The Lakeshore Apartments in Colorado was a redevelopment project in which an existing commercial building was turned into eight individual apartment units. The largest challenge of this renovation was achieving the IBC building code 1207.1 requirement of an STC of 50 for demising walls.
Soundproofing Requirements for Apartments
Not meeting building codes can make for unsatisfied residents, annoyed management, and even mean legal repercussions. Therefore, it was very important for Lakeshore Apartments to meet this code as quickly and low-cost as possible.
The original construction had six demising walls separating each space built of 2×6 studs, 16” oc with 1 layer of drywall on each side, for an STC of 45. This STC rating was acceptable when the property only held commercial tenants, but needed a cost-effective solution to bring it up to code as a residential space.
Commercial Acoustics used state-of-the-art sound modeling to predict the STC improvement various construction methods would create. Soundproofing treatments, such as adding resilient channels, were initially considered but not viable as it would remove too much livable space. Instead, the developer decided to add a layer of Wall Blokker Pro sound membrane on top of the existing drywall with another layer of 5/8” drywall as the finished layer.
The installation of Wall Blokker Pro effectively helped them to raise their STC from 45 to 50, meeting the necessary building code. It also limited their construction schedule and cost while allowing for more livable space in the units.
Apartment Soundproofing
To learn more about how Commercial Acoustics has assisted other multi-family developments in soundproofing, read here.
Whether you’re simply trying to meet or exceed the building code, or desire a LEED or WELL-certified building, you can achieve significant STC improvement at a reduced cost by removing unnecessary drywall and replacing with cost-effective soundproofing technologies.
