Commercial soundproofing in Kenya is essential not only to comply with the law, but for creating comfortable, productive, and efficient work environments.

It involves reducing unwanted noise to improve sound quality and clarity. Whether you’re dealing with noisy machinery, open office spaces, or bustling restaurants, effective soundproofing can significantly enhance your business operations.

Industrial pollutants are not limited to solids, liquids, and gases. Industrial processes can also produce loud noises. Noise pollution occurs when sounds from industrial operations impair the hearing of workers, bystanders, or nearby residents. Twenty-four percent of people with hearing impairments have suffered from exposure to noise in the workplace. Residents may also suffer from noise from machinery, safety alarms, and heavy trucks at industrial sites.

One of the disadvantages of modern buildings is poor sound insulation. Silence is vital and noise can be tolerated. But it occurs at the most inopportune times and distracts employees from their work. The shaking of walls from a passing tram or hammer drill is structural noise. But impacts on the floor, falling objects, and conversations of employees behind the wall are impact noise. An echo in an empty office is an acoustic noise phenomenon.
But every type of noise can be reduced. So soundproofing an office is a solvable, and sometimes necessary, task.

In the competitive business world, every detail counts in creating an exceptional customer experience. Soundproofing commercial establishments such as restaurants, cafes, auditoriums, and offices is a crucial factor that is often overlooked. However, good soundproofing not only improves customer comfort and satisfaction but can also be a determining factor in the success of the business.

Why is Commercial Soundproofing Important?

Noise pollution is an irritating noise of anthropogenic origin that disrupts the normal life of humans and animals. Anthropogenic factors include sounds of moving transport, operating industries, construction equipment, and various mechanisms. Sounds from natural sources are not considered noise pollution: the body easily adapts to them, and they cannot cause harm.

Investments in commercial real estate have always attracted business in Kenya. However, the presence of tenants above shops, bars, and other objects regularly causes long-term legal and domestic conflicts.

It is almost impossible to predict the activity profile of your future commercial tenant. For this reason, reliable protection of the apartment stock is needed.

The main problem is that general construction materials, which include plasterboard, gypsum board, mineral wool, etc., are not able to solve the problem of high-quality sound insulation.

And yet, constantly exceeding the comfortable noise level has negative effects on a person. According to WHO, noise pollution provokes cardiovascular pathologies, diseases of the central nervous system, sleep disorders, and even diabetes. But first of all, high noise levels lead to hearing impairment.

Improve customer experience

In restaurants and cafes, a quiet environment free of disturbing noise is essential for customers to enjoy their meal and conversation. Excessive noise can result in a negative experience, upsetting customers and affecting the reputation of the establishment.

Increase productivity

In offices and workspaces, noise can be a significant distraction that reduces concentration and productivity. Soundproofing helps create a quieter and more productive work environment, allowing employees to focus on their tasks without interruption.

Comply with legal regulations

In Kenya, there are loose regulations governing noise levels in commercial establishments. Complying with these regulations not only prevents fines and penalties but also demonstrates the business’s commitment to the well-being of its customers and employees.

Improve sound quality in auditoriums and conference rooms

In spaces designed for events, presentations, and conferences, sound quality is essential. Good soundproofing ensures that the sound is clear and interference-free, improving the audience experience.

Common Areas for Commercial Soundproofing

The purpose of Soundproofing

The purpose of commercial sound insulation is to deflect sound and prevent it from passing through the wall of the room. The characteristic structure of commercial soundproofing materials creates an obstacle to the passage of sound and deflects it. The soundproofing ability of a commercial building structure is determined, first of all, by its mass. The more massive and thicker the wall, the more difficult it is for sound vibrations to rock it. The sound insulation ability of enclosing structures used in construction is assessed by the value of the sound insulation index. The sound insulation index is measured in dB, and optimally it should be from 52 to 60 dB (for enclosing structures). Soundproofing materials include dense materials such as concrete, brick, drywall, and other materials that can reflect sound.

Sound absorption

The purpose of commercial sound absorption is to absorb noise and prevent it from being reflected from the obstacle back into the room. Commercial sound-absorbing materials have a fibrous, granular, or cellular structure. The sound absorption characteristics are assessed by the sound absorption coefficient. The sound absorption coefficient varies from 0 to 1. With a zero sound absorption coefficiency sound is completely reflected. While with complete sound absorption, the coefficiency is equal to one. Sound-absorbing materials include those that have a sound absorption coefficient of at least 0.4.

According to the degree of rigidity, sound-absorbing materials are hard, soft, and semi-rigid.

• Solid materials are produced from granulated or suspended mineral wool; materials that include porous aggregates such as pumice, expanded perlite, and vermiculite. Sound absorption coefficient: 0.5. Volumetric mass: 300-400 kg/m3.
• Soft sound-absorbing materials are made from mineral wool or fiberglass; as well as cotton wool, felt, etc. Sound absorption coefficient: from 0.7 to 0.95. Volumetric mass: up to 70 kg/m3.
• Semi-rigid materials are mineral wool or fiberglass boards, materials with a cellular structure are polyurethane foam, etc. Sound absorption coefficient: from 0.5 to 0.75. Volumetric mass: from 80 to 130 kg/m3.

To combat impact noise, elastic materials are used, mainly with a closed cellular structure. And porous or fibrous ones with a high sound absorption cope coefficient with airborne noise. Structural noise can be combated by using cushioning material to protect the joints of load-bearing elements.

Airborne sound insulation

One of the ways to protect against the penetration of extraneous sounds can be the installation of dense and massive walls and ceilings. This can be monolithic reinforced concrete, expanded clay, foam concrete blocks, etc. The main thing is that they, together with the binding solution, form a sealed structure without cracks and holes.

However, increasing the massiveness of walls and ceilings is a rather complex and ineffective task. Because doubling the mass of a structure leads to an increase in the sound insulation index by only a few decibels.

A more acceptable way to protect against airborne noise is to create a multilayer structure consisting of several alternating layers of hard, dense, and soft building materials.

Dense materials such as brick, concrete, plasterboard, etc. can be used as a rigid layer. They exhibit sound insulation properties, and the greater their density, the higher the sound insulation. The layer of soft material has a sound-absorbing function. Materials with a fibrous structure are used as a sound-absorbing layer: mineral wool, glass wool, and silica fibers. In this case, the thickness of the sound-absorbing material in the structure matters; the effective thickness starts from 50 mm. The thickness of the absorbent layer must be at least 50% of the internal space of the partition.

Currently, the most effective materials with high sound absorption coefficients are products made of mineral wool and fiberglass.

The “box in box” acoustic soundproofing technique

The techniques used to obtain good acoustic soundproofing are very varied. They will depend on the position of the noise source and the position of its possible receivers. The solution most widely used by acoustic engineers for correct noise reduction is based on the “box in box” construction technique.

The concept is based on ensuring that the interior enclosure is mechanically separated from the exterior enclosure. You can achieve this thanks to the construction techniques used for the floating floor, the insulating ceiling, and the acoustic cladding.

An important factor to take into account is the frequencies from which we want to isolate ourselves. The behavior of acoustic materials and their effectiveness against noise depend directly on this parameter. That is why acoustic engineers use different construction techniques to achieve the necessary insulation improvements in each frequency range to be treated.

But we must not forget that this would be the ideal situation since the enclosures need different elements to be functional: doors, viewers or windows, ventilation systems, air conditioning systems, water installations, electrical and data installations, etc.

All of these elements, in one way or another, will break the “box-in-box” and reduce the acoustic conditioning designed to achieve efficient insulation.

When we encounter these situations, the sound insulation resulting from the wall, which is made up of multiple elements (eg door + window + duct + wall), is what we call mixed sound insulation. This will depend on the insulation of each of the elements individually and the surface area they occupy within the wall.

Commercial Soundproofing Regulations in Kenya: A Challenge

Unfortunately, there are no specific, detailed regulations explicitly outlining soundproofing standards for premises in Kenya.

This lack of specific regulations presents a challenge for both property owners and residents. While there are general building codes and environmental noise pollution laws, these often don’t delve into the specifics of soundproofing residential or commercial spaces.

Potential Sources of Guidance

Though not legally binding, the following might provide some guidance:

1. National Building Code: While this code may not have specific soundproofing requirements, it could offer general construction and structural standards that indirectly influence sound insulation.
2. Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA): This law focuses on environmental noise pollution. While primarily concerned with external noise, some provisions might indirectly relate to internal soundproofing.
3. Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS): While not directly involved in regulations, KEBS might have published standards or guidelines related to building materials and construction practices that could impact soundproofing.
4. Industry Standards and Best Practices: International building codes and standards, such as those from the International Code Council (ICC) or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), can offer valuable reference points.

Other ways to protect yourself from commercial noise pollution

Today there are many ways to protect people’s health from sound pollution. For example, for residential premises, such as apartment buildings, noise level standards have been established. According to the so-called “silence laws,” the noise level should not exceed 45 decibels from 07:00 to 23:00 and no more than 55 decibels during the daytime. Compliance with this rule will not only help residents preserve their hearing but also establish good neighborly relations.

In the urban environment, the most effective way to protect against noise is proper development planning. When constructing large facilities with a high potential for creating sound pollution, a suitable location is selected. For example, airports are being built outside the city. The same applies to production. In addition, according to environmental legislation, such facilities are surrounded by sanitary protection zones.

The fight against noise at work depends on the type of industry and is determined by its characteristics. For example, standards are established for interaction with equipment, after which the employee must take a break. Personal safety and protective equipment are also used.

Conclusions

We can conclude that the acoustic insulation that we will be able to achieve with an acoustic treatment will depend on:

• The isolation of each of the elements that make up the acoustic treatment.
• The frequency range of the noise source from which we want to isolate ourselves.
• The frequency range of each of the materials or compositions used for soundproofing.
• The background noise level of the space where the noise is received.

It is essential to be very clear that the acoustic insulation of each of the materials we use depends on their physical characteristics and their behavior to noise.

Not all acoustic materials are suitable for all frequency ranges. This is a very common mistake that leads to undesirable final results.

To properly analyze acoustic insulation, it is essential to know the noise spectrum of the sound source and the insulation spectrum of each of the materials or combination of them that we will use for insulation. The resulting value that we will have will depend on the acoustic behavior for each frequency band.