Don't Let Your Good Sound Isolation Go Up In Smoke!

Partitions used for sound isolation are often required to also provide fire resistance. This is especially true in multi-family construction where the vast majority of unit demising walls and floor/ceiling assemblies must be fire-rated. Solid working knowledge of fire-resistive designs is essential for architects to design acoustic partitions that can actually be built on-site. There are many design elements that work well for fire and for acoustics, but there are also areas where what works well for fire can be at odds with what works well for acoustics. In this presentation, we will look at the elements of acoustic and fire design both for basic wall and floor/ceiling assemblies and for design details like wall-wall and wall-ceiling intersections. Understand the basics of acoustic and fire design requirements including code minimum acoustical ratings and the typical fire rating requirements. Understand the potential variation in the perceived acoustical performance of wall or floor/ceiling assemblies with the same acoustic or fire rating. Understand the acoustic-driven design changes that can adversely affect fire ratings and the fire-driven design changes that can adversely affect acoustic ratings. Understand the acoustic and fire design elements to consider when detailing wall-wall and wall-ceiling intersections. AIA approved course. This course qualifies for 1.0 LU/HSW Hour.