ROCKWOOL provides acoustic support for dementia-friendly home

Aiming to provide housebuilders, carers and relatives with new information on how to support those living with dementia, the property – which is based at the BRE Innovation Park in Watford – is designed to demonstrate what’s needed to enable dementia suffers to remain in their own specially adapted homes for longer, dramatically improving their quality of life and reducing expensive care home costs for families. The home will also be used to assist Loughborough University’s research on dementia.

The 100sqm Victorian house was adapted by HLP Architects and includes features to greatly benefit the everyday home life of sufferers including: colour coded paths for guidance throughout the property; increased natural lighting; automatically controlled ventilation; simple switches and controls; and noise reduction features. 

“Noise can trigger the symptoms of dementia, so building acoustic measures into the fabric of a home makes a real difference for suffers and their carers. This project demonstrates how buildings can be adapted to manage internal and external noise and create a more peaceful environment” comments Ólöf Jónsdóttir, Head of Public Affairs at ROCKWOOL UK. “Addressing day-to-day needs such as noise mitigation provides dementia suffers with the option to stay in the familiar and comforting surroundings of their own home for as long as possible.” 

The noise reduction was achieved by ROCKWOOL FLEXI® insulation, which was installed on the building walls, the sloping roof and at rafter level, above and between the joists, within the internal stud walls and between the floors for maximum results. These measures will help manage the acoustics within the property to reduce the stress and sleep deprivation associated with unwanted noise.  

“ROCKWOOL FLEXI works in two distinct ways to reduce noise; by impeding the

transmission of sound through the structure, and through the absorption of sound at

the surface” comments Tim Vincent, Head of Technical at ROCKWOOL UK. “It can also help reduce energy consumption and lowering the cost of heating your home.”

The multi-use, dual purpose thermal and acoustic insulation has a unique flexible edge along one side. This patented flexible edge ensures a perfect fit is maintained between the product and its supporting framework, for easy installation and optimum effectiveness.

Watch the official opening of 'Chris and Sally's House: living with dementia home' at BRE in Watford.