Do you know what’s involved in Compartmentation Surveys or what an Acoustic Audit can tell you?
This short article breaks down what they are and their benefits.
Compartmentation Surveys
What is a Compartmentation Survey?
Compartmentation Surveys are an essential part of ongoing building safety management within existing buildings. A compartmentation survey is an in-depth assessment of a building’s ability to contain smoke and fire and protect escape routes.
Survey Process & Visual Inspections
It involves detailed visual inspection works within ceiling and floor voids, roof spaces, as well as within service rises, and other spaces.
Objective of Compartmentation Surveys
The objective of a Compartmentation Survey is to ensure that if a fire does break out within a particular area of a building, it will be contained in this area for the required minimum period of time. This allows occupants of the building time to escape and allows time for fire services to arrive and fight the fire.
Focus areas & Building Applications
The survey focusses on fire doors and compartment walls and floors.
It can be applied across many building uses including residential, education, commercial, hotels, industrial, healthcare and more.
Fire Strategy Drawings
At times, fire strategy drawings are required to outline the requirements for fire resistance of compartment elements, such as doors, walls and floors to support the compartmentation inspection surveys.
Find out more about our Building Surveying and Fire Engineering services
Acoustic Audits
What is an Acoustic Audit
An Acoustic Audit provides a detailed inspection of a building premises. The Audit includes inspections of sound insulating elements (such as walls, floors and doors); testing and commentary on reverberation time performance in occupied areas; and inspection of plant installations with respect to potential noise disturbance.
Objectives of an Acoustic Audit
Acoustic audits determine areas within existing buildings that are acoustically compromised and not able to achieve what is considered good design, the specification practice and in some instances building regulations compliance.
Acoustic Audit Reports
On completion of the inspections, a detailed acoustic audit report will be issued outlining the findings of the inspections. Where remedial works are required these will be detailed for further works by the client.
Acoustic Strategy Drawings
At times, Acoustic strategy drawings are required to outline the requirements for sound insulation of building elements, such as doors, walls and floors to support the Acoustic Audit inspection surveys.
Find out more about our Acoustic services
