How to soundproof a house near an airport?
The site is located under an airport runway. The construction of the house consists of 375 mm thick aerated concrete blocks walls. The design of the house includes 2 facing options:
1. 50 mm mineral wool.
2. 120 mm facing brick with a ventilation gap of 40 mm.
Questions:
Which cladding option will provide better sound insulation against aircraft noise? Or will it be higher than that of any window in any variant? Which windows should I buy to achieve maximum sound insulation? Is it better to use maximum density aerated concrete, or are D500 and D600 different from each other in terms of sound insulation?
Answers
The heavier, the better. Ideally, reinforced concrete on granite.
If you exclude the weak points – the windows – you need more weight for the walls. And also the ceiling (the roof).
Cellular concrete, unfortunately, is quite good at transmitting low-frequency noise from the street. My apartment in a low-rise building made of aerated concrete confirms this. If there are loud low-frequency sounds on the street, you can hear them if you lean your ear against the cellular concrete exterior wall or partitions. Of course, you can also hear it through the air in the apartment, but the windows of the cheapest builders are also there. The difference between the bulk densities of aerated concrete 400, 500 and 600 is not so great – it's all bad!
