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Architectural Acoustics
Within the building trades, acoustics is the science of controlling sound within
a building. This can take many forms including: directing sound to the back
rows of a theater, stopping sound from passing from one residential unit to
another, preventing sound from escaping a loud musical practice room, and
isolating vibrations from mechanical equipment. The ABCs of acoustics cover
the three main types of addressing sound, which are described below.
Acoustics: Absorb, Block, or Cover
There are three methods of dealing with sound, commonly referred to as the
ABCs. Sound can be absorbed, it can be blocked or redirected, and it can be
covered. The method chosen depends on the final goal of the project.
Sound should be absorbed when the goal is to keep sounds within the room
from reverberating or echoing. If a room has hard surfaces that reflect sound, it
will take a long time for the sound level to diminish to a point that it is
inaudible. This is most noticeable in an empty room with hard walls, floors, and
ceilings: you can hear the sounds bouncing around the room. Installing sound
absorbing materials, such as carpet, acoustic ceiling tiles, or fabric covered
panels, will reduce the reverberation by absorbing the sound. Noise Reduction
Coefficient, which is defined below, is used for rating a material's ability to
absorb sound.
If the goal is to keep sound within a space, for privacy or other reasons, the
sound should be blocked. This can be combined with absorption so the
reverberation in the space is reduced. Blocking sound is generally accomplished
by reducing short circuits between two spaces. Some common short circuits
include HVAC ducts or grilles, back-to-back outlets, pipes that pass through a
space, partitions that stop above the ceiling but do not extend to the structural
deck above, and windows or other openings. After eliminating the short
circuits, adding mass to the walls will help block the sound. For instance, a
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concrete wall blocks sound better than a stud wall. Additional layers of gypsum
wall board and insulation in the wall cavity will also help block sound. Sound
Transmission Class, which is discussed below, is the measurement of a
material's ability to block sound.
Sound can also be covered to help maintain speech privacy. This is most
noticeable in an office environment when the forced air system is turned off -
you can immediately hear more conversations from a greater distance. Sound is
generally covered with white or pink noise, either from the HVAC system or an
electronic system. The idea is to provide just enough background noise to make
nearby conversations unintelligible; the conversation is still there, but the
quiet hum of the white noise masks it.
Sound Transmission Class (STC )
Sound Transmission Class, abbreviated STC, is the measurement of a material's
ability to block airborne sound within the frequency range of human speech.
The STC number is the decibel (dB) reduction across a material or assembly. For
instance, if a sound in a room is 60dB and that same sound in the next room is
20db, then the wall between the rooms has an STC rating of 40.
Most building codes require walls between dwelling units to have an STC rating
of 50. However, very loud speech can still be heard through such a partition, so
an STC rating of 55 to 60 is generally used in higher-end housing. It is
important to note that STC ratings are given to partitions by rating agencies
after testing in a laboratory environment. Partitions installed in the field can
have an effective rating of 5dB lower and if significant short circuits in the
construction are present (cracks, air gaps, back-to-back electrical boxes, ducts,
etc.), the partitions can be ineffective at blocking sound. The table below
provides an understanding of STC levels; however, sound levels are subjective
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and vary by individual.
STC Audible Through Partition
25 Normal speech is clearly audible and understandable
30 Normal speech is hard to understand, loud speech is clearly audible
35 Loud speech is audible, but not clear
40 Loud speech can be heard, but is not understandable
45 Loud speech is barely audible
50 Very loud sounds, like musical instruments, are audible
60 Very Loud music is barely audible, power tools are audible
70 Power tools are faintly heard
75+ Most sounds are completely inaudible
Outside-Inside Transmission Class (OITC )
Outside-Inside Transmission Class, abbreviated OITC, is the measure of an
exterior wall's ability to block sound from transmitting into the building. It is
similar to STC; however while STC measures transmission in the frequency
range of human speech, OITC measures frequencies in the range of cars, planes,
mechanical equipment, and other low frequencies that may be experienced
outside a building. Understanding the OITC of an exterior wall is critical for
buildings in loud environments, such as airports or rooms within a loud factory.
Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC )
Noise Reduction Coefficient, abbreviated NRC, is a measure of a material's
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ability to absorb sound within the frequency range of speech. A material with an
NRC of 0 will reflect all sound that hits it. A material with an NRC of 1.0 will
theoretically absorb all sound that hits it. Some materials have a listed NRC
rating above 1.0 due to the complexity in testing a material within a laboratory.
Although a material is tested based on its face dimensions, the material has an
inherent thickness. Due to diffraction and since the edges absorb sound, the
average sound absorption of the material as a whole is greater than that of its
face.
It is important to reiterate that NRC is a measurement of noise reduction within
the human speech range, so a material that has a high NRC rating, may actually
be poor at absorbing music, mechanical equipment noise, or other very low or
very high frequency sounds. In addition, NRC ratings are often provided based
on a given assembly. For instance, a carpet manufacturer may indicate an NRC
rating of .50, but this rating may be for the carpet, pad, and sub-floor -- it is not
necessarily just for the carpet.
The table below gives some NRC ratings for common building materials.
Material NRC Rating
Brick .00 - .05
Carpet over concrete .20 - .30
Carpet with foam pad .30 - .50
Concrete (smooth) .00 - .20
Glass .05
Gypsum Wall Board .05
Plywood .10 - .15
Polyurethane Foam (1" thick) .30
Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC )
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Ceiling Attenuation Class, abbreviated CAC, is effectively the STC of a ceiling
tile. CAC is generally used to measure sound transmission between two spaces
when the wall between them stops at or just above the ceiling. Since the wall
does not extend to the underside of the structural deck above, the ceiling is the
only barrier preventing sound transmission between the spaces.