Gyms in Apartment Blocks – how to avoid costly complaints
A new apartment block is a great location to extend your gym franchise, but make sure you get the acoustics right. In this case study we show why, and how a good survey, a great contractor and CMS Danskin Acoustic’s products can put it right.
The Project
Our story begins with a new development of high specification apartments at the centre of a large town in the southeast of England. In early 2022, Elite Contract Flooring Services Ltd were contracted to install a floating floor as part of the fit out for a new gym on the ground floor of the building.
“We were working from a builders’ own acoustic report which was very basic,” says Scott Thomson, Managing Director of Elite Contract Flooring Services. “Twelve months later, and we were back.”
The Challenge – Residential Gym Impact Noise
The gym included a free weights area, fixed resistance equipment and several studios. Both the equipment and the free weights can cause a considerable amount of impact noise, alongside other gym activities. Residents began to complain, and within six months the local council stepped in and insisted on remedial work if the gym was to continue trading.
The council required the gym owners to commission a new, professional acoustic consultancy to assess the causes of the noise problems. They identified an inadequate floating floor, alongside some problems with the gym equipment, and specified a replacement floor and dampers.
“The acoustic engineers recommended a particular system for the floating floor,” says Scott, “but we wanted to use CMS Danskin Acoustics products, so we contacted Steve Whitbread and asked him to help.” Scott has 20 years experience in the flooring industry, and for five years has been successfully installing gym floors with CMS Danskin Acoustics products. “We are experts in installing their products, which are tried and tested and backed up with some great technical support.”
CMS Danskin Acoustics provided materials for a sample section of floating floor so that it could be tested on site. The acoustic consultants were impressed and the rebuild went ahead.
Acoustic Insulation for Gyms in Residential Apartments
A floating floor needs to provide sufficient impact resistance to protect the subfloor and isolate the floor to prevent transmission of noise to the building structure. Firmer layers need to provide sufficient stability for equipment, and surface layers provide user comfort. Together the floating floor can be designed to meet the specific acoustic performance requirements of the site.
CMS Danskin Acoustics offer a cost effective and high specification floating floor system which is quick and easy to install, reducing the time and cost of onsite labour. The system can be designed to meet your specific acoustic targets. In the case of this gym a seven-layer system was designed and 112m2 was installed:
- Karma Pad Roll out system on pads at 400 x 600mm centres 50mm thick,
- 1 layer of 18mm Cement particle board,
- 2 layers of Smartspan 18mm,
- 40 mm Variofoam 1000 multicolour,
- 2 layers of Regufoam® 220 25mm, and Regufoam® 270 25mm
- everroll® multitile 43mm fitness flooring surface (from the essential range colour Glasgow)
Installation
Elite Contract Flooring Services Ltd had eight days to strip out the existing flooring and install the new floor, whilst parts of the gym were still operating. CMS Danskin Acoustics team met with the contractors on site to survey the area and help programme the works, and ECFS worked with the kit manufacturer to retract and relocate all the equipment whilst the work was carried out.
“We were fortunate that we had rear access to the gym,” says Scott. “We were able to separate off the area with hoarding and allow 75% of the gym to remain open.” Supply of materials was smooth, and the installation process was relatively quiet, so the installation had minimal impact on operations.
Gyms in Residential Apartments – Advice for Franchisees
Scott Thomson has advice if you’re planning a new gym location.
“No one wants to put down flooring twice. When it comes to smaller gyms in residential buildings, always have a professional acoustic report done. This is vitally important. The financial burden of replacing the floor is one thing, but the inconvenience to the club and the residents is another. Once people start complaining and the local authority get involved you’ll regret not doing it right. A relatively small up-front investment for a proper report and the right products will be massively outweighed by the consequences of not doing it properly”.
He also has advice about where to go for products and technical advice.
“CMS Danskin Acoustics are very well organised and always swift to respond to our queries. Their technical expertise is second to none, allowing us to get on with our specialism – installing the right flooring! Their products are tried and tested and robust, and the variety of different products they can supply makes it easy for us. And it is a joy to work with someone who knows what they are doing. We’re looking forward to doing more gym work with them.”
Technical Advice for your Gym Design
CMS Danskin Acoustics are specialists in soundproofing materials and acoustic insulation. If our standard sports flooring can’t achieve the necessary sound reduction, our expert technical team can advise on the specification of a wide range of specialist acoustic and vibration control systems – balancing performance, aesthetics and budget. As we also provide solutions to treat walls and ceilings, we can deliver a holistic design approach to sound control for the complete gym environment – reducing reverberation times and absorbing noise generated from members’ exercise activity.
We don’t just design, manufacture and deliver market leading products. We work with the entire supply chain and project teams to ensure a smooth path from conception to completion.
