Student Residence UDQ, Hamburg

Efficient sound control for timberconstructed student residence

Götz Wrage

On six floors, 100 metres in length and made of solid wood, 371 student flats are strung out in the district of Wilhelmsburg in Hamburg. This makes "UDQ" the biggest timber student residence in Europe and the tallest timber building in Hamburg.

Inspired by the stacked containers in the Port of Hamburg, “UDQ” is made up of prefabricated timber modules that are stacked on top of and next to one other. The whole construction sits on a base of reinforced concrete. Each of the 20 m² apartments is fully furnished – with bed, bathroom, built-in wardrobe, kitchenette and folding table. Where necessary, single modules can also be combined to create larger apartments.

Effective sound insulation is essential on a project such as this. That is why Getzner was brought on board as experts by contractor Kaufmann Bausysteme GmbH.

The solution

To prevent sound transmission between the apartments, the individual modules were bedded on Sylodyn® from Getzner. Timber was chosen as a building material due to its ecological properties and the warm interior ambience it creates. The modules were pre-fitted with Sylodyn® linear supports at the factory for reliable soundproofing.

"Sound mainly propagates through the flanking of the modules. Using elastic bearings, means we have been able to almost completely eliminate sound transmission between the individual modules", explains Hendrik Reichelt, Project Manager at Getzner.

Certificated sound control

The quality of the vibration isolation material is certified by the German Institute for Building Technology with a national technical approval (abZ). This approval also guarantees the reliability and durability of the material in conformity with the latest technology standards. Sylodyn® and Sylomer® from Getzner are the only polyurethane materials in this field to have been awarded this approval, making it an obvious choice for construction projects.

” "Sound control measures are essential in modern timber construction. They significantly enhance living standards and add to the value of the property. We have worked with Getzner over many years and our experience has shown us that they are true vibration protection experts: you can not only rely on the sound control solutions, but also their consultancy service.”