Description
Course Description:
Unwanted sound impacts and affects inhabitants of our created spaces. If it not already, controlling noise will quickly become a mandated concern for designers. Attesting to increasing regulatory focus on noise, is a recent proliferation of standards, guidelines, and codes regarding acoustics. Most concerns covered in these, can be addressed with a basic understanding on how sound travels and is reflected, blocked, absorbed, or transmitted by materials and assemblies chosen in designing envelopes.
Acoustic design is addressed here in an incremental fashion. Fundamentals include basic principles regarding sound, how its energy moves through matter, how its path and intensity can be altered, and how success in the manipulation of sound is measured. Known design strategies are discussed for controlling sound moving; from exterior to interior spaces, from interior spaces to adjacent spaces, within interior spaces, through structural components, and through building systems. Design considerations are outlined for numerous common building functions. Finally, acoustic codes and guidelines in existence now, are listed for consideration.
Learning Units: 4 LU/HSW
Learning Objectives:
- Upon completion of this course, the student will be familiar and comfortable with terminology and principles governing how sound is generated, moves through matter, is modified by material selection, and how results of implemented acoustic design strategies are measured.
- The student will learn basic design practices for effectively controlling; sound transfer between exterior and interior spaces, noise transfer from interior space to adjacent spaces, and the reverberation of sound generated within spaces.
- Design objectives and recommended best practices will be learned, for building types where poor acoustics directly impact productivity and health of users, for whom the spaces were constructed.
- The student will be given a quick overview of regulations and guidelines that either are, or may become law, underscoring a need for competency in acoustic design, before legislatures make designing for noise control mandatory.
Course Author: Paul Spite