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Advertising supplement provided by Marvin Windows and Doors

Continuing Education Use the following learning objectives to focus your study while reading this month’s ARCHITECTURAL RECORD / AIA Continuing Education article. Learning Objective: After reading this article, you will be able to: 1. Recognize situations that require sound control in non-residential structures. 2. Understand sound transmission as it relates to occupied buildings. 3. Identify the appropriate sound rating systems for glass and framing materials used in windows and doors. 4. List and compare the primary advantages and disadvantages of window and door options.

Sound is everywhere and it affects our lives in many ways. Some sounds we choose and enjoy—music, friendly conversations, rain softly falling on the roof, birds welcoming the morning sun, water splashing on a sandy beach. Others are forced upon us—road traffic, the pounding of a passing car’s audio system, emergency sirens, airplanes taking off and landing, trains rumbling through town, jackhammers on a construction project, commercial lawn mowers, the clap of thunder and lightning.

Although we need some sounds to make us aware of our surroundings, loud sounds and vibrations become unwelcome and irritating noises. In non-residential buildings these can disrupt business meetings, annoy potential clients, reduce employee productivity, interrupt classroom sessions, and potentially cause damage to the human ear.

But as many cities continue to rebuild their downtowns with commercial and residential development, and urban sprawl absorbs the countryside, the increased density of people and buildings raises outside noise levels everywhere.

 

Rock Island Lofts exterior: Marvin’s extruded clad wood windows enhance views, while meeting wind loading requirements at the Rock Island Lofts by Oertel Architects in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Inside an office, we expect the normal sounds of business—phones ringing, business conversation or soft background music. But other sounds such as private business discussions or meetings that include audio-visual presentations can disrupt co-workers if they are not contained within the place of origin.

Understanding the relationships between acoustics and health and safety is critical, particularly in the design of a building occupied by hundreds or thousands of people each day. Studies of acoustics to provide solutions to reducing emissions of sound at the source and controlling its infiltration into buildings show that careful design and selection of windows and doors can control sound transmission into and inside of non-residential structures.

Acoustically improved windows are cost-effective long-term solutions to damping noise, and they allow greater design flexibility in non-residential structures. This makes it increasingly important for architects to know how to choose windows and doors that offer significant sound attenuation.