Better Blocking (STC 45) – Full Height Walls

A sound blocking level of STC 45 means that a listener in a quiet room would hear raised speech in adjacent rooms, but would not be able to understand the conversation. The transmitted noise would not typically be disruptive. Acoustic standards, guidelines, and building rating systems most frequently require an STC 45 level of blocking between rooms. Examples include patient rooms¹, enclosed offices², and classrooms along corridors³.

RFN-NA, optimized acoustics, better sound blocking, STC 45 full height walls — STC 45 Full Height Walls

CEILING SYSTEM

Chicago Metallic® suspension systems
Rockfon stone wool ceiling panels – optimized for sound absorption
Noise control measures for noise flanking paths through lights, grilles, diffusers – not required

WALL ASSEMBLY

5/8" gypsum board (type X) – 1 layer each side
3-5/8" steel studs (25 gauge) spaced 16" on center
3" thick ROCKWOOL AFB® Semi-Rigid Batt Insulation
STC 45 (lab test⁴ #TL-93-335)
Alternative STC 45 wall options

Sources

_{1 2014 edition of the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities. (fgiguidelines.org)}
_{2 U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), version 4. (leed.usgbc.org)}
_{3 ANSI/ASA S12.60-2010/Part 1 American National Standard Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for Schools, Part 1: Permanent Schools. (acousticalsociety.org)}
_{4 The referenced laboratory test(s) are part of an extensive, multi-year, testing program conducted by the National Research Council Canada (NRCC) and published by the Institute for Research in Construction (IRC). For more details, including 1/3 octave band transmission loss data, refer to internal reports IRC-IR-693, October 1995 and IRC-IR-761, March 1998. The research program was partially funded by ROXUL, Inc. ROCKFON and ROXUL are subsidiaries of the ROCKWOOL Group.}

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Acoustic Absorption

Acoustic absorption is part of optimizing acoustics in interiors using acoustic ceiling tiles with high NRC ratings to reduce reverberation time, noise and sound pressure level and to improve speech intelligibility, comfort and privacy.

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Sound Insulation & Blocking

Sound insulation of ceilings is measured using Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC). Ceilings should be used for sound absorption and not for blocking sound between rooms. High-insulating wall products, as measured by Sound Transmission Class (STC), should be used to for blocking noise at an STC 45 or higher.

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Background white noise, such as the ambient sounds generated by HVAC systems, computers and outside traffic, should be considered as part of the building design. Sound masking systems may be needed to comply with acoustic standards’ noise level requirements.