#NRC90 The Whole Building Design Guide now recommends ceilings be NRC 0.90 minimum

#NRC90 Are you involved in the design, specification or construction of ceilings in buildings? You may be interested in knowing that in August 2020, the Whole Building Design Guide increased its recommended minimum Noise Reduction Coefficient for ceilings.

“Ceilings in open areas, especially those with high density occupancy, should have a minimum NRC 0.90.”

This would include all types of open areas from offices and cafeterias to laboratories and transportation hubs. There is an alternate compliance path of a minimum Articulation Class (AC) of 180. This is an important change from the previous minimum of NRC 0.75, bringing the Whole Building Design Guide into alignment with other acoustic standards.

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) developed the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) to foster communication and knowledge-sharing among federal, industry and academic partners to advance high-performing facilities.

The WBDG is the only portal providing government and industry practitioners with one-stop access to up-to-date information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria and technology from a 'whole buildings' perspective. Development of the WBDG is a collaborative effort among federal agencies, private sector companies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions. Its success depends on industry and government experts contributing their knowledge and experience to better serve the building community.

The WBDG is offered as an assistance to the building community by the NIBS through funding support from the Department of Defense, the NAVFAC Engineering Innovation and Criteria Office, the Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO). The WBDG Advisory Workgroup, consisting of representatives from over 15 participating federal agencies, guide the development of the WBDG.

The Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS) is the guide specification used for WBDG buildings. UFGS are for use in specifying construction for the United States military services. In division 9, Section 09 51 00 – Acoustical Ceilings states in section 2.1.2.2 Ceiling Sound Absorption,

“Ceilings in open areas, especially those with high density occupancy, should have a minimum NRC 0.90.”

This section on acoustical ceilings continues, “Ceilings in enclosed rooms with multiple people or with noisy equipment should have a minimum NRC of 0.80.” No rooms normally occupied by people should have a ceiling NRC below 0.70.

This is yet another example in a series of articles this year of the longstanding and varied research supporting the health and wellbeing benefits of acoustic ceilings with a minimum Noise Reduction Coefficient of NRC 0.90. Follow #NRC90 for more information on this topic.

Additional resources supporting why ceiling absorption should be minimum NRC 0.90:

1. The WELL Building Standard sets minimum ceiling NRC at 0.90
2. The Center for Health Design declares minimum ceiling absorption of NRC 0.90 as a priority design recommendation
3. National Research Council Canada concludes a minimum ceiling absorption of 0.90 needed for speech privacy
4. Green Building Initiative requires minimum NRC 0.90 for ceilings above open office spaces
5. U.S. General Services Administration mandates minimum NRC 0.90 ceilings above open office spaces
6. Updated Standards require NRC 0.90 ceilings for NICU designs

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