This credit encourages quality acoustical design, which provides many benefits to occupants including increased comfort and productivity. 

However, the credit requirements can be difficult and expensive to achieve, and can require careful balancing against other project concerns, such as materials selection or open floor planning. Consider enlisting the expertise of an acoustical consultant to ensure your project meets the applicable requirements for all occupied spaces. 

For non-U.S. projects, this credit does allow for an alternative compliance path based on local standards. Project teams will have to show that the local standard is equivalent to the ANSI S12.60–2002 standard.

What’s New in LEED v4

This is a new credit for New Construction, Data Centers, Warehouses and Distribution Centers, and Hospitality.

For Schools:

• USGBC reduced the noise-level limit from 40 to 35 dBA.
• The referenced ANSI S12.60 standard was updated from the 2002 to the 2010 version.
• The background noise AHRI Standard 885–2008 was added as a referenced standard.
• The credit requires that all equivalent local codes are used in place of national codes.

For Healthcare:

• The Acoustic Environment credit name is changed.