Descriptors of sound insulation of building structures in residential buildings in Ukraine and Europe

The object of the research is the descriptors (indices/parameters) of sound insulation of construction structures of residential buildings. The work presents a brief overview of modern generally accepted construction technologies in Eastern Europe. The most common sources of noise and the consequences of their impact on people's health and life have been studied. An analysis of the levels of airborne sound insulation indicators of building structures in European countries and Ukraine was carried out. Partitions for standard types of housing (private houses, townhouses, multi-story residential buildings) are considered. As a result, a great diversity of sound insulation requirements in different European countries was shown. And this leads to an imbalance and worsens the quality of connections in the construction sector, due to possible confusion and can cause certain problems in trade and exchange of experience. It is also shown that the difference between the numerical indicators of the sound insulation levels of air noise is not entirely appropriate within the EU, since the subjective indicators of the sound insulation of the population have approximately the same data. Comfortable conditions for people from different countries should be the same. Examples of descriptors of air noise sound insulation indicators of 35 European countries are given. Numerical norms of sound insulation levels of EU countries are detailed. General characteristics and differences between states are highlighted. The paper also examines the diversity of housing types and the relationship between detached, semi-detached (terrace/terraced) and multi-apartment buildings in many countries. This allows for some approximations to calculate the number of neighbors in these countries with adjoining walls and floors in attached housing. Having data on European countries, a conclusion was made with similar characteristics used in Ukraine. On the basis of the obtained data, the strengths and weaknesses of the Ukrainian noise protection regulations were determined, which consist in a small variety of modern types of housing, taken into account in the building regulations, and in a relatively low general level of requirements for sound insulation of building structures. Finally, the quality of life aspect of building occupants and the importance of good design, construction and control are discussed. We hope that the work gained will be used to achieve the goal of creating European-level housing. The already mentioned topic will be of interest to noise and sound insulation specialists, acoustic engineers, ecologists, urban planners and city planners.