BB 93 DfES
Building Bulletin 93 contains acoustic design requirements for
sound insulation between spaces, ambient noise levels and optimum
reverberation times for various spaces within educational
buildings. The use of this document is mandatory within national
Building regulations Part E and the requirements are enforced
through Building Control.
Department for Education and Skills guidelines (DfEE Building
Bulletin 87) also gives guidance on the noise levels generated by
particular activity rooms, their tolerance to background noise
levels, and the maximum background levels from adjacent areas,
ventilation and traffic noise. These standards should, however, be
regarded as a minimum and will need to be improved, for instance,
where hearing-impaired pupils are concerned, the DfEE bulletin
includes advice in this area. In music rooms, for example, pupils
need to be able to hear the music clearly without distraction, but
internal room acoustics will be equally important to provide the
appropriate acoustic ambience and sound enhancement. It is
often difficult to organise such spaces effectively without some
loss of overall flexibility. However DfEE Building Bulletin 87
recommends that certain spaces are not located together.
