Supporting Better Noise Control in Canadian Buildings

A simplistic requirement for minimum STC of the wall or floor/ceiling assembly separating adjacent units in multi-family residential buildings has been used in North American building codes for over 50 years.  Effective noise control requires replacing the traditional design objective with a requirement including the effect of flanking transmission, such as the Apparent Sound Transmission Class (ASTC).  Such a transition requires a supporting set of technical standards for measuring direct and flanking sound transmission for typical assemblies and junctions, plus a credible procedure for calculating system performance from these inputs.  Implementing a new approach in practice also needs technical support including calculation tools suitable for both the design and regulatory communities, and data on performance of typical generic constructions.  This paper discusses key projects at the National Research Council of Canada both to establish the technical infrastructure supporting such a change in Canada’s building codes and to provide the tools needed by designers seeking to provide enhanced noise control.