E RESISTANCE TO THE PASSAGE OF SOUND
Attention is drawn to the following extracts from The Building Regulations 2000 (as amended by SI 2002/2871).
Interpretation (Regulation 2) “room for residential purposes” means a room, or suite of rooms, which is not a dwelling-house or flat and which is used by one or more persons to live and sleep in, including rooms in hotels, hostels, boarding houses, halls of residence and residential homes but not including rooms in hospitals, or other similar establishments, used for patient accommodation. Meaning of material change of use (Regulation 5)
For the purposes of paragraph 8 (1)(e) of Schedule 1 to the Act and for the purposes of these Regulations, there is a material change of use where there is a change in the purposes for which or the circumstances in which a building is used, so that after the change-
the building is used as a public building, where previously it was not;
the building is not a building described in Classes I to VI in Schedule 2, where previously it was; the building, which contains at least one dwelling, contains a greater or lesser number of dwellings than it did previously;
the building contains a room for residential purposes, where previously it did not; or
the building, which contains at least one room for residential purposes, contains a greater or lesser number of such rooms than it did previously.”
Requirements relating to material change of use (Regulation 6)
(1) Where there is a material change of use of the whole of a building, such work, if any, shall be carried out as is necessary to ensure that the building complies with the applicable requirements of the following paragraphs of Schedule 1- (a) in all cases, B1 (means of warning and escape) B2 (internal fire spread - linings) B3 (internal fire spread - structure) B4(2) (external fire spread-roofs) B5 (access and facilities for the fire service) F1 and F2 (ventilation) G1 (sanitary conveniences and washing facilities) G2 (bathrooms) H1 (foul water drainage) H6 (solid waste storage) J1 to J3 (combustion appliances) L1 (conservation of fuel and power - dwellings); L2 (conservation of fuel and power - buildings other than dwellings);
in the case of a material change of use described in regulations 5(c),(d), (e) or (f), A1 to A3 (structure);
in the case of a building exceeding fifteen metres in height, B4(1) (external fire spread - walls); in the case of material change of use described in regulation 5(a), C4 (resistance to weather and ground moisture);
in the case of a material change of use described in regulation 5(a), (b), (c), (g), (h) or (i) E1 to E3.
in the case of a material change of use described in regulation 5(e), where the public building consists of or contains a school, E4 (acoustic conditions in schools).
(2) Where there is a material change of use of part only of a building, such work, if any, shall be carried out as is necessary to ensure that - that part complies in all cases with any applicable requirement referred to in paragraph (1)(a); in a case to which sub-paragraphs (b), (d), (e) or (f) of paragraph (1) apply, that part complies with the requirements referred to in the relevant sub-paragraphs; and
in the case to which sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph (1) applies, the whole building complies with the requirement referred to in that sub-paragraph.” Sound insulation testing (Regulation 20A) 20A. (1) This regulation applies to –
building work in relation to which paragraph E1 of Schedule 1 imposes a requirement; and work which is required to be carried out to a building to ensure that it complies with paragraph E1 of Schedule 1 by virtue of regulation 6(1)(e) or 6(2)(b).
Resistance to the passage of sound Approved Document E 6