ACOUSTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

FOR HOTELS AND HOSTELS

SUBMITTED BY :
AKSHITA PANWAR
VIDUSHI AGARWAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 3
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS............................................................................................................. 3
GENERAL ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................................................................... 4
SITE PLANNING............................................................................................................................................ 4
INTERNAL PLANNING ............................................................................................................................... 4
MEASURES TO PROVIDE ACOUSTIC COMFORT ...................................................................... 6
SOUND ABSORPTION................................................................................................................................. 6
SOUND INSULATION .................................................................................................................................. 6

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

INTRODUCTION

Acoustics is defined as the science that deals with the production, control, transmission,
reception, and effects of sound. Science of production, control, transmission, reception, and
effects of sound. Its principal branches are architectural, environmental, musical, and
engineering acoustics, and ultrasonics. Environmental acoustics focuses on controlling noise
produced by aircraft engines, factories, construction machinery, and general traffic. Musical
acoustics deals with the design and use of musical instruments and how musical sounds affect
listeners. Engineering acoustics concerns sound recording and reproduction systems.
Ultrasonics deals with ultrasonic waves, which have frequencies above the audible range, and
their applications in industry and medicine.
The qualities that determine the ability of an enclosure (as an auditorium) to reflect sound
waves in such a way as to produce distinct hearing. Acoustics, the science concerned with the
production, control, transmission, reception, and effects of sound. The term is derived from
the Greek akoustos, meaning hearing.
Beginning with its origins in the study of mechanical vibrations and the radiation of these
vibrations through mechanical waves, acoustics has had important applications in almost
every area of life. It has been fundamental to many developments in the arts some of which,
especially in the area of musical scales and instruments, took place after long experimentation
by artists and were only much later explained as theory by scientists. For example, much of
what is now known about architectural acoustics was actually learned by trial and error over
centuries of experience and was only recently formalized into a science.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

GENERAL

Hotels and hostels are primarily used as dwelling units, and hotels also provide for public
entertainment. The most serious risk of course is disturbance to sleep, and adequate care,
therefore, need be taken to protect the occupants from being disturbed by outdoor and indoor
noise.
OUTDOOR NOISE
Hotels near railway stations, airports, highways and those situated in highly urbanized areas
are specially vulnerable to outdoor noise. The outdoor noise in many of the areas is of a high
level even late at night and in the early morning. The noise could also be due to other types
of activities such as building construction activity (pile driving, concrete mixing etc) and
various types of portable utility equipment, such as compressors or generators.

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

INDOOR NOISE
In so far as indoor noise is concerned, the noise could be due to the occupants themselves,
which is transmitted from one room to the other. It could also be due to public functions and
late night use of restaurants located in the hotel as also due to miscellaneous utility
equipment installed for providing and maintaining the services in the hotel, such as, air
conditioning equipment, pumping equipment, power laundry and kitchen. Sometimes hotels
equipped with standby generators are a potential source of noise. Another source which
could lead to disturbance to the occupants is the plumbing.

RECOMMENDATIONS
SITE PLANNING

While it is desirable to locate the hotel, or hostel away from an area where there is a high
ambient noise level, many a time these have to be located in noisy areas for public
convenience. Hotels near airports and railway stations are becoming popular because they are
convenient for passengers in transit. Hotels located in the commercial areas of a city are also
a commercially viable proposition and many a time this factor outweighs the other problems
associated with such a location. When a reasonably quiet location is not possible, it is
desirable that adequate measures be considered to provide a comfortable acoustical
environment for the occupants.
INTERNAL PLANNING

Where a hotel is located in a noisy environment, the 20 provisions of sealed windows

(single or double) and provision of an air conditioning system is desirable for rooms
exposed to noise. The requirements for the windows would of course depend upon
the level and character of noise in the area.
Hotels of all classes shall by necessity provide good protection against indoor noise.
Since hotels can be considered as flats, the standards of protection recommended for
flats are also applicable to hotels. Partition between guest rooms and between rooms,
corridors and floors shall not be less than 115mm brick wall plastered or equivalent.
The floors shall have proper impact insulation. Special attention should be paid to
built-in wall cupboards, as these are potential areas of sound leakage. These will not
serve as sound insulating partitions and may not be relied upon to increase the
insulation value of partitions against which they may be built. In fact, partitions

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

between adjoining rooms should be continuous behind the cupboards. Use of silent
type door gear and cupboard catches is also highly desirable.
Door openings on opposite sides of corridors shall be staggered and doors be
provided with gaskets on head, sides and threshold. Inter-communicating doors
should be double doors, fully gasketed. Doors should also have quiet action latches.
Whenever possible, rooms should be entered through a baffle lobby. Wherever
possible, corridor walls should not have ventilators unless they are double glazed and
non-openable.
Corridors and staircases may have resilient floor coverings and sound absorbent
ceilings are desirable unless the corridor is fully carpeted. Staircases and lift wells
may be cut off from corridors by means of swing doors and, if possible, isolated from
guest rooms by linen stores or similar rooms. Room service pantries on floors can
also be a source of noise and may be separated from corridors by baffle lobbies,
unless the rooms themselves have baffle lobbies.
Except within the same suite, bathrooms should not be planned next to bedrooms.
Where this is unavoidable, internal pipe shafts with heavy walls, unpierced on
bedrooms side may be used as means of separation. It is important to choose quiet
type of sanitary fittings and to design the plumbing system so as not to create noise,
that is by avoiding sharp bends, restrictions of flow, quick-action valves that might
cause water hammer, etc.
Air conditioning system should be quiet in operation. Care should also be taken that
the air conditioning ducts do not lead to a cross-talk problem between rooms. Suitable
acoustical lining would need to be provided in the ducts consistent with the fire safety
requirements of the buildings.
Large hotels often have banquet halls and conference halls which are separately hired
out for public and private functions. Late night restaurants and night clubs are also
popular and functions in all these areas may go on well into the night. It is therefore
essential that these rooms be effectively isolated from bedrooms and effective
insulation from all possible noise source is considered. Here it is not only necessary
to consider the air-borne sound insulation but it is also necessary to consider the
question of structure-borne and impact noise transmitted from areas where there
might be dancing late into the night.
While most of the noise problems encountered in hotels are applicable to hostels, the
latter are normally of more economical construction and, therefore, cannot cater for
special sound insulation provisions. However, as far as possible, precautions should
be taken to provide comfortable conditions in hostel rooms. This is specially true for
student hostels where each room is also a living room. Students might play music or
have loud discussions late into the night.
This may disturb sleep or study of other students. Proper precautions should,
therefore, be taken to provide satisfactory conditions.

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

MEASURES TO PROVIDE ACOUSTIC COMFORT

Acoustic comfort in a hotel or hostel is achieved by minimization of noise transmission from

one guestroom to another and the control of noise levels and characteristics in public areas,
guestrooms, restaurants, etc.
There are two ways to achieve acoustic comfort:

Sound Absorption
Sound Insulation

SOUND ABSORPTION

It is the term given to the loss of sound energy when reflected on a surface. Application areas:
restaurants, meeting room, dining room (incase of a hostel)

SOUND INSULATION

It is the term describing the reduction of sound, which passes between two spaces separated
by a dividing element (wall). The sound energy may pass through the dividing element (direct
transmission) and through the surrounding structures (indirect or flanking transmission).
Application areas: between guestrooms.

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

Flanking of sound can happen due to the junctions in the wall, running services into the walls,
or through the gaps between the walls and the ceiling.

A reduction in flanking transmission will help in achieving good room acoustics. reduction in
flanking transmission will help in achieving good room acoustics.
Sound insulation is measured by two commonly used terms - Sound Transmission Class
(STC) and Weighted Sound Reduction Index (Rw). Both the terms define different standards
however, the result is more or less the same.

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

Standard for building: As per National Building Code (NBC) India - Part 8 Acoustics control
(Residential Group A - Hotels as subdivision 9.2.2.1) Acoustical standard for systems: ISO
717: Rating of sound insulation in building and of building elements - Part 1: Airborne sound
insulation NOTE: IIC - Impact Insulation Class

SOLUTIONS TO PROVIDE ACOUSTIC COMFORT

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

REFERENCES
www.soundproofcow.com
www.gyproc.in
www.britannica.com
www.lawresource.org

AKSHITA PANWAR & VIDUSHI AGARWAL -B.ARCH (SEM VII)

10