Old mills, new condos; sound isolation in mill building conversion projects

Abstract

Up and down the New England Coast, century-old mill buildings are being converted into condominium and apartment buildings amidst one of the biggest housing booms in recent memory. While the inherent acoustical conflicts in multi-family dwelling are not new (oft-cited HUD guidelines are approaching their 40th birthday), the flood of mill conversions is bringing to light a number of new constructions that architects use to chop former factories into discrete living spaces. This paper will present field-collected data and case studies that illustrate some of the problems and common pitfalls associated with mill building conversion projects. Among the construction details discussed include exposed timber ceilings that run continuously across gypsum board partitions, the creative reuse of existing brick walls, and some acoustical properties of wood deck construction common to many mill buildings.