Acoustics, Flooring and the Built Environment
Because of trends in the market toward hard surface flooring, multi-story buildings, glass walls and open office, noise has suddenly become a renewed concern for architects, designers, building managers and property managers. This course provides background on how sound affects our health and wellbeing, how sound is measured and tested, and how flooring construction and flooring materials can help attenuate noise in multi-level buildings.
Learning Objectives
- Identify at least two effects of noise on health, how much productivity is lost due to noise interruptions at work, and the biggest frustration for employees in an open office setting.
- Define decibels and hertz, name the three key tests for sound and identify the three types of sound.
- Identify the type of sound that is NOT affected by floor covering and the two types of sound that ARE affected by floor covering.
- Identify two types of floor covering that will reduce impact sound, three flooring construction options that will reduce sound, the International Building Code for IIC and STC, as well as explain why noise is more of an issue now than in the past.
At Shaw Contract, we believe that the ground beneath your feet should have a positive impact on how you live, learn, work, heal and play. We strive for design excellence in everything we do – from conception to production to installation, it’s what sets us apart. We make flooring that delivers a purposeful blend of design elements, materiality, sustainability and performance. Every day we take on creative challenges to research, design and innovate flooring solutions that transform spaces across the globe.