If you live in an urban area, chances are that you can hear traffic noise in your home and workplace. Many of us don’t think much of it, but research shows that road traffic noise plays a contributing role in the development of many health conditions.
According to research, it can contribute to cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, metabolic dysregulation and a range of neurodegenerative conditions.
In addition, consistent road traffic noise can lead to stress and disturb sleep patterns, both of which are also known to be detrimental to our health and wellbeing. For many of us, there are few options to avoid it. After all, not all of us can live in the countryside.
But there is a solution that could help, not just in residential settings, but also in places like hospitals, where giving people peaceful spaces is even more vital. That solution is acoustic glass.
What is acoustic glass?
Acoustic glass, also known as acoustic laminated glass, is designed specifically to reduce noise from the outside environment. This kind of window has an advanced acoustic interlayer between the two panes of glass in the double glazed unit, which reduces the noise that you hear indoors.
It works by using several barriers to disrupt the sound waves being transmitted from the likes of traffic noise, thereby preventing them from being heard inside the building.
The middle layer that sits between the two panes is specifically designed to dampen soundwaves, which prevents a lot of noise getting through. However, by using two different thicknesses of glass for the unit, these sound waves are even further disrupted.
As a result, acoustic glass can considerably reduce the level of noise entering a building from the outside world.
Where can you use acoustic glass?
Acoustic glass is also useful inside buildings. If you have glass walled offices or dividers between spaces, acoustic glass can help prevent conversations from being overheard or other noise from distracting those working next door.
Naturally, it can also be used for exterior-facing glazing, whether in the form of windows or whole glazed walls. Acoustic laminated glass can be installed in office buildings, other commercial premises, residential developments, hospitals and even airports.
Essentially, it can be used anywhere that you would want to reduce the level of noise inside a room or building. Of course, it also works the other way around, so if noise is created inside a room with an acoustic glass wall, for instance, that sound would be dampened considerably.
Is acoustic glass better than triple glazing?
When it comes to noise reduction, yes, acoustic glass offers a superior performance to triple glazing. That’s because it is designed with this purpose in mind.
Triple glazing does offer more noise cancellation than double glazing, but its real benefits lie in its insulation and therefore its energy efficiency, rather than its noise reduction potential. That said, acoustic glass is also insulated, which means it too reduces heat loss from the window.
That said, acoustic glass tends to be more expensive than triple glazing, so you need to cost your project carefully to ensure that acoustic glass is the way to go.