A new approach to building acoustics regulation in Canada

A new approach to the control of sound transmission is among the proposed changes in the 2015 edition of the National Building Code of Canada. The design objective is changing from a minimum STC for the wall or floor/ceiling assembly separating adjacent units to a requirement for the Apparent Sound Transmission Class (ASTC) including flanking. The approach to design is based on combining the ASTM data from conventional laboratory measurement of direct transmission through wall or floor/ceiling assemblies with measurements of flanking transmission conforming to ISO 10848 and predictions using ISO 15712-1. To support the design and regulatory approval process, the National Research Council is preparing a series of reports detailing the design procedure for a broad range of heavy monolithic and lightweight framed constructions, and providing the supporting generic data in form of web-based tools and tables from two decades of research studies in flanking test laboratories.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye