An Intro to Noise Control in Buildings

Course Description:

This course will introduce you to the basic principles and terminology of acoustics, and noise control engineering in buildings.  You will learn about sound pressure levels, sound power levels, sound intensity levels, vibration levels, frequency, temporal variations, loudness, vibration transmissibility and vibration isolation.  You will learn about Noise Criteria (NC) and Room Criteria (RC) curves and how they are used in acoustical engineering projects.  Speech Interference Levels (SIL), Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) and Room Constants are also introduced, and you will see how the principles of sound Transmission Loss (TL), Noise Reduction (NR) and Sound Transmission Class (STC) are used in project design.  The information you will get from this course will allow you to apply basic acoustical engineering principles to a variety of projects, and will give you the background you need to advance to more sophisticated analyses on more demanding acoustical challenges such as those associated with design of concert halls and recording studios.  This course is intended for engineers and architects who want an introduction to noise control in buildings that they can apply immediately on straightforward projects, and that will give them the background they need before advancing to more acoustically sophisticated projects such as concert halls and recording studios.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of acoustics
• Know the noise criteria
• Understand the sound isolation between rooms