Technical - Building Regulations

This page gives information on the following :

Part L (revised April 2006)
Part E (England & Wales)
Part B (England & Wales) and
Scottish Building Standards – Section 6 (Formerly Part J, Scotland) & Section 5

Part L

Part E

Approved Document E is split into four sections:

•  E1 - Protection against sound from other parts of the building and adjoining buildings.
•  E2 - Protection against sound within a dwelling/house etc
•  E3 - Reverberation in the common internal parts of buildings containing flats or rooms for residential  purposes
•  E4 - Acoustic Conditions in Schools

In respect of E1 and E2 the document gives examples of constructions which if built correctly should achieve the sound insulation values set out in Table 1a and 1b below. Sheffield Insulation sales staff are trained and conversant with Part E and can help you select the right material to use when building to these types of constructions.

A major constituent of Approved Document E1 and E2 is Pre-completion testing, a minimum of one in every 10 dwellings of the same house type are required to be tested and depending on the mix of different types of dwelling in a development, testing will be required on 10% - 30% of the development. For example if a development has only one type of house or flat within it, only 10% will require testing, if like most developments there is a mixture of different types of houses or flats the percentage of dwellings requiring testing is likely to be greater. No testing is required for construction work done in accordance with Approved Document E3.

Tables 1a and 1b below illustrate the airborne sound insulation and impact sound insulation values required in the various types of dwellings. Please note that in the case of Airborne sound insulation, DnTw is the measurement used, however as low-frequency sound is the most difficult frequency range to stop a Ctr (correction factor) is used to take this into account. LnTw is the measurement used to measure the impact sound insulation of floors (on site).

As an alternative to pre-completion testing there is the option to use Robust Details which was accepted as an alternative to pre-completion testing on the 1st July 2004. This new way of working is controlled by Robust Details Ltd, which is a non-profit making organisation comprising representatives from amongst others Building Control, Warranty providers, Acoustic advisors and the ODPM (Office Deputy Prime Minister).

Robust Details has already published specifications for Robust Details for Walls and Floors in the various construction types mainly giving generic specifications but also providing specific manufacturer solutions. Robust Details Ltd do however assess new candidate Robust Details and form a link with Building Control to maximise quality control.

All Sheffield Insulation branches have a copy of the Robust Detail handbooks and can advise you which material to use when building to any of the Robust Details listed.

Part B

Approved Document B - Fire Safety

The amendments on Approved Document B came into force on 6 April 2007 and affect all building work in England and Wales, including the erection, extension or material alteration of a building, and how fire safety is designed into a construction. In addition to this it also features revisions to the guidance on domestic loft conversions, the use of door-closing devices in dwellings and the provision of sprinklers in tall blocks of flats. Approved Document B is divided into two sections as follows:

•  Approved Document B (Fire safety) – Volume 1: Dwelling houses
•  Approved Document B (Fire safety) – Volume 2 - Buildings other than dwelling houses

For non-domestic buildings, the key changes include the introduction of a maximum unsprinklered compartment size for single storey warehouses, new guidance on residential care homes (including on the use of sprinklers) and a new requirement to ensure occupiers are made aware of their building's fire protection measures so as to assist with the preparation of fire risk assessments under the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order regime. A number of changes are specifically designed to make the guidance more accessible and easier to use to provide further clarity and guidance, to introduce further design freedoms and flexibilities and/or to provide better regulation.

Scottish Building Standards

Section 6

Section 6 of the Scottish Building Regulations addresses the leakage of carbon dioxide through buildings was introduced in 2007 to update the existing system which was based on Elemental and Target U-Values and Carbon Index Methods and replaces it with the SAP 2005 single method of compliance which calculates the Target Emission Rate (TER) required to by achieved by a dwelling. Section 6 aims to lower the carbon dioxide emissions of buildings in Scotland by 18 – 25% and will help the nation meet the goals set out in the European Unions Energy Performance of Building Directive.

Scottish Building Standard - Section 5

New Build and Extensions

Existing Buildings

Alterations and renovation work should aim at achieving the U-Values set out for new build construction.  Although due to the existing building type, era of when it was built and other construction considerations, the U-Values to be achieved may be relaxed.

However, the lowest U-Values to be achieved should be no worse than:-

Related Links

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•  Regulation Updates
•  Part L Guide
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