Controlling Sound; NRC and Absorption
Introduction
Noise is always an issue. Typically it is most encountered either from the exterior environment to inside, or from room to another room within a structure. This page details how to control sound from a room and strategies you can use. One of the primary purposes of architectural acoustic design is to reduce sound transmission from one space to another to improve user comfort.
Three Main Strategies
When you need to control sound from a room, there are three main ways to approach solving the problem.
Reduce the Level of Sound from the Source.
As the most obvious solution, just simply reduce the sound from the source. However, reducing the noise level is not always possible. This is especially true if the sound is coming from an outside environment source not related to the ownership or your property. It could also be coming from a piece of equipment in the room that needs to be in there for the space to function.
- Sometimes a noisy machine can be modified (settings) to produce less noise, or enclosed within a smaller space to produce less noise.
- Machines and other equipment may also be programmed to run at times when the space is not occupied.
Modify the Absorption in the Space
This strategy is most effective when the room has lots of hard, reflective surfaces already existing in it.
Introduce Non-Intrusive Background Noise