DEPARTMENTS
Design Side
Wellness and the
Sound of Silence Acoustic Designs and Acoustic Doors
22 Residential Tech Today | Jan/Feb 2020
May Help Create Quieter, ‘Healthier’
Indoor Spaces
By Walter Joseph
The design of a home or
building has traditionally
focused on aesthetics. However,
today’s occupants expect
more from their spaces,
especially as the trend
toward designing healthier
lifestyle spaces gains traction.
But, in addition, the
attention paid toward human
centric lighting and air
and water filtration, at least
one group is beginning to
promote the idea of acoustic
designs and acoustic doors
to help create quieter, more
tranquil indoor spaces.
Steve Orlowski, senior
director of standards and
technical activities at the
Windows and Doors
Manufacturers Association
(WDMA), pointed to the
WELL Building Standard,
from the International
WELL Building Institute, as
the initial motivator behind
his group’s initiative. WELL
accredits buildings based on
how well they improve
occupants’ comfort, health,
and wellness. This endeavor,
Orlowski contends, should
also involve creating a “nice,
quiet environment where
people can think; they can
work without being
interrupted by outside noises.”
To create quieter indoor spaces, builders,
architects, and remodelers can opt for
acoustically rated doors. Acoustical doors have
been used in loud environments like
manufacturing facilities and music studios for
decades; now, they’re becoming increasingly
popular in office buildings, hotels, schools, and
even homes.
“One of the things that the WELL Building
Standard looks at is sound transmission and
sound barriers, and that’s where the acoustical
doors can come into play,” Orlowski offered.
“Sound transmission is always
going to take the path of least
resistance,” which is typically a
door or a window. “Acoustical
doors are often designed for a
specific Sound Transmission
Class (STC) rating, so that when
a designer understands what
kinds of noises are going on in the
environment, he or she will know
how much to diffuse it to properly
reduce unwanted noise in a
space.”
The WELL Building Standard,
being a point-based system, fits
acoustic doors into its “optimized
features” category, where extra
points can be earned beyond the
other pre-conditioned
requirements in the standard.
Designers can achieve a
maximum of one point for the
sound barrier when it comes to
acoustic doors, if it has either
gaskets, a sweep at the base, or a
non-hollow core. Currently there’s
no STC rating requirement within
the standard, but Version 2 will
add an STC rating of 30 to the
mix, Orlowski said, and will
require designers to achieve two
out of the four acoustical door
elements to earn that one point.
The requirement generally
focuses on sound transmission
from one space to another inside a
building, rather than outside
outdoor/indoor transmission of sound. So, the
next time you’re considering a new dedicated
home theater or two-channel music listening
space and are interested in the benefits of the
WELL Building Standard, consider including an
acoustic door in the design. x
To create quieter indoor spaces,
builders, architects and
remodelers can opt for
acoustically rated doors.