The document discusses sound insulation and acoustics in building design. It explains that sound insulation uses barriers to prevent noise transfer between environments, while good acoustics involves absorbing sound waves to minimize echoes and reverberation. Achieving soundproofing requires heavy, solid materials, while sound absorption needs lightweight, porous materials. Proper material selection is important for acoustics in performance spaces to balance absorption and reflection as needed in different areas.
The document discusses sound insulation and acoustics in building design. It explains that sound insulation uses barriers to prevent noise transfer between environments, while good acoustics involves absorbing sound waves to minimize echoes and reverberation. Achieving soundproofing requires heavy, solid materials, while sound absorption needs lightweight, porous materials. Proper material selection is important for acoustics in performance spaces to balance absorption and reflection as needed in different areas.
The document discusses sound insulation and acoustics in building design. It explains that sound insulation uses barriers to prevent noise transfer between environments, while good acoustics involves absorbing sound waves to minimize echoes and reverberation. Achieving soundproofing requires heavy, solid materials, while sound absorption needs lightweight, porous materials. Proper material selection is important for acoustics in performance spaces to balance absorption and reflection as needed in different areas.
The document discusses sound insulation and acoustics in building design. It explains that sound insulation uses barriers to prevent noise transfer between environments, while good acoustics involves absorbing sound waves to minimize echoes and reverberation. Achieving soundproofing requires heavy, solid materials, while sound absorption needs lightweight, porous materials. Proper material selection is important for acoustics in performance spaces to balance absorption and reflection as needed in different areas.
SOUND INSULATION HAS THE ABILITY TO SOUNDPROOF AN ENVIRONMENT IN
RELATION TO ITS EXTERIOR. THAT IS, IT CAN BE USED TO "COVER" NOISE COMING IN FROM THE STREET OR PREVENT SOUNDS GENERATED INSIDE THE SPACE FROM "SEEPING" OUTWARDS. THIS PROCESS RELIES ON THE ABILITY OF SURFACES TO CREATE BARRIERS, PREVENTING NOISE FROM PASSING FROM ONE ENVIRONMENT TO ANOTHER. TO ACHIEVE AN ACOUSTICALLY ISOLATED ENVIRONMENT, SOUND WAVES MUST BE COMPLETELY REFLECTED OR ABSORBED BY A ROOM'S MATERIAL SURFACES WITHOUT EMITTING ANY SOUND ON THE OTHER SIDE. BUT AN ENVIRONMENT WITH GOOD SOUND INSULATION DOES NOT ALWAYS COINCIDE WITH QUALITY ACOUSTICS. WE HAVE ALREADY COVERED THIS TOPIC IN A PREVIOUS ARTICLE. ALL BUILDING MATERIALS HAVE ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES BECAUSE THEY ABSORB, REFLECT, OR TRANSMIT THE SOUNDS THAT AFFECT THEM. WHEN SOUND WAVES ARE REFLECTED, THEY CAUSE AN INCREASE IN THE GENERAL ECHO AND REVERBERATION LEVELS IN A SPACE. THAT IS, A SPACE BUILT WITH REFLECTIVE MATERIALS, SUCH AS CONCRETE, PRODUCES MULTIPLE ECHOES AND LITTLE CLARITY OF SOUND, WHICH MAY BE DESIRABLE FOR CERTAIN USES SUCH AS CHURCHES. IN CONTRAST, ACOUSTIC ABSORPTION IS A PHENOMENON THAT MINIMIZES THE REFLECTION OF SOUND WAVES IN AN ENVIRONMENT, MAKING THE SOUND DISAPPEAR IMMEDIATELY AFTER ITS EMISSION. THE MORE ABSORBENT THE MATERIAL THAT IS ADDED TO THE ROOM, THE SHORTER THE REVERBERATION TIME. THIS IS WHERE WE FIND MOST OF THE CONFUSION AROUND ACOUSTIC MATERIALS. TO ACHIEVE SOUNDPROOFING WE NEED LARGE MASSES, OR THICK AND HEAVY WALLS AND SLABS. MATERIALS CONSIDERED "GOOD SOUND ABSORBERS" ARE LIGHT, SOFT, AND POROUS. MATERIALS CONSIDERED "GOOD INSULATORS" ARE HEAVY, HARD, AND SMOOTH. IF THE IDEA IS TO REDUCE THE NOISE ENTERING OR LEAVING A ROOM, THE STRUCTURAL MASS OF THE WALLS, THE FLOOR, AND THE CEILING MUST BE INCREASED, AND THE AIR SPACES FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS MUST BE SEALED. BUT IF THE PURPOSE IS TO MAKE THE ENVIRONMENT MORE PLEASANT, WITH LESS REVERBERATION, WHAT WE SEEK IS TO ABSORB THE SOUND. FOR AUDITORIUMS, THEATERS, AND CINEMAS, WHERE THE ACOUSTICS SHOULD BE AS CLOSE TO IDEAL AS POSSIBLE, AN ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIALS OF ALL SURFACES IN THE ROOMS SHOULD BE PERFORMED, DEFINING HOW MUCH ABSORPTION AND REFLECTION IS DESIRED AT EACH POINT. FOR THIS, THE EXPERIENCE OF AN ACOUSTICS EXPERT IS ESSENTIAL. TO ACHIEVE BASIC KNOWLEDGE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME OF THE MOST COMMON MATERIALS. FOR THIS PURPOSE, THERE ARE TABLES THAT LIST THE ABSORPTION COEFFICIENTS OF EACH MATERIAL WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN FREQUENCIES (HERTZ). IT VARIES FROM 0.00 (PERFECTLY REFLECTIVE) TO 1.00 (PERFECTLY ABSORBENT). FOR EXAMPLE, A COEFFICIENT OF 0.2 MEANS THAT 20% OF THE SOUND ENERGY THAT COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THIS MATERIAL IS ABSORBED AND IS NOT REFLECTED BACK IN THE ROOM. THAT IS, THIS MATERIAL IS 80% REFLECTIVE FOR A GIVEN SOUND FREQUENCY. TO STANDARDIZE THESE QUANTITIES, THE LABEL NRC REFERS TO THE "NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENT" AND IS A STANDARD CLASSIFICATION THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE ARITHMETIC MEAN OF THE ABSORPTION COEFFICIENTS FOR THE FREQUENCIES 250, 500, 1000 AND 2000 HZ.
MATERIALS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENTS.