Future Homes Project workshop offers free acoustic testing to the building industry

The University of Salford is offering a unique opportunity for the building industry to collaborate with experts on mini-projects, conducting advanced acoustic testing of their products using state-of-the-art measurement techniques.

Thanks to £3.5m funding from Innovate UK, the Future Homes Acoustics team is next month hosting a workshop called ‘Acoustics and Net Zero Homes: Challenges and Opportunities’. It will look at testing innovative building products of all kinds on the road to Net Zero.

With our unique facilities in our Acoustics Research Centre at Salford, the team can work and test in a cutting edge environment to understand particular challenges around noise and acoustics with a view to developing those products as they progress to market.

Issues that have been identified to date include nuisance noise from heat pumps and sound transmission through lightweight structures, that are becoming a common feature in modern methods of construction.

Salford’s Acoustics department, with its high-tech testing facilities such as the anechoic chamber, the quietest room in Europe, have already worked on many projects in this area and have expertise to help develop products. This research coupled, with the unique climate simulating Energy House 2.0 combine in March for the workshop.

Lucy Barton, research fellow at the University Of Salford, said “This is a fantastic opportunity for manufacturers in the low carbon and Modern Methods of Construction fields to have their products tested using state-of-the-art acoustic methods, and to view demonstrations of cutting-edge techniques in our world-class acoustic test labs.

“The Innovate UK-funded Future Homes Project Acoustics Team are interested in collaborating on mini-projects and testing products related to domestic construction or energy that are aimed towards the net-zero initiative. We are happy to consider any products from the prototype stage onwards.’’

Directors, officers and researchers from Net-Zero focused companies are invited to see the advanced techniques and practices that are used in acoustic testing processes in the construction of Net-Zero homes. There will be discussions on industrial collaborations and a tour given of the university’s world-class acoustic research facilities.

The Future Homes Project is a strategy funded by Innovate UK and partnered with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.

The event will take place on March 5 2024 from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm. Interest can be registered here. Interest needs to be registered by February 21.