BS EN 15657:2017

What is BS EN 15657 - Acoustic properties of building elements and of buildings about? 

BS EN 15657 focuses on laboratory measurement of structure-borne sound from building service equipment for all installation conditions. 

BS EN 15657 covers water supply and sanitary installations, mechanical ventilation, heating and cooling devices, service equipment, lifts, rubbish chutes, boilers, blowers, pumps, motors and other auxiliary service equipment, such as motor-driven car park doors; it can also be applied to other vibrating equipment attached to or installed in buildings. BS EN 15657 is so far restricted to steady-state vibrating sources.  

Note: 

BS EN 15657 does not specify any method for the measurement of the source airborne sound power. If measurements of the equipment airborne sound power are required, then refer to EN ISO 3740 to EN ISO 3747 and use the same source mounting conditions and operating conditions as in measuring using EN 15657. 

Who is BS EN 15657 - Acoustic properties of building elements and of buildings for?  

BS EN 15657 on acoustic properties of building elements and of buildings is useful for: 

• Construction industries 
• Civil engineers   
• Building contractors 

Why should you use BS EN 15657 - Acoustic properties of building elements and of buildings?  

BS EN 15657 specifies: 

• Specifies laboratory measuring methods for determining the source input data required to calculate the source installed power 
• Applies to equipment, which can be connected to isolated plates in the laboratory. For equipment, such as pipe systems or impacted lightweight stairs [16], which are connected to at least two building elements (wall and floor), a coupled reception plate system is specified, which requires the use of a power substitution method 
• Defines the expression of the source installed structure-borne power for any source-receiver mobility conditions, including lightweight and heavyweight receiving building elements 
• Defines a method to calculate the total structure-borne sound power generated by the equipment fictively mounted on two sets of reference test plates (respectively of low mobility and of high mobility) 

You can use BS EN 15657 for estimating the structure-borne sound power produced in buildings by services equipment (sources) from measurements under laboratory conditions. Also to calculate the sound pressure levels produced by the same equipment when installed in buildings and to compare the performance of products. 

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN 15657:2017 supersedes BS EN 156571:2009, which is withdrawn.