Our Partnership with NBS

NBS and Quiet Mark announce strategic partnership to prioritise wellbeing in buildings through noise reduction

Quiet Mark has announced a new partnership with NBS, a leading construction data and specification platform, to empower architects to specify ‘acoustics first’, by providing a short-cut for specifiers to source responsible products. Since 2020, lockdowns and Work-from-Home policies have brought to light the importance of noise reduction in the environment, and the new partnership aims to support the Responsible-Sourcing Movement as the industry further prioritises health and wellbeing.

Noise is a long-time ignored invisible killer, and in excess can have a damaging effect on health, productivity and cohesion, according to research from the World Health Organisation. This research shows that environmental noise pollution affects mental and physical health and is now second only to air pollution as the world’s largest killer pollutant, with numbers rising to at least 1 million years of healthy living lost each year due to noise pollution in Western Europe across an estimated population of 340 million people.

NBS and Quiet Mark have joined forces in a unique move to make Quiet Mark certified products easily accessible to equip architects and specifiers. The new partnership will enable the 3,600+ practices that use NBS to create specifications to easily source and find Quiet Mark certified products and materials. The aim is to elevate the aural design of buildings, optimising the overall level of acoustic comfort for occupants.

Image: The BASWA Phon acoustic plaster system is both Quiet Mark certified and listed on NBS.

Alongside air quality, adequate lighting and thermal comfort, acoustics and sound are key concepts in the important, and ever-growing trend of designing for wellbeing in the built environment. To optimise the overall level of acoustic comfort for occupants, it is essential to curate a selection of the quietest products and acoustically functional building materials from the outset of a building specification. Excessive reverberation from hard surfaces can create a very uncomfortable interior environment which detracts from the user experience, and this can be calmed with acoustically absorptive materials. Sound from sources such HVAC and appliances, vibration from traffic and impact noise from other occupants also hinders productivity and wellness. In addition to airborne noise sources, impact noise from traffic, adjacent activity or mechanical vibration can create very uncomfortable environments long-term.

Image: BuzziSpace acoustic furniture and lighting products are both Quiet Mark certified and listed on NBS. 

Commenting on the partnership, Sascia Elliott, Head of Partnerships at NBS, said: "The impact of noise on well-being is something you may have considered when selecting domestic products for your home and that’s probably thanks to Quiet Mark, who have been instrumental in bringing this to the forefront of our minds, most notably within the retail space.”

She further added: “We are delighted to be able to partner with Quiet Mark to help reinforce the importance of this with building product manufacturers, specifiers and building professionals for the delivery of successful building projects. Together with the expertise of Quiet Mark, NBS technical authors can refine content to ensure our customers receive the latest and highest quality information in this field. It’s a privilege to be a part of this journey with Quiet Mark.”

Image: The Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry Hand Dryer - one of the many Quiet Mark Certified products listed on NBS Source

Poppy Szkiler, CEO and Cofounder of Quiet Mark said: “Because sound is invisible it is often overlooked. Yet the fundamental impact it has on all the physical rhythms of our bodies, our hormones, heart-rate and brain waves, is so profound and inherent to our wellbeing and therefore also to the design process of the buildings we live in." 

Szkiler added: “Quiet Mark is passionate about elevating wellbeing through improved acoustics in the built environment. Just as our retailer partnerships have helped consumers to reduce unwanted noise in their homes, Quiet Mark has partnered with NBS to enable industry-wide architects and specifiers to easily find and specify verified acoustic products and materials, to create healthier buildings.”

All the product pages of Quiet Mark certified products also listed on NBS platform feature an ‘Add to spec’ button. 

Find Quiet Mark Certified Manufacturers on NBS Source