Edinburgh Napier University

  This report presents the findings from a set of laboratory measurements undertaken
as part of a contract let by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to
investigate the performance of residential windows in their open and closed
conditions and to provide additional guidance on other factors affecting the level of
insulation.
The overall aim of the study is to provide rigorous guidance on the acoustical
properties of residential facades allowing for the requirements of natural ventilation,
through either open windows or background ventilators. The guidance is intended to
be of particular use at the planning stage for residential developments; where it can
be combined with appropriate acoustic criteria to indicate the scope, where
necessary, of noise mitigation works.The insulation of an open window has been generally accepted as being 10-15 dBA
although the precision and dependence on associated factors, such as opening style,
open area and window size, are not readily available. A programme of laboratory
measurements have been undertaken by the Building Performance Centre at Napier
University on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in
order to quantify the sound insulation provided by a variety of window types, opening
styles, areas of opening and ventilator devices