Building Services

Plant Noise, Structure-Borne Sound & Vibration Isolation

We help building services teams achieve planning and operational compliance by addressing noise at the source: refining vibration of plant and support structures, designing isolation correctly, and producing BS 4142 assessment reports that stand up to scrutiny.

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What we deliver

BS 4142 assessments & reporting

Rigorous surveys, rating level calculations (including acoustic features), uncertainty and context—plus clear mitigation plans aligned with planning conditions.

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Structure-borne sound diagnosis

Operational vibration/ODS measurements on plant and building fabric; identify dominant paths and frequencies causing rooms-to-plant complaints.

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Vibration isolation & support design

Isolation selection and stiffness tuning for fans, pumps, chillers, air-handling units and rooftop plant; avoid lively supports and secondary resonances.

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Compliance & neighbour impact

Evidence-led mitigation to satisfy local authority, planning and workplace requirements, with concise documentation for sign-off.

Regulatory compliance

Typical building services problems we solve

  • BS 4142 rating levels above limits at nearest residences (tonality/impulsivity penalties triggering exceedance).
  • Rooftop plant or telecoms masts exciting floors/frames, leading to tenant disturbance.
  • Fans/pumps on too-soft or too-stiff mounts causing amplification at running speed or blade-pass orders.
  • Vibration bridging around isolators via pipework, ductwork or fixings.
  • New plant failing planning conditions; need for pragmatic mitigation that fits space/weight constraints.
  • Complaints of low-frequency hum or droning travelling through structure.
  • Poor isolation due to lively support steelwork or resonant curbs and plinths.
  • Documentation gaps: survey method, uncertainty, acoustic features and context not addressed.

Our approach

  1. Define requirements → planning conditions, receptor criteria, operational constraints.
  2. Measure → attended noise surveys, operational vibration/strain, path characterisation.
  3. Analyse & model → spectral/order analysis, isolation sizing, support dynamics.
  4. Refine → isolation/damping, stiffness/mass tuning, source and path mitigation.
  5. Validate → post-mitigation checks and compliance documentation.

Standards & compliance

Preferred assessment to BS 4142 for industrial/plant noise, with methods from BS/EN/ISO where relevant. We align reporting with local authority expectations and employer responsibilities (workplace noise/vibration), and adopt client templates to streamline approvals.

Need a different framework (e.g., BS 5228 for construction or project-specific criteria)? We can incorporate additional standards on request.
Regulatory compliance

Related case studies

Structure-borne sound at a telecoms tower

Diagnosed dominant paths and installed tuned isolation to eliminate tonal complaints in occupied spaces.

Plant isolation retrofit

Respecified mount stiffness and support dynamics to remove amplification at running speed; verified by re-test.

Facing plant noise or structure-borne sound issues? We’ll measure, model and fix it at the source—and document compliance.