A new free tool called Sound and Vibration Steel Timber (SoViST) has been developed to support architects, building physics advisors and structural engineers aiming to find the optimal acoustic performance of lightweight buildings structured with steel or timber.
The software, developed by Eindhoven-based company Levels, who are part of Level Acoustics & Vibration, allows you to simulate and calculate the transmission of sounds and vibrations in a building with a lightweight steel or timber structure.
You can compare the performance of your preferred solution against potential alternatives, helping you to choose the most suitable applications from very early on in the design stages.
Building with lightweight structures saves on construction materials and decreases the project’s environmental impact. It’s also faster, more efficient, allows easy adjustment of floor plans or interior spaces, and makes it easier to renovate existing buildings, for example adding an extra floor.
However, despite the positives of building with lightweight structures, correctly factoring in the transmission of sounds and vibrations remains a major challenge.
Levels received contributions to help develop the software from several Dutch companies and organizations who regularly have to face these challenges. For example, from Tata Steel, Saint-Gobain and Bouwen met Staal, the Dutch Steel Construction Institute.
The SoViST program can be downloaded for free here.