What people want to hear

Abstract

As communities increase in population density, more multi-family dwellings appear in the marketplace. With the advent of acoustical legal action against developers and growing sophistication of owners, the need for the developer to communicate to the potential buyer the level of sound isolation provided has become important. The legal cases have created a renewed debate over the criteria and standards for these dwelling types. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) started the discussion of Acoustical Criteria in Multi-Family dwellings [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, A Guide to Airborne, Impact, and Structure Borne Noise Control in Multi-Family Dwellings (1963)]. HUD later released minimum acceptable acoustical standards [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD Minimum Property Standards: Multi-Family Housing (1973)]. States, counties, and cities, through code requirements, have also provided minimum acceptable standards. This paper shall compare the existing standards. The comparison will include the types of noise sources and isolation systems that are addressed, and a discussion of the adequacy of the standards based on interaction with other consultants in legal cases.