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ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS

ACOUSTICS
TESTED - CERTIFIED

// AWS SOUND INSULATING WINDOW SYSTEMS

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AWS
ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS

AWS HAS
WINDOW AND
DOOR SOLUTIONS
TO HELP YOU
MANAGE AND
MINIMISE THE
IMPACT OF SOUND
WITHIN YOUR
PROJECTS
DISCLAIMER
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the data contained within this publication, Architectural Window
Systems Pty Ltd (AWS) assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions or any consequences of reliance solely on this publication.
AWS reserves the right to modify designs without notice – for the latest designs and information visit our website awsaustralia.com.
au

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AWS
ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
AWS is committed to offering window and door solutions that not Through considered innovation, AWS offers a range of windows and
only provide light and ventilation but help to create unique living doors from the Elevate,Vantage and ThermalHEART brands to assist
spaces protected from harsh environmental elements. in insulating the building envelope from unwanted noise - making it
easier to create beautiful living spaces which meet contemporary
Unwanted or harmful noise has increasingly become part of our aspirations for efficiency and comfort.
urban environment causing annoyance and disturbance to our
lifestyle. These systems are tested by the National Acoustic Laboratories to
provide the highest level of assurance in their performance integrity.

/ Scotts School, Albury. NBRS+P Architects. Windows by DLG Aluminium & Glazing.
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 ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
BACKGROUND
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AWSBACKGROUND

Our expectation for comfort and efficiency in our built environment introduced regulations to address the problem, in some instances
is changing. Urban in-fill development, busier transportation routes local municipalities have their own regulations or guidelines regarding
and changes in the ways we use our homes are increasing our focus noise abatement. It is likely that over the next few years regulations to
on achieving “acoustic comfort”. address intrusive external noise will strengthen.

In recent years the problem of unwanted or harmful noise has The correct selection of window and door systems can have a
become a pressing issue throughout Australia. Local governments have significant effect on the internal acoustic comfort of a building.

SOUND LEVELS Sound can occur as a single frequency (e.g. a single musical note) or
can be made up of various frequencies (e.g. traffic noise).
Sound levels are expressed in decibels (dB). The higher the dB rating,
the stronger the sound source – this is a measure of the Sound A frequency is expressed in hertz (Hz). Generally when we refer to
Pressure Level (SPL). SPL is a measure of the power of the sound “high” or “low” pitched sound we are talking about sound frequency.
source.Generally, we refer to this as “loudness”. Technically speaking, Frequencies can be broken in to three categories, low tones, mid
“loudness” is really a combination of the SPL and the duration of the tones and high tones, The frequency range of urban road traffic is
sound. concentrated around the low tones whereas a whistling tea kettle
consists of high tones.
The higher the dB rating, the stronger the sound. For example, the
sound of a whistling bird (50dB) is stronger than the sound of a falling The loudness (dB) and pitch (Hz) of a sound taken together
leaf (10dB). determine their impact on our acoustic comfort and how to manage
it.

100dB EQUATES TO
NEARBY AIRCRAFT JACKHAMMER NEARBY HEAVY
TAKING OFF 2M AWAY TRAFFIC/HORNS

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ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
SOUND LEVELS

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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) COMMUNITY NOISE GUIDELINES

AWS
The Guidelines for Community Noise developed by the WHO seek to consolidate scientific knowledge on the health impacts of community
noise. The report provides guidelines to environmental health authorities and professionals trying to protect people from the harmful effects
of noise in non-industrial environments and establish criteria to protect the majority of the population from ill effects based on the research
findings. These ill effects might typically be reducing the quality of sleep – which can have long term impacts on our general physiological health
and well being.

MEASURING THE ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE OF A WINDOW

Sound or acoustic performance of a window is measured by

the weighted sound reduction index or Rw value. Rw values are
determined by measuring the reduction in dB achieved where a
window is used to insulate against a sound source. 80dB - Rw41= 39dB

SOUND LEVELS
The Rw value will increase as the acoustic performance of a window EXTERNAL NOISE GLAZING UNIT INTERNAL SOUND
improves, so that a window with an Rw value of 41 has a significantly
improved acoustic performance over a window with an Rw value of
30. Every improvement in Rw value equates to a reduction in decibels
of 1.

RW CORRECTION VALUES If required, AWS can supply more specific information on the
performance of our tested systems.
Rw values represent aggregated data showing the average
performance of a window across a broad spectrum of sounds. ADAPTATION
TYPE OF NOISE SOURCE
TERM
One of the limitations of using this as measure of performance is
that the response of the human ear to differentials in sound level is
Living activities (talking, music, radio, tv)
logarithmic, not linear.
Children playing
Railway traffic at medium and high speed

C
What this means is that we are very sensitive to small changes in
sound level, up or down, and that we perceive this change as being Highway road traffic >80km/h
much greater or smaller depending on how loud the sound was in the
Jet aircraft, short distance
first place.
Factories emitting mainly medium and high
frequency noise
Normal, casual conversation happens around the 60dB mark. We are
most sensitive to changes around the mid frequency levels – 70dB (a
dog barking) to 100dB (a lawnmower). Note that the sound levels we
find annoying represent relatively small increases in the sound level Urban road traffic
(10dB to 40dB) but we would perceive these changes as more than
Railway traffic at low speeds
doubling the impact of conversation level noise in the room in the
first place. Aircraft, propeller driven

To provide a more accurate description of a window’s performance

when subjected to different types of sound, we use correction
Jet aircraft, large distance
Amplified music
Ctr
values – these values are shown in brackets beside the Rw value,
Factories emitting mainly low and medium
for example, Rw41 (-1.1). These values are designed to balance the
frequency noise
complex considerations of “loudness” (dB), “pitch” (Hz) and the
intended use of the room.

The first value is the “C” value which represents mid and high tone
noises (e.g. people talking). The second “C” value represents sound
dominated by low and mid tones (e.g. road traffic noise). By applying
these values to the defined Rw value you achieve a more reliable
interpretation of a window’s performance when subjected to specific
noise sources.

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 ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
WINDOW SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS
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Correct specification and installation of windows for a project will »» Glass selection
AWS

help to ensure a building envelope achieves desired outcomes for

»» Quality of gaskets and seals
reduction of unwanted sound. Sounds such as traffic or airport noise
are major contributors to sound nuisance and can cause a range of »» Window style
physical and psychological concerns of residents. The ability for a
window or door to provide good sound reduction is dependent upon »» Correct installation
a number of factors:
WINDOW SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS

GLASS SELECTION WINDOW STYLE

SINGLE GLAZING The design, or format of a window or door will impact on its
As a general rule, where single glazing is used, the acoustic ability to deliver sound insulation.
performance of the glass improves as the thickness increases.
By design, some windows and door styles “seal” better than
LAMINATED GLASS others. For example, an awning window or casement window
Laminated glass will typically deliver better sound reduction is designed so that the operable sash physically compresses the
properties than float or toughened glass. Laminated glass is made window seals when it closes, and as such will provide a much
up of two panes of glass pressed together with a polyvinyl butyral better performance than a sliding window which brushes past the
inter layer. This layer is typically only .38mm in thickness but sealing component (typically a mohair brush seal).
helps to absorb some vibrations, therefore performing better for
sound reduction. In the same way that water can leak into a poorly sealed
structure, sound can leak or seep through a poorly sealed or
Special products have been designed to further improve the poorly installed window.
performance of laminated glass for sound reduction.Viridian
VLam Hush™ uses a unique inter layer which is designed to Comparison of acoustic performance by window style
dampen sound transmission over critical frequencies. This means
that thinner and lighter glass can be used for equivalent acoustic
performance of a thicker and heavier glass panel.

DOUBLE GLAZING
Whilst double glazed door and window systems perform well
in terms of sound reduction, double glazing may not necessarily BEST
Awning Casement
deliver better acoustic performance than single glazing – ACOUSTIC
Window Window
particularly when compared with specially laminated glass. PERFORMANCE

Double glazing will perform better acoustically when the

thickness of the two panes is increased and one of the panes is
different in thickness to the other, known as asymmetric double GOOD
Bi-fold Hinged
glazing. ACOUSTIC
Door Door
PERFORMANCE
ASYMMETRIC GLAZING
This involves placing two panes of differing thickness into one
sealed unit e.g. a 6mm outer pane and a 4mm inner pane. This
BETTER
leads to a perceptible difference in performance compared to Sliding Double-hung
ACOUSTIC
normal double glazing with two panes of the same thickness. Window Window
PERFORMANCE

INSTALLATION Sliding
Door

Regardless of how a window is specified or constructed, if it is

poorly installed it will not deliver its maximum sound reduction
properties.Vantage, Elevate™ and ThermalHEART™ windows and
doors must always be installed by a licensed builder or installer in
accordance with correct installation guidelines.

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ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
SOUNDOUT™ WINDOWS

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ACOUSTIC TESTED SYSTEMS
The best acoustic performance for windows comes when an air

AWSSOUNDOUT™ WINDOWS
gap between 20mm and 150mm can be produced. This air gap
AWS has tested the acoustic
is much larger than can be produced using typical hermetically
performance of a number of
sealed double glazed units. Instead a secondary window is
glass and frame combinations. All
installed 100mm behind the usual window (also known as
AWS windows and doors which
secondary glazing).
have been acoustics tested are
identified by the Acoustics Tested
AWS offers a number of SoundOUT™ secondary glazing symbol illustrated on the right.
solutions including:

»» Series 531 SoundOUT™ Sliding Window ACOUSTICS

TESTED - CE RTIFIE D
»» Series 532 SoundOUT™ Casement Window
»» Series 533 SoundOUT™ Sliding Door
»» SoundOUT™ products can be installed behind existing
windows or doors to achieve increased sound insulation
for the building envelope.
»» SoundOUT™ secondary glazing system

SoundOUT™ secondary glazing system

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 ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
AWS PRODUCT SOLUTIONS
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AWS has tested a number of systems for acoustic performance. The table below provides a summary of all tested systems.
AWS

Series Description Glass Rw (C;Ctr) Test Report

105 Office Partitioning System 6.38mm/40mm Air/6.38mm 40 (-3,-8) 15-083-01
105 Office Partitioning System 10.38mm/40mm Air/6.38mm 44 (-1,-6) 15-083-02
105 Office Partitioning System 10.38mm/40mm Air/10.38mm 45 (-1,-5) 15-083-04
105 Office Partitioning System 10.38mm 35 (-1,-2) 15-083-04
400 CentreGLAZE™ 6.5 Vlam Hush™ 34 (0;-3) 4867-5 REV A
400 CentreGLAZE™ 10.5 Vlam Hush™ 37 (0;-3) 4867-6 REV A
AWS PRODUCT SOLUTIONS

400 CentreGLAZE™ 10.38 Lam 34 (-1;-2) 4867-7 REV A

400 CentreGLAZE™ 6.38 Lam 32 (-2;-3) 4867-8 REV A
411 Top-Hung Bifold Door 6.38 Lam 28 (0;-2) 4867-22
411 Top-Hung Bifold Door 8.38 lam 31 (-1,-2) 4867-23
424 CentreGLAZE™ 8.5 Vlam Hush™/10mm Air/6.5 Vlam Hush™ 39 (-2;-6) 4867-1
424 CentreGLAZE™ 6.5 Vlam Hush™/12mm Air/6mm Tgh 36 (-1;-5) 4867-2
442 Commercial D’Stacker 6.38 Lam 32 (-1,-2) ALA-16-090-11
442 Commercial D’Stacker 10.5mm Vlam Hush™ 36 (0,-2) ALA-16-090-12
442 Commercial D’Stacker (Rail Stiffeners) 12.5mm Vlam Hush™ 38 (-1,-3) ALA-16-090-13
466 Commercial Awning Window 6.5mm Vlam Hush™/10mmAir/8.5 Vlam Hush™ 41 (-1;-5) 4867-10
466 Commercial Awning Window 6mm Tgh/12mmAir/6.5 Vlam Hush™ 40 (-1;-5) 4867-11
466 Commercial Awning Window 6.5mm Vlam Hush™ 35 (-1;-4) 4867-9
471 Apartment Sliding Door 6.5 Vlam Hush™ 32 (-1,-3) 4867-19
471 Apartment Sliding Door 10.5 Vlam Hush™ 33 (0,-2) 4867-20
471 Apartment Sliding Door 6.5VLam Hush™ / 8Air / 5Toughened 33 (-1;-2) 4867-21
504 Sliding Window 3mm float STC22 ATF283
504 Sliding Window 6.38mm Lam 32 (-1;-2) ATF813
504 Sliding Window 7.52mm Lam 32 (-1;-2) ATF814
504 Sliding Window 20mm IGU (6mm/8 Air/6.38 Lam) 30 ( 0, -1) ALA 17-086-1
504 Sliding Window 6mm Glass 29 ( 0, -1) ALA 17-086-2
504 Sliding Window 10mm Glass 31 ( 0, -1) ALA 17-086-3
514 Double-Hung Window 7.52mm Lam 30 (-2;-3) AFT785
514 Double-Hung Window 5mm float 28 (-2;-3) ATF783
514 Double-Hung Window 6.38mm Lam 29 (-3;-4) ATF784
514 Double-Hung Window 7.52mm Lam 30 (-2;-3) ATF785
516 Awning Window 6.38mm Lam 34 (-1; -2) ATF1195
516 Awning Window 3mm STC30 ATF262
516 Awning Window 10.38mm Lam STC36 ATF265
516 Awning Window 20mm IGU (6mm/8mm Air/6.38mm Lam) 33 ( -1, -4) ALA 17-086-4
516 Awning Window 6mm 30 ( -1, -1) ALA 17-086-5
516 Awning Window 10mm 33 ( -1, -2) ALA 17-086-6

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 ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
AWS PRODUCT SOLUTIONS

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Series Description Glass Rw (C;Ctr) Test Report

AWS
SoundOUT™ Sliding Window with primary 504
531 6.38mm Lam STC38 ATF284
Awning window (3mm float) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Sliding Window with primary 504
531 7.52mm Lam 41 (-2; -8) ATF816
Sliding window (3mm float) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Sliding Window with primary 504
531 6.38mm Lam 41 (-2; -7) ATF817
Sliding window (3mm float) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Casement with primary 516
532 6.38mm Lam STC45 ATF263
Awning window (3mm float) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Casement with primary 516
532 10.38mm Lam STC50 ATF264
Awning window (3mm float) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Sliding Door with primary 541

AWS PRODUCT SOLUTIONS

533 6.38mm Lam 42 (-1;-6) ATF798
Sliding Door (4mm Tgh) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Sliding Door with primary 541
533 6.38mm Lam 42 (-1;-6) ATF799
Sliding Door (4mm Tgh) and 100mm air gap
SoundOUT™ Sliding Door with primary 541
533 4mm Tgh 41 (-2;-7) ATF800
Sliding Door (4mm Tgh) and 100mm air gap
533 SoundOUT™ Sliding Door 6.38mm Lam 30 (1;-1) ATF801
533 SoundOUT™ Sliding Door 7.52mm Lam 31 (1;-1) ATF802
541 Sliding Door 6.38mm Lam 30 (-3;-4) ATF792
541 Sliding Door 6.38mm Lam 32 (-1;-2) ATF793
541 Sliding Door 10.38mm Lam 35 (-2;-3) ATF794
541 Sliding Door 7.52mm Lam 32 (0;-1) ATF795
541 Sliding Door 5mm Tgh/9mm Air/5mm Tgh 33 (-1;-3) ATF796
541 Sliding Door 4mm Tgh 28 (-1;-2) ATF797
542 Sliding Door 20mm IGU (6mm/8mm Air/6.38mm Lam) 33 ( -1, -3) ALA 17-086-9
542 Sliding Door (with rail stiffeners) 20mm IGU (6mm/8mm Air/6.38mm Lam) 34 ( -1, -3) ALA 17-086-10
542 Sliding Door (with rail stiffeners) 10mm Glass 33 ( -1, -3) ALA 17-086-11
542 Sliding Door (with rail stiffeners) 6 mm Glass 31 ( -1, -2) ALA 17-086-12
548 French Door System Outward Opening 5mm Tgh/9mm Air/5mm Tgh 33 (-2; -4) ATF803
548 French Door System Outward Opening 6.38mm Lam 32 (-2; -3) ATF804
602 Sliding Window 20mm IGU (6mm/8mm Air/6.38mm Lam) 34 ( -1, -3) ALA 17-086-7
601 Sliding Window 4mm Float 31 (-1;-2) ATF1198
601 Sliding Window 10.38mm Lam 35 (0;-1) ATF1199
601 Sliding Window 6.38mm Lam 33 (0;-1) ATF1200
601 Sliding Window 4mm float/8mm Air/4mm Float 32 (0;-2) ATF1201
613 Double-Hung Window 6.38mm Lam 30 (0;-1) ATF1320
614 Sashless Double Hung 6mm float 26 (0;0) ATF1202
616 Awning Window 4mm float 32 (-2;-3) ATF1210
616 Awning Window 6.38mm Lam 34 (-1;-2) ATF1211
616 Awning Window 10.38mm Lam 36 (-1;-2) ATF1212
616 Awning Window 6mm/12mm Air/6mm 35 (-1;-3) ATF1213
618 MAGNUM™ Sliding Door 6.38mm Vlam Hush™ 32 (0;-2) 4867-16
618 MAGNUM™ Sliding Door 10.5mm Vlam Hush™ 34 (0;-2) 4867-17
618 MAGNUM™ Sliding Door 6.5VLam Hush™ / 8Air / 5Toughened 35 (-1;-4) 4867-18

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 ACOUSTICS TESTED WINDOWS & DOORS
AWS PRODUCT SOLUTIONS
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Series Description Glass Rw (C;Ctr) Test Report

AWS

622 FrontGlaze™ Wide Gap Framing 10.76 Lam 38 (-1,-2) AC-PR0038F-CT-01

622 FrontGlaze™ Wide Gap Framing 12.76 Lam 39 (-1,-2) AC-PR0038G-CT-01
626 FrontGLAZE™ Double Glazed Framing 6mm/12mm Air/6mm 32 (-2,-5) AC-PR0038J-CT-01
642 Commercial D’Stacker Door 12.5mm Vlam Hush™ 37 (0,-2) ALA-16-090-16
12.50mm VLam Hush™ / 87.5Air /12.50mm
646 SoundOUT™ FrontGLAZE™ 51 (-2,-6) 14-086-01
VLam Hush
10.50mm VLam Hush™ / 87.5Air /10.50mm
646 SoundOUT™ FrontGLAZE™ 50 (-1,-5) 14-086-02
VLam Hush
10.38mm VLam Hush™ / 87.5Air /10.38mm
646 SoundOUT™ FrontGLAZE™ 46 (-2,-5) 14-086-03
VLam Hush
AWS PRODUCT SOLUTIONS

10.5mm VLam Hush™ / 92.5Air /6.50mm VLam

646 SoundOUT™ FrontGLAZE™ 50 (-2,-6) 14-086-04
Hush
646 SoundOUT™ FrontGLAZE™ 6.5mm VLam Hush/97.5Air/6.5VLam Hush 48 (-2,-6) 14-086-05
646 SoundOUT™ FrontGLAZE™ 6.38mm Lam /97.5mm Air/6.38mm Lam 43 (-2,-6) 14-086-06
665 Commercial Awning Window 6mm/12mm Air/6.38mm Lam 37 (-2,-6) AC-PR0038H-CT-01
665 Commercial Awning Window 6mm/12mm Air/6mm 33 (-1,-4) AC-PR003I-CT-01
665 Commercial Awning Window (AF) 6mm/12mm Air/6.38mm Lam 33 (-2,-4) AC-PR0038C-CT-01
665 Commercial Awning Window (A,F) 6mm/12mm Air/8.38mm Lam 38 (-1,-4) AC-PR0038D-CT-01
704 SlideMASTER™ Sliding Door 6.38mm Lam 30 (0;-1) ALA10-080
704 SlideMASTER™ Sliding Door 10.38mm Lam 31 (-1;-1) ALA10-080
704 SlideMASTER™ Sliding Door 10.5 Vlam Hush™ 33 (0;-2) ALA10-080
704 SlideMASTER™ Sliding Door 6.38mm/11.24mm Air/6.38mm 33 (-1,-3) 14-087-01
704 SlideMASTER™ Sliding Door 10.38mm/7.62mm Air/6mm Tgh 35 (0, -2) 14-087-02
726 Thermally Broken Awning Window 8.5 Vlam Hush™/10mm Air/6.5 Vlam Hush™ 41 (-1;-5) 4867-12
726 Thermally Broken Awning Window 6.5 Vlam Hush™/12mm Air/6mm Tgh 40 (-1;-5) 4867-13
731 Thermally Broken Sliding Door 8.5 Vlam Hush/10mm Air/6.5 Vlam Hush™ 37 (-1,-3) 4867-14
731 Thermally Broken Sliding Door 6mm Tgh/12mmAir/6.5 Vlam Hush™ 37 (-1,-4) 4867-15
804 Thermally Broken CentreGLAZE™ 8.5 Vlam Hush™/10mm Air/6.5 Vlam Hush™ 39 (-1;-6) 4867-3
804 Thermally Broken CentreGLAZE™ 6.5 Vlam Hush™/12mm Air/6mm Tgh 37 (-1;-5) 4867-4
Sliding Window 3mm/13mm Air/3mm 30 (-1;-3) ATF815
Sliding Window 6.38mm Lam 31 (0;-1) ATF818
Sliding Window 7.52mm Lam 31 (0;-1) ATF819

FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT & FABRICATOR LOCATIONS v3 Oct 2017

CALL 1300 026 189
or email marketing@awsaustralia.com.au

ABN 48 067 950 903 HEAD OFFICE

awsaustralia.com.au 76-78 Jedda Road Prestons NSW 2170
specifyaws.com.au PO BOX 311 Liverpool NSW 1871, Australia

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