Ontario Construction Report staff writer
The Ottawa Chapter of Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) is hosting an in-depth technical seminar next month examining sound transmission, room acoustics, and evolving health and wellness design requirements.
The three-hour session, titled Sound Transmission, Room Acoustics & WELL Building Standard Requirements, takes place Thursday, Oct. 15, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stantec office at 1331 Clyde Ave., Suite 300, in Ottawa.
Sponsored by CGC and United Building Products (UBP), the presentation features guest speaker Andrew Schmidt, principal researcher in acoustics at USG Corporation’s Building Science Laboratory.
Schmidt, an acoustical consultant who began his career under the late Chris Jaffe at Jaffe Holden Acoustics, will address the core principles of architectural acoustics, sound isolation, and noise mitigation across commercial and residential projects.
Organizers say the session is structured to provide architects, engineers, specification writers, contractors, and facility managers with a practical understanding of how acoustic performance is tested, specified, and realized in modern construction.
Key topics covered during the seminar include:
- Sound transmission metrics: An examination of laboratory rating systems including Sound Transmission Class (STC), Impact Insulation Class (IIC), and Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC), alongside field-testing measurements such as NIC, NNIC, and NISR.
- Room acoustics and reverberation: Fundamentals of sound absorption, reverberation time, and calculations involving Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC), Sabins, and Array-NRC ratings.
- WELL Building Standard v2: Specific acoustic criteria mandated under the WELL standard, encompassing sound partition requirements, speech privacy classes, sound-reducing surface areas, and impact noise management.
- Design considerations: Best practices for sound-rated assemblies, performance impacts of clouds and baffles, and common industry misconceptions surrounding sound isolation.
The session is open to design professionals, construction managers, building envelope consultants, acoustic specialists, and students.
Complimentary parking is available in the SmartCentres commercial parking area adjoining the venue. To prevent parking citations, registered attendees must submit their vehicle licence plate numbers by email to ma************@****sh.com at least one business day prior to the event.
Registration details and ticket availability can be accessed online through Eventbrite.