Glass solutions for optimal home comfort

Reduce noise levels on your facades without negatively affecting ventilation

Many offices in our country are vacant. At the same time, there is a huge shortage of housing. Not surprisingly, office buildings are regularly converted into housing. A great opportunity, but one that also brings challenges. For example, with regard to noise. Mview+'s Silent Air Facade Screens offer a solution to this. Simple, effective and transparent, which also adds a new dimension to the facade.

Mview+ develops, produces and delivers unique facade solutions for optimal living and working comfort. This focuses on the three pillars of insulation, light and sound. "Our solutions consist mainly of glass and are applied as 'pure' as possible in projects," says director Waldo Duin. "As a result, the transparency of the glass is utilized to the fullest. Combined with attractive and/or slim aluminum profiles with stainless steel fittings, our products are an enrichment for every building. From new construction to renovation and transformation and both inside and outside."

The Building Code sets specific noise requirements for residential environments, Duin knows. "To meet these requirements, residential projects have traditionally been built in low-noise locations. Utility buildings such as offices are often located on the edge of these locations, where they serve as noise barriers between the noise-sensitive and noise-exposed zones. Because space is limited in the Netherlands, however, and the demand for housing is high, this logical arrangement is increasingly disrupted. Increasingly, dwellings and residential buildings are being built next to (high-speed) roads and at other locations with high(er) noise levels. In addition, old and obsolete office buildings at noise-sensitive locations are regularly converted to housing. In order to create optimum living comfort in these locations as well, we have developed the Silent Air Façade Screens."

Optimal noise reduction and spray ventilation

According to the Noise Act, a limit value for road traffic of 48 dB applies at inner-city locations. "If you get above this limit, you have to take measures to achieve an indoor noise level of 33 dB," Duin said. "There is also an extreme limit value set at 63 dB. If you exceed this, you are required to build a 'deaf facade.' This means that no windows in this facade may be opened. The facade must also be soundproofed so that the noise level inside remains below 33 dB." In transformation and new construction projects, it often happens that one facade is too heavily loaded and must be deafened. "This sometimes makes realizing a residential environment difficult. After all, you have to be able to ventilate (air out) all living areas; also the areas on the deaf side. The Silent Air Sound Barriers offer an effective solution for this. The sound screens can easily be installed in front of parts to be opened, thus shifting the 'deaf' facade line. Behind the screen an outdoor climate is created with a noise level below the (ultimate) limit and where windows can still be opened."

Construction of the sound barrier

The patented Silent Air Sound Barriers are made of pre-stressed safety glass, combined with sound-absorbing coulisses. "The wings are constructed from a frame of perforated aluminum with a mineral filling, which absorbs incoming noise at the edge," said Duin. "Depending on the noise protection requirement, our facade screens can be constructed with one, two or three coulisse with variable spacing of 30 to 75 mm. Because sufficient free space is maintained between the facade and the noise screen, spray ventilation of the space behind remains possible." With the Silent Air Sound Barriers, noise reductions of up to 18.5 dB for road traffic and 24.4 dB for rail traffic are possible. "Because the wings can be powder-coated in any color, they also blend nicely with the aesthetics of the facade. The 'picture frames' created around the opening windows even provide a new dimension."

Also for new construction projects

There are studies that show that noise pollution can seriously affect our health, resulting in stress reactions, higher blood pressure and even death. Not for nothing is limiting noise pollution higher and higher on the agenda of governments. For example, more and more municipalities are stipulating that the bedrooms of new homes must have a soundproof facade, says Duin. "Here too, our Silent Air Façade Screens offer a perfect solution, where the noise screens can even be fully integrated into the façade. We like to think along with architects for an aesthetic solution tailored to (their) needs."