Comparison of the direct sound insulation for wooden joist, CLT and timber hollow box floors

Abstract

Timber buildings are now present worldwide, and their market is growing rapidly, pushed by sustainability and environmental arguments. Several technological options for engineered wood systems are available and well developed, the most common being wooden joist, CLT and timber hollow box. In this paper, we present a comparative study of the airborne and impact sound insulation of the three options. The analysis is based on data collected from laboratory measurements. The results include the comparison of the bare floor construction and examples of assemblies with additional floating floor, suspended ceiling or a combination of the two. We identify the characteristic trends and highlight the effect of selected parameters as for instance mass per unit area, assembly thickness and properties of the resilient layers. The comparison attempts to show the constructive consequences of the different options on the sound insulation properties. It could help selecting the most suitable floor system in future projects and contribute making timber construction more efficient and affordable.