Impact Insulation Class
With more and more people opting to live in condominiums and apartments, many builders and architects just like you have been taking on the design task for multi-family buildings. These types of projects come with a unique set of challenges, but the bottom line is that it is up to you to deliver a quality product that will keep tenants and your landlord clients happy.
Since no one likes to hear the sound of heavy footsteps from their neighbors above, you should take a careful look at Impact Insulation Class (IIC) performance. The IIC rating indicates how well the floor blocks impact vibrations that can potentially lead to noise complaints and a lower standard of living for tenants. The higher the rating, the better your design will be at circumventing this issue. At minimum you should be looking for an IIC rating of at least 50. Ideally a rating of 65 would be best.
An IIC test measures noise between 125hz to 4,000hz of the sound spectrum. It is conducted using a tapping machine and a decibel meter underneath the floor/ceiling assembly.
In general, the IIC of a basic wood flooring untreated is around 40. Harder surfaces tend to amplify sounds while softer flooring better absorbs them. Having a carpet on top of the hardwood would help you reach the minimum standard of IIC 50
Flooring underlayment on the other hand will go a long way to blocking impact sounds caused by walking, running or bouncing balls. Quality of life of the tenants would be greatly enhanced. Developers and property owners in turn would be happy given the fact that acoustics is one of the main drivers of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in a given unit or structure. Noise complaints are common and having a good and solid IIC performance in a multi-family building would help a lot in maintaining low vacancy levels and general satisfaction for both parties over the long term
Kassel sells a wide variety of soundproofing materials that would satisfy the needs of your projects. Do give us a call. #Better Quality Right Price
