New guidance launched to support compliance with Approved Document O

The 38-page ‘Approved Document O Noise Guide’ lays out the requirements set down in the Building Regulations, focusing on overheating mitigation in new residential buildings.

A Working Group of industry experts from the ANC and IOA has worked on the advice, which sets out a method to demonstrate compliance to the Building Control Body of the noise constraints in Approved Document O.

It supersedes the ‘Guide to Demonstrating Compliance with the Noise Requirements of Approved Document O’, which was a draft for consultation.

In the latest document, the statutory guidance relevant to the industry in Approved Document O is explained, and the authors have focused on overheating mitigation using methods such as opening windows, ventilation louvres in external walls, and mechanical ventilation and mechanical cooling systems.

Louise Beamish, Chair of the ANC, said: “This guide sets out a method to demonstrate compliance to the Building Control Body of the noise constraints in Approved Document O.

“It aims to provide clarity for practitioners and regulators so that assessments can be carried out consistently, and the outcome is repeatable and reliable.”

Chair of the Working Group, James Healey added: “Meeting the requirements of Approved Document O has been a challenge for developers, particularly from a design coordination perspective and due to varied interpretations of the approach, which affect the route to compliance.

“This latest guide offers an extensive evaluation of all the methods available to developers of residential properties, with contributions from the principal authors of the Acoustics, Ventilation and Overheating Guide.

“It provides guidance for practitioners to appropriately implement the requirements of Approved Document O, assists the industry in the understanding of what is published in the regulation and uses award-winning research to provide an approach that uses one language form for both acousticians and thermal modellers to increase coordination.

“Whilst the requirements of Approved Document O are succinct, there is some ambiguity regarding important details.  Some of these have been addressed in this new guide, which provides interpretation and clarification on content within a published regulation.”

The guide is available for free download at https://www.association-of-noise-consultants.co.uk/approved-document-o-noise-guide/