Noise Pollution is Surpassing Mold as Top Health Offender
Posted by Liz Ernst on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 @ 11:41 AM
In an age when noise pollution is surpassing mold as the top health offender in multi-unit construction, more and more architects and builders are incorporating some sort of noise abatement solution into residential properties, as well as commercial and industrial buildings to meet a growing demand to address not only noise but the threat of noise complaint litigation. As noise abatement technology becomes more sophisticated, a growing movement to rid our home, work and leisure spaces of high decibel intrusion is taking shape, and sound abatement manufacturers are competing like never before to restore quiet to living spaces.
A host of elements have stirred demand for noise reduction applications: global economic factors, urban and suburban build-out and oppressive land price increases have spawned higher density, multi-unit development. More people are living and working in highly concentrated environments. Unwanted noise from neighbors has become a high-priority lifestyle issue for people living in apartment and condominium housing complexes. In a national survey of 1,500 multi-family housing residents conducted by Richmond, Va.,-based Alan Newman Research, noisy neighbors are the number one cause of irritation when it comes to multifamily living. More than 60-percent of those polled rated noisy neighbors who can be heard through the walls as the top noise compliant, with loud music following a distant second.
In the case of The Lexington, JDA Group commercial and residential developers installed sound abatement material under the drywall and subflooring of each unit during construction to create living spaces that are void of ambient noise from outside traffic, as well as adjoining apartments. This patented material, made by Tampa, Fla.-based Acoustiblok Inc., is attached to the studs before drywall is hung during the construction or renovation phase. This flexible material is a heavy, mineral-filled viscoelastic polymer that absorbs sound and transforms it into inaudible friction energy. Since the product can be cut to fit during installation, it can be applied to any type of project.