Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants has announced two new testing services being provided in its building facades laboratory in Al Awir, Dubai.

As explained by company president Tom Bell-Wright, the skins of high rise buildings (often in glass and aluminium) are required to prove their performance by prototype testing prior to construction.

Tests are typically done for air infiltration, water penetration and structural load, and are repeated as the prototype is stressed in various ways which simulate in-service conditions. Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants operates the largest such testing facility in the region.

According to Bell-Wright, the company has long been aware of the need for the more difficult tests: thermal transmittance, fire, and acoustic. These tests typically require quite sophisticated infrastructure, which would not be justified by the anticipated volume of testing in the local market.

"At this point," he explained, "we have managed to overcome the difficulties with acoustic testing by constructing a purpose-built acoustically-deadened test chamber in which the normal tests can also be performed."

This gives the advantage of being able to test a sample of the actual system for acoustical performance as well as the standard tests, prior to construction. Until now, the options have been to check a small sample in an acoustic laboratory abroad or to perform an acoustic check once the construction is in place - when it is too late to correct any defects.

For high-rise buildings next to main highways, or under flight paths, efficient sound reduction is critical to occupant comfort.

Thomas Bell-Wright also has provision for testing windows and doors to standard tests in a small stand-alone chamber.