Curtain wall construction is very common in modern commercial buildings. The continuous external facade 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.

Kelly Kruger

Robert Ogle

Canadian acoustics

The CAA is the professional, interdisciplinary organization that :    - fosters communication among people working in all areas of acoustics in Canada   - promotes the growth and practical application of knowledge in acoustics   - encourages education, research, protection of the environment, and employment in acoustics   - is an umbrella organization through which general issues in education, employment and research can be addressed at a national and multidisciplinary level

The Canadian Acoustics Association (CAA) is a professional, interdisciplinary organization that: - fosters communication among individuals working in all areas of acoustics in Canada; - promotes the growth and practical application of knowledge in acoustics; - encourages education, research, environmental protection, and employment in acoustics; - serves as an umbrella organization through which general issues in education, employment, and research can be addressed at a national and multidisciplinary level.

加拿大声学学会（Canadian Acoustics - Acoustique Canadienne）是一个专业的跨学科组织，旨在：- 促进加拿大各领域声学工作者之间的交流；- 促进声学知识的增长和实际应用；- 鼓励声学领域的教育、研究、环境保护和就业；- 作为一个综合性组织，解决教育、就业和研究等一般问题，推动国家和多学科层面的讨论。

Complexities of Curtain Wall Flanking Transmission – A Case Study

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