Integrated acoustic and thermohygrometric performances of building walls, for more efficient refurbishment strategies: first evaluations

In the recent years, the improvement of buildings energy performance has received more and more attention. The acoustic aspects are still considered often in a separate context, even if the acoustic and thermal insulation strategies applied to building structures could lead to bet-ter results if considered jointly, as both are based on the correct combination of materials, building construction techniques and workmanship. The paper’s objective is to highlight the advantages of the use of combined evaluation of thermal, hygrometric and acoustic behavior of existing building walls. The study highlights some aspects of the refurbishment actions, aiming to a more efficient integrated design of the acoustic and thermo-hygrometric perfor-mance. The analysis of the acoustic and thermo-hygrometric properties of some typical wall samples is developed on the one hand by means of acoustic measurements and, on the other hand, from walls thermo-hygrometric databases. The comparison with reference values for the acoustic/thermal performances of new and refurbished buildings allows to define the most ef-ficient integrated improvement actions. Some examples are considered and the calculation re-sults are compared to show how the acoustic performance improvement does not give neces-sarily optimal results in the thermo-hygrometric perspective and vice versa. Therefore, the need to consider both aspects at the same time is a priority.