Doors are an essential part of any wall assembly, exterior or interior. Doors are also typically the acoustically weakest part of a wall partition and the question of how to soundproof a door is often asked.

People who have lived in apartments or condominiums are familiar with noise created by other occupants and likely have experience with condominium noise complaints. However, homeowners downsizing from houses to condominiums are often surprised by the noise they did not experience while living in a detached house.

Readers be aware this article has nothing to do with acoustics or soundproofing. I can’t resist; the engineer within me is excited about new developments that could profoundly impact humanity. I need to share my excitement, and my blog is the vehicle.

A recent article in MIT Technology Review describes an exciting new development in clean, carbon emissions-free fuel.

Noise control

Appropriate building site selection is important for effective noise control and minimizing environmental noise [1]. This is important for both noises entering a building from the outside and for noise from the inside of the building disturbing neighbors.

Fogo Island Inn is an unparalleled contemporary inn located on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. The inn was designed and built as a luxury hotel, with guests’ comfort being one of its primary design objectives. This article describes Fogo Island Inn’s acoustic comfort design features.

On occasion, I like to bring to our readers’ attention new developments in acoustics and soundproofing that are often under-reported in media. This time I came across an exciting development – soundproof windows that allow air passage for fresh air ventilation.

Everyone is excited about the latest episode of Star Wars, a science fiction movie. However, only some people notice fundamental scientific advances, such as advances in soundproofing, too fantastic for even Star Wars movies to contemplate.

Whether you are building a new house or looking to buy a new one or a resale house, you need to know a few things about sound insulation and soundproofing. This knowledge can spare you future headaches (literally) after you move into your new house.

The new release of the Canadian National Building Code (NBC) has become effective early in 2016. This code release contains a significant change, and an improvement, in the requirement for minimum soundproofing between dwelling units.

Anyone who has a noise problem in his home knows about it; he can hear it. He may think that noise tests are not necessary. However, the assessment of the problem by the suffering homeowner is subjective.