Architectural

acoustics
ARCH-2203

SAIMA SULTANA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

PRIMEASIA UNIVERSITY
 Lecture _06
Materials in Architectural Acoustics
Acoustic properties of materials that are
located either inside or outside of buildings
determine the acoustic experience of the
built environment. In order to design indoor
and outdoor environments with a desirable
acoustic performance, it is important to
place acoustic materials such as sound-
absorbing or -insulating panels, carpets,
curtains, and even green plants in a proper
manner.

The successful design of an acoustic

landscape is possible when we know the
exact acoustic properties of the materials
and how the sound propagates inside and
through materials. In addition to that, the
development of highly functional acoustic
materials is essential for enhancement of the
sound quality in the built environment.
 Highly Absorptive Material
Highly Reflective Material
- Fiberglass
-Concrete
- Gypsum
-Masonry
-Carpet
-Brick
- Fiberboard
-Fabric
-Acoustic board
-Glass
-People
Live
Auditoriums, theaters (for music)
Obtain proper reverberation time to enhance
musical quality.
Provide reflective surfaces near source to
reinforce sound;
absorptive surfaces toward rear.

Medium Live
Conference and board rooms
Normal speech must be heard over
distances up to about 35 ft.
Allow middle section of ceiling to act as a
reinforcing sound-reflector.
Apply absorbent to periphery of ceiling or to
wall surfaces (not both).
Additional treatment will contribute little to
noise reduction.
Medium
Cafeterias
(school or office)
Reduce overall noise level.
Use highly sound-absorptive ceiling; also use
quiet equipment such as rubberized dish trays.

Gymnasiums
Instructor must be heard over background noise
Use acoustical material over entire ceiling to
reduce noise;
walls remain untreated to permit some reflected
sound.
Medium Dead
Elementary-grade classrooms
Teacher must be heard distinctly;
reduce noise level produced by children.
Acoustical ceiling essential.
Supplementary acoustical space units on upper rear
and side walls are desirable.

Music rehearsal rooms

Unlike music hall, instructor must hear individual
notes distinctly;
minimum reverberation desired.
Entire ceiling, sidewalls, and wall facing musicians
would be treated;
wall behind musicians may be left sound-reflective for
proper hearing.
Room should be located away from normal use rooms.
Dead

Kindergarten
Maximum noise reduction.
Maximum acoustical treatment on ceiling;
space units on available wall surfaces.

Vocational classrooms and shops

Maximum noise reduction.
Acoustical tile or lay-in panel ceiling, plus
acoustical treatment of available upper wall
areas;
locate away from normal use rooms.
First we will take a look at some commonly used building materials and their acoustic properties, and then we will
examine the ways these materials can be used for
sound isolation and acoustic treatment.

Sound Isolation Acoustic Treatment

• Sound isolation is the branch of • Acoustic treatment is the branch
acoustics that deals with keeping of acoustics concerned with the
sound where you want it – in or perfecting the quality of the sound
out of the building, for instance, we hear, and using the proper
or keeping sounds in one room combinations of materials and
from invading another room. shapes to create pleasing,
musically accurate sound.
 Concrete, Stone, & Other Masonry Materials

Masonry materials are great for sound isolation, especially when used
in floors and walls where the masonry material is quite thick.
A solid concrete wall, 1 ft. thick will rarely cause clients to complain
about sound isolation, for two reasons. One is the material’s rigidity,
meaning that it will not flex and create sound waves on the quiet side
of the wall. The other is concrete’s mass. Nothing stops sound waves
quite like massive materials, and they are especially capable of
stopping the critical low frequencies that are so hard to stop with less
massive materials.
Stone and brick are very similar to concrete in mass, and concrete
masonry units, although they are lighter, can do a very good job when
they are fully filled with concrete, instead of just filling the cells that
contain the rebar.
Concrete slabs also do a good job of isolating sound between floors –
something that is very difficult to do any other way.
 Wood, & Wood Products
Wood is much less dense than masonry, and provides much less
in the way of sound isolation for that reason. Wood’s real beauty
lies in its ability to reflect sound in a pleasing way, meaning that
it is a useful material for sound treatment. Since wood resonates
easily, it has a way of absorbing some of the sound energy as it
vibrates, letting some of the sound pass through to the other
side, and reflecting some of the sound back from whence it
came. This genteel quality of wood is one reason it is widely
used in the making of musical instruments, and wood has a
major role to play as an interior finish material in good sounding
rooms.
Wood products like MDF, on the other hand, are somewhat more
massive, and are sometimes used in interior walls to add mass.
OSB is less dense than MDF, but can be useful as well, as part of
an integrated system.
Plywood comes in varying densities, and again can contribute
something to the equation in a multi-layer wall.
 Steel
Steel is a quite dense material, but because of its expense it is rarely used as
a sound isolation material. Steel’s density actually becomes a liability in
structural uses where its dense nature causes it to carry sound vibrations for
long distances. If you strike an I-beam with a hammer and place your ear to
the other end –let us say 24 ft. away, you will see that the sound carries
quite well through the steel. This type of sound transfer is called structure-
borne vibration, where sound is carried through some material other than air
for a time. The other main type of sound transfer is air-borne vibration.

Steel studs can actually

transmit less structure-
borne vibration than wood,
even though steel is more
prone to this problem
simply because flimsy steel
studs have much less cross-
sectional area to carry the
vibrations between the two
wall surfaces.
 Drywall and plaster
Drywall is the poor man’s masonry, and
for interior walls can provide a lot of mass
for the money. But one ½” layer does not
do all that much. Multiple layers are used
in sound studios and broadcast facilities
where high mass walls are needed.
 Roofing

Asphalt shingles are fairly massive, as you know

if you hauled them up to the roof, but they are
also thin. Installation with a large overlap, heavy
felt, and even double layer sheathing can help
quite a bit.

Ceramic and clay tiles are more massive than

wood shakes by far, and can do a reasonable job
in residential applications.

Metal roofing has mass but is thin, and requires

that the underlying structure be fairly massive.
 Ceiling Baffles
best to solve any reverberation
problems, in any large space.
Acoustic baffles eliminate the issue of
reverberation in spaces with high ceilings. Most
high ceilings are made from highly reflective
surfaces like glass and steel panelling, and baffles
absorb sound that would otherwise be reflected.

Acoustic baffles are hung from

ceilings to absorb sounds and
reduce reverberation and
echoes. They are used in large,
open spaces like shopping
centres, sports halls, concert
halls, gymnasiums, hotel lobbies
and manufacturing plants
 Ceiling Clouds

Ceiling clouds are a very effective treatment

for the reduction of sound in ceiling areas.
All Noise Control ceiling clouds are
suspended horizontally, with our eye hook
or t-grid attachment mounted to the cloud
at the time of shipment.

Fabric-wrapped acoustic clouds are

ideal for reducing noise pollution and
improving speech intelligibility
in offices, meeting rooms, schools,
recording studios, auditoriums, and
conference rooms. They have a mineral
wool core wrapped in sound-absorbing
fabric.
Acoustical Banners & Panel Systems
Materials in Architectural Acoustics

Glass and other transparent materials

Glass is quite massive – about three times as massive as drywall.
So in a sound wall with three 5/8” layers of drywall on one side,
one layer of 5/8” glass maybe inserted to create a window on that
side, provided that it is properly sealed. A corresponding piece of
glass would be required on the other side of the wall, at the
appropriate thickness.
A relatively recent development is the invention of absorptive
glass-like products that offer pretty good transparency while
absorbing enough sound to reduce the harsh reflectivity usually
associated with glass. These products are made from Plexiglas or
thin transparent foils, perforated with tiny holes. Their use is mainly
confined to professional sound studios.
Insulating materials (fiberglass, foam, rock
wool, etc.)

Insulating materials have little mass, so they have

limited uses for sound isolation. However, fiberglass
has good sound absorption characteristics, and is
very useful as a sound treatment material for sound
room interiors. Fiberglass and rock wool, which has
similar acoustic properties, absorb sound by
slowing the velocity of the air particles carrying the
wave. Wood, on the other hand, absorbs sound best
when in the pressure zone of a sound wave. Sound
waves are at highest pressure when at lowest
velocity, so care must be taken to place materials
appropriately. Waves are generally at highest
pressure at room boundaries, particularly multiple
boundaries like dihedral and trihedral corners.
 Melamine Wedges

A lightweight, porous, open cell, acoustic

melamine foam material designed for maximum
sound absorption where a Class 1 Fire rating is a
must.
 Acoustic V-Block Soundproofing Material

12"x12" square polyurethane foam panels are ideal for

extreme noise sources, low bass noise, impact noise,
or for anechoic sound chambers. Anechoic wedge
shape design is ideal for attacking extreme low and
high frequency sound.
 Acoustic Floor Underlayment - Rubber
Plastics and Rubber (vinyl, Based Acoustic Floor Material
neoprene)
Plastics are sometimes used in the A rubber based floor underlayment made from
manufacture of low-cost acoustical recycled rubber tires. Used under laminate or
devices, but have limited usefulness. engineered hardwood flooring.

Rubber, particularly neoprene rubber is

very good as a mechanical isolator -- for
floating glass and preventing the
diaphragmatic vibrations of the glass
from transmitting into the wall, for
instance.
Mass loaded vinyl can be used inside
wall cavities to increase sound isolation,
and is hung in a limp, as opposed to
stretched, fashion.
 Vinyl Barrier

high density thin, weighted barrier, constructed of non

reinforced high temperature fused vinyl with no lead filters.
Apply to block transmission of sound through walls, floors,
and ceilings. Also effective as a pipe and duct wrap to
damper vibrations and reduce noise.
 Fabrics and other soft materials
Fabrics, carpets, and other soft
materials can be useful for sound
treatment.
Heavy stage type curtains are much
more effective than thin fabrics.
Carpets, although sometimes better
than nothing, can soak up too much mid
and high frequency sound while leaving
boomy lower frequencies untreated. As
part of an overall plan, carpet can be put
to good use, but area rugs are much
more versatile and adjustable.
 Noise Absorption Fabric

A dimensional fabric that offers excellent

acoustical properties, unmatched fade
resistance, and a fire/smoke retardant rating.

With the aesthetic appearance of wall carpet, it

is lightweight and easy and inexpensive to
install and is an excellent choice for offices,
classrooms, conference centers -- any area
where speech intelligibility is a critical factor.
 Acoustical Wall Panels

sound absorbing panels that can

mount directly to walls or ceilings
through a variety of adhesives,
hook & loop fasteners. They are
designed to stop noise control
issues with their powerful sound
absorbing acoustical materials.
Frequently used in offices as they
not only prevent noise pollution
but increase speech intelligibility
by reducing reverberation and
echoes.