Body Corporate By-Laws –

1.0 BODY CORPORATE BY-LAWS

In Queensland, high-rise buildings are governed by a Body Corporate under the Community Management Act 1997 and the Body Corporate Commission. The By-Laws are legal documents that can be enforced. By-laws often include the statement:

Noise   “The occupier of a lot must not create noise likely to interfere with the peaceful enjoyment of a person lawfully on another lot or the common property”.

2.0 HARD FLOORING

Hard flooring cannot meet the same level of reduction as carpet. It is common that once the carpet has been removed, the lower occupants will be impacted by noise. it is currently illegal for body corporates to completely refuse the installation of all hard flooring. Palmer Acoustics, become involved with the Body corporate the owner and the floorer/installer to find solutions to mitigate this noise as much as possible. This is the current push and pull.

Hard flooring can often be the fence that divides neighbours and puts a large strain on the body corporate. 

It is currently not possible by using empirical means to predict floor impact insulation levels with 100% accurately. There are suppliers of floor impact insulation systems who quote that their product will provide a specific insulation level. This data must be seen with skepticism, as the reality is that levels of impact insulation are both unpredictable and inconsistent.

The following factors all come into the final levels of overall performance:

■ Slab thickness. It has the effect of reducing noise by approximately 9 dB per doubling of mass.

■ Whether the slab is pre or post-tensioned. This can significantly affect the ability of a slab to re-radiate impact noise to lower areas.

■ The density and composition of the concrete floor.

■ The location of beams, columns and shear walls.

■ The locations and types of interior wall and structural supports.

■ The use of curtain wall systems. These can create flanking paths that can significantly reduce acoustic insulation’s overall level (both airborne and structure-borne).

3.0 Do not accept manufacturers certificates or certificates that show results to another building that is not yours/check with us first as we can talk you through the process.

The industry often works with the following terms:

When assessing an apartment, there are 5 factors to consider:

1. The thickness and type of concrete slab (prestressed, post-stressed, not stressed or ribbed type floor slab)
2. Details of any lower plasterboard ceiling with an air gap.
3. The By-law – Is it reasonable or unreasonable
4. The size of the room (smaller rooms perform worse)
5. Type of floor surface – hard flooring, tiles or soft (carpet)

These all contribute to the overall result, and what makes lab testing certificates often irrelevant.