notes to assist the building designer in meeting the fire precaution requirements of the Building Regulations and the Firecode HTM 81: Fire precautions in new hospitals. It also includes paragraphs on cavity barriers, smoke control and surface spread of flame.

The main purpose of Firecode HTM 81 is to provide guidance on the standards of fire safety expected in new NHS hospitals. As fire safety is dependent not only on the physical fire precautions provided, HTM 81 also considers the fire safety implications of:

The dependency of the patient
Fire hazards within the hospital
Management policies
Availability of sufficient and adequately trained staff

Where the guidance given in Firecode HTM 81 is followed, The Building Regulations Part B will be satisfied.

Robustness of partitions

Appendix B of HTM 56 sets out performance requirements for strength and stability of partitions. The tests and levels of acceptance are taken from BS 5234: Part 2.

Partitions should be capable of meeting the requirements of BS 5234: Part 1:1992 within the appropriate duty category. The categories applicable to hospitals are: