As urban centers in North America experience population growth, the demand for mid-rise and high-rise multi-family buildings is increasing and issues of adequate sound insulation are becoming more important. Recognizing this issue, the 2015 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) has changed its requirements for building element performance (Sound Transmission Class, or STC, rating) to requirements for system performance (Apparent STC rating, or ASTC), which are more stringent.

To help architects, engineers, building officials and contractors learn more about these requirements, the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) will host a webinar on “ASTC and Cold-Formed Steel” on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Participants are eligible for 1.5 PDHs.  

The webinar will:

  • Review the new sound insulation requirements in the NBCC,
  • Highlight tools and guidelines provided by the National Research Council Canada (NRC), and
  • Demonstrate how the acoustic requirements in the NBCC can be met for buildings constructed from cold-formed steel-framed walls and floors, with information resulting from a recently completed joint research project between NRC and the Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute (CSSBI).

The webinar will be conducted by Dr. Christoph Hoeller, a research officer in the Acoustics Group at National Research Council Canada. He is responsible for a range of projects pertaining to sound transmission in buildings and human perception of sound. The current focus of his work is on supporting the transition to ASTC metrics in building regulations in Canada by developing tools and guidelines in collaboration with Canadian industry partners. Dr. Hoeller is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, the Canadian Acoustical Association, the German Acoustics Association, and the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration. He serves on the ASTM committees on building and environmental acoustics, as well as the Canadian mirror committees for ISO standards on building acoustics.

More information on the webinar and registration is available at http://www.cfsei.org/webinar-april-26-2018.