Spectrum Acoustic Consultants Ltd routinely carries out planning and BREEAM assessments for speculative multi-unit industrial warehouse schemes comprising Class B1, B2 and B8 uses

30 September 2019 by Alex Priestley, Senior Consultant

Spectrum are often approached by clients who wish to prepare a planning application for a speculative industrial warehouse scheme and where a noise impact assessment or the pursuit of BREEAM credits forms part of the acoustic design process.

The noise impact assessment typically requires a background sound survey to be conducted at noise sensitive receptors and subsequent environmental noise modelling to calculate the potential noise impact of the proposed scheme.

Noise modelling typically involves creating a 3-dimensional acoustic model of the proposed development, using calculated or estimated noise source sound power levels to predict the environmental noise impact of the site.

For a speculative scheme, Spectrum typically would assume a worst case, but realistic, level of operational activity at the site, based on experience of other similar schemes. Typical noise sources considered include internal activities within warehouse units breaking out through facades, roofs, and roller shutters, use of forklifts, manoeuvring HGVs, and cooling and ventilation plant.

Once a noise model has been created, it can be used to illustrate in a clear visual way how noise from the proposed development will affect the surrounding Noise Sensitive Receptors (NSR). However, a particularly useful function of the model, once created, is to use it for cost/benefit analyses for different operating scenarios, equipment types or levels of noise mitigation.

A typical scheme may also be targeting a BREEAM 2018 Excellent rating for which credits under Sections Pol 05 and Hea 05 are sought. The assessment for Pol 05 is similar to the planning noise impact assessment, however, only considers noise from fixed installations related to the buildings such as mechanical cooling and ventilation plant. The assessment for Hea 05 aims to ensure the buildings themselves offer a high level of acoustic performance in terms of suitable internal ambient noise levels for employees, sound insulation between internal spaces such as offices and meeting rooms, and a controlled level of reverberation in rooms suitable for the proposed use.