Complexities of Curtain Wall Flanking Transmission – A Case Study

Authors

  • Kelly Kruger Building Science Engineering Ltd.
  • Robert Ogle Building Science Engineering Ltd.

Abstract

Curtain wall construction is very common in modern commercial buildings. The continuous external façade can lead to significant limitations on the sound isolation between adjacent rooms, separated either laterally or vertically. Flanking transmission of curtain wall systems is very difficult to predict at the design stage of a project. Manufactures do not routinely measure this parameter. The scarcity of data is partly due to a lack of laboratories that have the necessary specialized test environment. Generic flanking transmission loss data is of little value because of the large variation in curtain wall assemblies. Designers are often left with best guess approximations based on previous experience. These factors  also  make it difficult to significantly improve flanking transmission of an existing curtain wall installation.

This paper describes a project where significant flanking along the curtain wall resulted in poor sound isolation between floors. Due to the complexity of the junction between the curtain wall and the floor structure, several potential flanking paths were identified and evaluated. It was possible to alter each flanking path individually so that the incremental improvement of each step could be quantified. After implementing several modifications, an improvement of approximately 15 dB was observed across a wide frequency range.

Additional Files

Published

2019-10-16

How to Cite

1.
Kruger K, Ogle R. Complexities of Curtain Wall Flanking Transmission – A Case Study. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2019 Oct. 16 [cited 2024 Apr. 19];47(3):54-5. Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/3338

Issue

Vol. 47 No. 3 (2019)

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada

License

Author Licensing Addendum

This Licensing Addendum ("Addendum") is entered into between the undersigned Author(s) and Canadian Acoustics journal published by the Canadian Acoustical Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Publisher"). The Author(s) and the Publisher agree as follows:

  1. Retained Rights: The Author(s) retain(s) the following rights:

    • The right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the Work on the Author's personal website or the website of the Author's institution.
    • The right to use the Work in the Author's teaching activities and presentations.
    • The right to include the Work in a compilation for the Author's personal use, not for sale.

  2. Grant of License: The Author(s) grant(s) to the Publisher a worldwide exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the Work in Canadian Acoustics and any other formats and media deemed appropriate by the Publisher.

  3. Attribution: The Publisher agrees to include proper attribution to the Author(s) in all publications and reproductions of the Work.

  4. No Conflict: This Addendum is intended to be in harmony with, and not in conflict with, the terms and conditions of the original agreement entered into between the Author(s) and the Publisher.

  5. Copyright Clause: Copyright on articles is held by the Author(s). The corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all Authors and does grant on behalf of all Authors, a worldwide exclusive license to the Publisher and its licensees in perpetuity, in all forms, formats, and media (whether known now or created in the future), including but not limited to the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create adaptations, reprints, include within collections, and create summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts of the Contribution.