SILKA – solution for quiet buildings

One of the key parameters for the internal comfort of residential, civic, and industrial buildings is acoustic microclimate. Increased noise levels in living spaces and at workplaces are demonstrably a cause of stress and a range of health problems. It is therefore necessary to devote the same care to the topic of acoustic comfort as is currently strictly monitored in the thermal technology of buildings.

The main source of increased noise levels in residential buildings (with well-executed structural enclosures) is the propagation of sound within the building, between neighboring apartments and rooms. The transmission of sound through building constructions (impact noise) can mainly be addressed by suitable floor compositions and quality execution of key building details. “Simple” sound propagation through air is then primarily a matter of choosing building materials for internal separating and partition walls. An interesting novelty in the Czech market in this regard is SILKA lime-sand blocks for load-bearing acoustic walls produced by Xella CZ. The precise SILKA blocks made of lime and siliceous sand are a traditional building material that has been intensively used for several decades, especially in neighboring Germany, Poland, or Hungary. In the Czech Republic, this novelty optimally complements Xella CZ's main product range, which is the comprehensive aerated concrete system YTONG. SILKA lime-sand blocks are designed for building sound and statically loaded walls. Due to their high sound insulation and above-standard load-bearing capacity, they are particularly suitable for acoustic and partition walls in residential, administrative, or commercial and industrial buildings, as well as for extremely loaded load-bearing or stiffening structures.

Walls for quiet buildings

Walls made of SILKA lime-sand blocks offer unique sound-insulating capabilities at minimal wall thicknesses. Thanks to their high bulk density (2,000 kg/m³), a wall made of SILKA blocks achieves, even without plastering, an airborne sound insulation index Rw = 54.6 dB at a thickness of 250 mm, which comfortably meets, for example, the requirements of the standard ČSN 73 0532 for the acoustic insulation of inter-apartment walls. SILKA blocks achieve a minimum compressive strength of 20 MPa. Consequently, slender walls with a thickness of 250 mm can bear higher static loads than standard acoustic masonry with thicknesses of 300 or 370 mm having comparable sound-insulating capabilities. They can thus also be used for load-bearing internal walls in multi-storey buildings.

Precise and fast construction

SILKA lime-sand blocks are very precise due to manufacturing technology and show no measurable shape or dimensional deviations. The blocks with a double tongue and groove have dimensions 250×199×248 mm (w×h×d) and allow for precise laying with thin-layer SILKA mortar. Ergonomic hand grip pockets for the bricklayer simplify handling and laying of these blocks, which weigh 24.7 kg. Precise shapes and simple laying technology guarantee high work productivity and construction accuracy. This, along with the small wall thicknesses and favorable block prices, positively reflects in the low final cost of the wall and a reduction in construction time. The favorable economics is further enhanced by the minimal plaster consumption and high efficiency in carrying out final surface finishes due to the high precision of SILKA walls. Another significant advantage of the minimal wall thickness is the reduction of built-up space in the building and the gain of valuable usable area. Compared to load-bearing masonry walls with a thickness of 370 mm, this saving can represent several tens of square meters in a residential building with 30 apartments.

Healthy climate of natural materials

SILKA blocks are made solely from a mixture of siliceous sand, lime, and water. Therefore, along with white aerated concrete, they belong to the "cleanest" and most hygienically favorable materials for use in residential or civic buildings. The high bulk density of lime-sand blocks ensures not only high sound insulation and strength but also very high thermal accumulation. SILKA blocks used for internal walls accumulate significant amounts of heat, thereby passively regulating thermal comfort inside in both summer and winter. As a result, they can also significantly contribute to reducing the energy demands of buildings.

The material properties allow for optimal use even for load-bearing internal walls of multi-storey buildings.

SILKA blocks find suitable application in residential or civic buildings where, in addition to sound insulation and strength, they guarantee high thermal accumulation of the building.

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> Company page of XELLA CZ s.r.o. in the catalog