Continuing Education  

Basics of Architectural Acoustics for architecture firms. For more information, contact us by clicking “Continuing Education.”

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Acoustic Panels  

Patterned panels have a corrugated texture on one side, approximately 2-inches between ribs. All panels are an average of 1-1/2-inches thick with 24" x 24" face size, and available in all colors - white, light gray and medium gray.


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Flat panels come in three thicknesses - 1, 1-1/2 and 2 inches, and all colors - white, light gray, and medium gray.


Standard Face Sizes: 12" x 24", 24" x 24", and 24" x 48".


Stock and Shipping: Flat Hi-Sabin Panels in white color of any standard size and thickness are stocked. Please allow 2 weeks to fill and ship your order. Panels in light gray or medium gray color of any standard size and thickness are made to order. Please allow 4-6 weeks to fill and ship."


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Acoustic Sleeper Pad  

Acoustic Sleeper Pads are 1/4-inch thick neoprene, 1-1/2-inches square. They are easily and quickly stapled to the underside of span-rated plywood. The Acoustic Sleeper has been issued US Patent No. 10,041,245.


Pads are generally used in the field of panels and along tongue-and-groove edges at a spacing determined by panel span rating to limit deflection. Pads may be used along terminal edges and at butt edges of panels at a closer spacing; strips are recommend at these locations to eliminate any deflection.


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Box and Mullion Seals  

Multiple Configurations Available

When noise becomes an issue, the instinctive response is often to build a thicker wall. After all, partitions create privacy, and seem like they should stop sound. In reality, sound travels readily through sound flanking paths (openings in the walls) like recessed outlet boxes. The Box Seal is a wall plate gasket that serves as an acoustic wall plate seal and fire prevention measure, effectively plugging these holes. The Box Seal is available in multiple configurations, including all common NEMA configurations, and fits all major manufacturers' wall plates. The 1-gang Duplex Box Seal is UL-listed as a wall opening protective material for one-hour fire partitions, even back-to-back, when used with a metal wall plate.


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Many buildings of all types have large, continuous spans of glass at the outside wall referred to as curtainwall, storefront systems or ribbon windows. Room partitions at the outside wall are usually run into mullions (vertical, thin metal tubes that hold the glass in place) rather than into the glass itself. The joint between the mullion and partition has a gap, or sound flanking path, due to movement of the exterior glass wall relative to the interior partition. This gap lets sound pass between rooms on either side of the partition, which ultimately defeats the purpose of the wall. In addition, lease agreements often prohibit tenants (and their contractors) from connecting drywall partitions to the mullions.


The STC Mullion Seal closes this gap to prevent sound from traveling and enhances acoustical comfort in spaces with these exterior glass walls.


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Benefits  

WOOD-FRAMED CONSTRUCTION IN MULTI-RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS: ACOUSTIC SLEEPERThe Acoustic Sleeper is an integral part of UL Designs for 1-hour and 2-hour fire-resistant floor/ceiling construction:

  • Wood Truss 1-hour: L528, L563, L574
  • Wood Truss 2-hour: L577
  • Wood Joists 1-hour: L502, L506, L514
  • Wood Joists 2-hour: L505
  • I-Joists: L589
  • Metal Joists: L524
  • Light Gauge Metal Truss: L560, L565


The pads and wood panel subfloor install over the floor sheathing and substitute for acoustic mats and gypsum cement underlayment, at much less cost, higher performance, and better comfort underfoot.



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A key source of noise is activity in floors above the ceiling, as noise travels through the floor structure and radiates into the space below. This is known as impact noise or footfalls, which are measured by a standard called Impact Insulation Classification (IIC). Different elements of the floor and ceiling construction contribute to isolating this noise in various amounts, and are called the IIC, or Delta IIC.



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Controlling sound within a room involves managing the reverberation time, which is the lingering of sound in a space that makes it echo-y or too noisy. One factor of the reverberant sound is the cubic volume of the room. However, the other factor is entirely manageable - the amount of sabins, or sound absorbing surface, that is provided by the materials in the room. In a room that has few sabins, simply installing sound absorbing panels can transform the noise quality within it.


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When noise becomes or is anticipated to become an issue, the first proposed solution is generally high STC (sound transmission class) partitions and high CAC (ceiling attenuation class) ceiling systems. However, neither approach is enough because sound easily passes through gaps and holes called sound flanking paths. If these paths aren't closed, increasing STC or CAC will do nothing to lessen the noise.



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Applications / Building Types  

Hotel guests rightfully demand privacy in their rooms, and that peaceful experience extends to sound. Guests don't want to be heard by their neighbors, and they likewise don't want to hear what's happening in the next room.


Most hotel chains have development standards that request partitions between rooms be built to STC-50 and is required by Code. However, sound still moves between rooms, especially when there are recessed outlets in the walls, essentially serving as holes that easily let sound through.


The first response is to increase the thickness of the wall - but the sound continues to come through the outlets. Our solutions effectively plug these holes so guests can feel free to make some noise, without ever having to deal with any that isn't theirs.



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Even without sound disruptions, the workday can be challenging enough to get through. Whether it's an open creative space or a more traditional space composed of individual private offices, sound control within an office ultimately affects productivity, employee engagement and overall satisfaction.


The suspended acoustical lay-in panel ceiling has become ubiquitous in office construction. Contemporary design seeks an alternative, omitting the ceiling and exposing the structural deck. The result is usually a noisy, reverberant space that can be unbearable. Sound absorption panels adhered to the deck can provide the necessary comfort and still maintain the desired aesthetics.


Another common source of noise concerns in office building are extensive exterior glass walls, referred to as curtain walls or ribbon windows. Typically, there is a gap between the wall and the metal tubes (mullions) that hold the glass in place, creating another path for sound to travel.


Finally, outlets can compromise privacy in conference rooms and small offices - especially for functions such as Human Resources.


Used in concert, our suite of products and solutions can ensure a better workday experience - and a more productive, efficient workforce.


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Noisy neighbors. They're a problem for managers, for condominium owners, for apartment tenants, and for anyone who rightfully expects peace and privacy at home. Too often, noise isn't considered in design until it's a problem.


Multi-family residential units, like apartments and condominiums, can't depend on the same privacy measures as single-family homes, such as being setback from the street and using thicker walls. Instead, privacy and sound control needs to be achieved with partitions and floors that block noise as effectively as they block vision.


Codes and standards for construction generally require partitions and floors to be built to STC-50, a Sound Transmission Classification rating that means the wall or floor lower the sound transmission by 50 decibels - more than enough for privacy and comfort. However, even partitions that go beyond those standards can't prevent noise complaints if there are sound flanking paths, which are gaps or holes in the wall that allow sound to penetrate. In addition, fashionable hard surface floors made of polished concrete, stone, tile and wood cause footfall noise complaints to increase.


STC makes several products that help meet the code requirements in practice and maintain privacy in residential buildings - leading to peace, quiet, and freedom for tenants, owners and managers alike.



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A restaurateur always thinks of the menu. The setting. The quality of the wait staff. But great experiences in restaurants go beyond quality food and service. A night out is a chance for couples to reconnect, families to get together, and friends to spend quality time together. When noise levels make conversation difficult or impossible, the experience is compromised.


Our founder, Paul Battaglia, wrote the well-cited study on this subject “Achieving Acoustical Comfort in Restaurants" for the Acoustical Society of America. The study found that acoustical comfort relates more to reverberation time - how quickly sound diminishes without lingering - than it does to the overall noise level in the restaurant (within reasonable limits).


Ultimately, striking the proper balance of ambiance and acoustic comfort in a restaurant depends on the amount of sound absorption in the space, which is measured in Sabins.


Products like STC's Hi-Sabin Panel make superior sound absorption cost effective and easy, leading to diner satisfaction without sacrificing any of the social ambiance they've come to expect.

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For patients and families dealing with medical problems, there are few times when peace and quiet will be as important as in the hospital. Recently, studies have shown the negative effects that noise has on patient recovery. The findings were frightening, but with the right solutions, the prognosis is promising.


Headwalls, the wall area at the head of patient room beds in hospitals, are covered with medical equipment so hospital staff has easy access. In addition, the headwalls typically have many recessed electrical outlets, medical gas piping and data conduits - all of which are holes in the wall that easily let sound through. The common use of repeated-and-flipped floor plans (a.k.a. cookie cutter plans) result in these outlets being back-to-back, the worst possible condition for sound control.


Fortunately, the solutions can be easy and inexpensive. Our products can seal a number of sound flanking paths, lessening the sound that travels between rooms and floors and bringing patients and families the peace, privacy and quiet they need to recuperate.



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From classrooms and cafeterias to gymnasiums and hallways, the student educational experience is formed in every part of a school. Accordingly, noise in any of these places can ultimately affect how a student learns, especially with today's new methods of teaching.


Active Learning methods - where lecturing is alternated with problem solving in groups to teach critical thinking skills - have become more prominent than ever, resulting in noisier classrooms. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is about to require schools to meet standards for reverberation time in classrooms of 0.6 to 0.7 second.


At the same time, school cafeterias, gymnasiums and corridors all have hard surfaces for their purposes and ease of cleaning, none of which absorb sound. Excessive reverberant noise from these spaces is not only an issue within them, as the noise travels easily to affect students and teachers in nearby classrooms and other areas.


Ultimately, controlling noise within school settings can help teachers keep control of their classes, students learn without distraction, and parents feel better that their children are in an environment that encourages learning.

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