building systems |
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acoustical performance Privacy
is a major issue for apartment and condominium dwellers, as well
as homeowners. Builders must provide for adequate levels of sound
insulation in modern multifamily dwellings. Because fire-safety
design features can have a deleterious impact on sound transmission,
Forintek's Fire Research Group also addresses the acoustical design
of wood-frame construction.
As a result of Forintek's research, sound-transmission-class (STC)
and fire-resistance (FR) ratings for approximately 90 designs of
wood-frame walls finished with gypsum board were established in
the 1995 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC).
In early 2002, a supplement to the NBCC was published, listing impact-insulation-class
(IIC), STC and FR ratings for more than 300 designs of wood-frame
floors with gypsum-board ceilings. These designs include floors
constructed with wood joists, wood I-joists and metal-plate-connected
parallel-chord wood trusses. This now enables builders to choose
from many new options to meet the wide-ranging needs of the housing
market.
Forintek is also carrying out collaborative research with industry/government
partners to identify design solutions that minimise the flanking
of noise through the partywalls in multi-storey wood-frame apartment
buildings. These include double-stud partywalls, and both loadbearing
and non-loadbearing single-row wood-stud partywalls. Nominal STC
and IIC ratings for wood-frame wall and floor constructions, and
designs that minimise the flanking of noises through partywalls
in multi-storey wood-frame apartment buildings appear in "best-practice"
construction guides published by the Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation. In the meantime CMHC has published an extensive
list of sound-transmission ratings for wood-frame construction
on their website.
Through this work, our fire experts are also contributing to the
development of better performance and testing standards for fire
resistance and acoustical performance, both in Canada and in other
countries.
In 2002, the following fact sheet was developed :
Wood-frame Construction, Fire Resistance and Sound Transmission.
For our members, details are
available in the 2008-2009
Building Systems Program Summary and the description of current
Durability research projects. A list of relevant publications
is offered within our sections Newsletter
(Publications Update) and Technotes.
For specific needs, we also offer contract
services in the field of acoustical performance of wood products
and construction systems, with strict confidentiality guidelines.
20/07/10
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