SPECIAL REPORT
LEEDuser overview
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Already a premium member? Log in now
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
For all occupied spaces, meet the following requirements, as applicable, for HVAC background noise, sound isolation, reverberation time, and sound reinforcement and masking.
Adjacency combinations |
STCC |
|
|---|---|---|
Residence (within a multifamily residence), hotel or motel room |
Residence, hotel or motel room |
55 |
Residence, hotel or motel room |
Common hallway, stairway |
50 |
Residence, hotel or motel room |
Retail |
60 |
Retail |
Retail |
50 |
Standard office |
Standard office |
45 |
Executive office |
Executive office |
50 |
Conference room |
Conference room |
50 |
Office, conference room |
Hallway, stairway |
50 |
Mechanical equipment room |
Occupied area |
60 |
Room type |
Application |
T60 (sec), at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz |
|---|---|---|
Apartment and condominium |
— |
|
Hotel/motel |
Individual room or suite |
|
Meeting or banquet room |
||
Office building |
Executive or private office |
|
Conference room |
||
Teleconference room |
||
Open-plan office without sound masking |
||
Open-plan office with sound masking |
|
|
Courtroom |
Unamplified speech |
|
Amplified speech |
||
Performing arts space |
Drama theaters, concert and recital halls |
Varies by application |
Laboratories |
Testing or research with minimal speech communication |
|
Extensive phone use and speech communication |
||
Church, mosque, synagogue |
General assembly with critical music program |
Varies by application |
Library |
|
|
Indoor stadium, gymnasium |
Gymnasium and natatorium |
|
Large-capacity space with speech amplification |
||
Classroom |
— |
1 Adapted from ASHRAE (2007d), ASA (2008), ANSI (2002), and CEN (2007)
See all forum discussions about this credit »Frequently asked questions
Sound transmission requirements for adjacency combinations are listed in Reference Guide Table 1, but not all combinations are included. For example, an STC rating requirement is not provided for conference room and standard/executive office adjacency. IsThe answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Are we required to have an acoustical consultant in order to attempt this credit?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Is it possible to pursue this as an Innovation credit in a Core & Shell project?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our project has small meeting rooms in an open-office plan. This situation appears to require an STC of 50. However, this level seems to be (unrealistically) high, especially considering the doors in the wall partition. STC 50 with a (closed) wall can beThe answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
What does it cost?
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Already a premium member? Log in now
Checklists
LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.
Already a premium member? Log in now
Documentation toolkit
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
Already a premium member? Log in now
Addenda
Add an International Tips section that reads:
"The International Electrotechnical Commission (2013) IEC 61672-1:2013 Electroacoustics – Sound Level Meters – Part 1: Specifications are considered to be an equivalent to ANSI S1.4. Project teams outside the U.S. may use measuring equipment which is in line with IEC 61672-1:2013."
In Table 2, revise the T60 value for Office Building Open Plan Office with Sound Masking to read as "
Updated Sound Transmission (Isolation) tab to allow for "other" space type
Revised tab for Sound Transmission (Isolation) , added note to clarify each room should have multiple assemblies. It is not acceptable to list a single STC value for the room, each surface (plane surrounding the space) should have a separate assembly, so at least one floor/ceiling & one wall assembly must be entered.
Replace TABLE 1 header with: TABLE 1. Minimum composite sound transmission class ratings for adjacent spaces
Replace TABLE 1 header with: TABLE 1. Minimum composite sound transmission class ratings for adjacent spaces
Revised Instructions and Summary tabs to include ID+C rating systems
LEEDuser overview
LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.
Already a premium member? Log in now
Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
For all occupied spaces, meet the following requirements, as applicable, for HVAC background noise, sound isolation, reverberation time, and sound reinforcement and masking.
Adjacency combinations |
STCC |
|
|---|---|---|
Residence (within a multifamily residence), hotel or motel room |
Residence, hotel or motel room |
55 |
Residence, hotel or motel room |
Common hallway, stairway |
50 |
Residence, hotel or motel room |
Retail |
60 |
Retail |
Retail |
50 |
Standard office |
Standard office |
45 |
Executive office |
Executive office |
50 |
Conference room |
Conference room |
50 |
Office, conference room |
Hallway, stairway |
50 |
Mechanical equipment room |
Occupied area |
60 |
Room type |
Application |
T60 (sec), at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz |
|---|---|---|
Apartment and condominium |
— |
|
Hotel/motel |
Individual room or suite |
|
Meeting or banquet room |
||
Office building |
Executive or private office |
|
Conference room |
||
Teleconference room |
||
Open-plan office without sound masking |
||
Open-plan office with sound masking |
|
|
Courtroom |
Unamplified speech |
|
Amplified speech |
||
Performing arts space |
Drama theaters, concert and recital halls |
Varies by application |
Laboratories |
Testing or research with minimal speech communication |
|
Extensive phone use and speech communication |
||
Church, mosque, synagogue |
General assembly with critical music program |
Varies by application |
Library |
|
|
Indoor stadium, gymnasium |
Gymnasium and natatorium |
|
Large-capacity space with speech amplification |
||
Classroom |
— |
1 Adapted from ASHRAE (2007d), ASA (2008), ANSI (2002), and CEN (2007)
See all forum discussions about this credit »Frequently asked questions
Sound transmission requirements for adjacency combinations are listed in Reference Guide Table 1, but not all combinations are included. For example, an STC rating requirement is not provided for conference room and standard/executive office adjacency. IsThe answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Are we required to have an acoustical consultant in order to attempt this credit?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Is it possible to pursue this as an Innovation credit in a Core & Shell project?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our project has small meeting rooms in an open-office plan. This situation appears to require an STC of 50. However, this level seems to be (unrealistically) high, especially considering the doors in the wall partition. STC 50 with a (closed) wall can beThe answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Documentation toolkit
LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
Already a premium member? Log in now
Frequently asked questions
Sound transmission requirements for adjacency combinations are listed in Reference Guide Table 1, but not all combinations are included. For example, an STC rating requirement is not provided for conference room and standard/executive office adjacency. IsThe answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Are we required to have an acoustical consultant in order to attempt this credit?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Is it possible to pursue this as an Innovation credit in a Core & Shell project?The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Our project has small meeting rooms in an open-office plan. This situation appears to require an STC of 50. However, this level seems to be (unrealistically) high, especially considering the doors in the wall partition. STC 50 with a (closed) wall can beThe answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial » (If you're already a premium member, log in here.) |
Addenda
Add an International Tips section that reads:
"The International Electrotechnical Commission (2013) IEC 61672-1:2013 Electroacoustics – Sound Level Meters – Part 1: Specifications are considered to be an equivalent to ANSI S1.4. Project teams outside the U.S. may use measuring equipment which is in line with IEC 61672-1:2013."
In Table 2, revise the T60 value for Office Building Open Plan Office with Sound Masking to read as "
Updated Sound Transmission (Isolation) tab to allow for "other" space type
Revised tab for Sound Transmission (Isolation) , added note to clarify each room should have multiple assemblies. It is not acceptable to list a single STC value for the room, each surface (plane surrounding the space) should have a separate assembly, so at least one floor/ceiling & one wall assembly must be entered.
Replace TABLE 1 header with: TABLE 1. Minimum composite sound transmission class ratings for adjacent spaces
Replace TABLE 1 header with: TABLE 1. Minimum composite sound transmission class ratings for adjacent spaces
Revised Instructions and Summary tabs to include ID+C rating systems
LEED AP BD+C
Longman Lindsey
Partner