S-shaped glass also stands for soundless. Sound insulation measurements and implication for building practice

This paper brings to discussion the sound insulation of a special type of glazing by studying a S(inusoidal)-shaped curved glass. This is been used in a concert hall (under construction in Portugal) with a forward-thinking Rem Koolhaas’s architecture requiring nonstandard solutions: glazing with very large dimensions (22 m by 15 m) and each ‘‘S-glass panel’’ with a wavelength of about 1.0 m and amplitude of about 0.35 m will be applied as a double facade. The restrictions in ISO 104-3 laboratory measurements (standard test opening for glazing 1.25 by 1.50 m and niche depth of 0.45 m) were not appropriate and not completely fulfilled due to differences in dimensions between small test sample, and the real required use on site as well as the silicone joints that connect the glass elements. For these reasons, the standard test opening of 10 m2 was used. These aspects are described and analyzed. The tests results (showing satisfactory sound insulation) were essential to understand the effect of the shape and the efficiency of the glass. This study aspires to be helpful to building designers who can, in this way, lose dependency on production process constraints and bring into being all kinds of shapes.