Healthy and pleasant living in inner-city area

New Harbour Window combines maximum sound insulation with maximum opening and easy cleaning from the inside

The housing shortage in the Netherlands is leading to a sharp increase in inner-city high-rise buildings, with buildings seeking the edges of their lots. This not only places new demands on wind and water tightness and fire safety, but also on the noise load on facades. Noise from, for example, road traffic, air traffic, train traffic and industry must be reduced to an acceptable level in order to ensure a healthy and pleasant living environment in accordance with the Building and Living Environment Decree (Bbl). Solarlux developed Soundline M for this purpose, which combines maximum sound insulation with maximum opening and easy cleaning from the inside.

In new high-rise projects in urban areas, near (rail) roads or industry, a ‘deaf façade’ is often applied to meet noise standards. A deaf facade is a building structure that contains no parts to be opened (windows/doors) that are in direct connection with the outside air or where the parts to be opened are sufficiently soundproof when closed. “In the vast majority of new construction high-rise projects, the noise-exposed facade is still constructed without any parts that can be opened,” André Jansen, senior account manager at Solarlux, knows. “When the sun shines on these facades, the indoor temperature quickly rises considerably. Despite the fact that noise is efficiently kept out, the living comfort in these houses is by no means acceptable as a result. The Soundline M extension frame/Harbour Window offers an effective solution to this.”

Natural ventilation prevents overheating

At the base of Soundline M is an insulated tilt and turn window or two- or three-piece folding window in wood, aluminum or wood/aluminum. “The tilt-and-turn or folding window comes on the inside of the system and is combined with a transparent and uninsulated (single-glazed) Proline S sliding system or Proline T sliding/turning system on the outside,” Jansen says. “Where the slim construction ensures maximum light transparency, natural ventilation helps prevent overheating. Moreover, because the Proline T sliding/turning system can be easily opened inward, easy cleaning from the inside becomes possible. This eliminates the need for a separate window cleaning system.”

Excellent sound insulation

With Soundline M, sound insulation (Rw value) of more than 50 dB is possible, Jansen knows. “If the system is in ventilation mode, a sound insulation of 37 dB is still achieved. An achievement of which we are naturally very proud.” The extension frame also convinces with its elegant appearance as well as increased thermal insulation. “For example, tests by Bauwerk - Ingenieurbüro für Bauphysik show a Uw-value of ≤ 1.1 (1.086) W/m2K for a standard aluminum window and a Uw-value of ≤ 0.69 (0.691) W/m2K for a standard wood window.”

Fully modular system

Soundline M fully complies with NEN standards. Moreover, the system can already be assembled in the factory into a complete module, which is transported just-in-time to the construction site and can be lifted directly into the facade at the right place. “This can result in significant savings in transport corridors to and labor time on the construction site,” says Jansen. “Also, the logistics on construction can be planned much more efficiently.”

New: Soundline M Mega

Soundline M has a mounting depth of 180 mm and is perfectly suited to reduce noise from road traffic, air traffic and train traffic. “If there are increased requirements due to industrial noise, for example, we recommend our Soundline M Mega,” Jansen explains. “This system - with a built-in depth of 500 mm - is currently under development.” On request, floor-to-ceiling elements with integrated fall protection are also possible, as are integrated shading elements.