Technology

Shaw launches Sound Advisor

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

[Dalton] Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) has introduced a new, patent-pending tool to showcase the impact ceiling and floor construction, as well as flooring and underlayment selection, have on room acoustics. Known as Sound Advisor, the company said that the web-based tool helps users make more informed design and interior product selection decisions.

The tool can be accessed via the following branded sites with additional sites under development:
--Patcraft: https://patcraft.soundadvisor.com/
--Philadelphia Commercial: https://philadelphia.soundadvisor.com/
--Shaw Contract: https://shawcontract.soundadvisor.com
--Shaw Floors - Multifamily: https://multifamily.soundadvisor.com/

Shaw has also developed an hour-long continuing education unit (CEU) that qualifies for one credit from IDCEC as well as AIA. The CEU is also available via sales representatives from all Shaw brands, and Shaw will present a GBCI-approved session at this year’s Greenbuild conference.

/Uploads/Public/Sound Advisor_preferred graphic.jpg

/Uploads/Public/Sound Advisor_preferred graphic.jpg

Research shows that the constant sounds of everyday life — the hum of an appliance, co-workers talking, music in the background — have a powerful impact on people’s wellbeing. Too much noise can lead to stress, fatigue, lack of focus, anxiety and lengthier healing times. From student apartments and hotels to offices and hospitals, sound can make or break the effectiveness of a building.

The effect on human health can have a negative business impact, including loss in productivity or decreased revenue as a result of apartment turnover or fewer hotel night stays.

Building certifications now take acoustics into account when evaluating a space's impact on human health and the environment. The U.S. Green Building Council LEED v4 includes a focus on airborne sound and in-room sound for commercial buildings, schools and healthcare facilities. The International WELL Building Institute has set benchmarks for the numerous ways a building and its systems can support human health and wellness, including sound abatement.

Even without such certifications, owners, managers, housing directors and contractors recognize the value in noise abatement when creating a superior, competitive building.

“Floor covering and other products are labeled with an impact insulation class (IIC) rating; however, IIC ratings on a product are not enough. They don’t tell the whole story,” noted Jay Henry, director of innovation at Shaw Industries.

“Recognizing this gap in the marketplace, we’ve conducted extensive testing to provide an estimated IIC rating based on specific floor and ceiling construction, paired with flooring types and installation methods where underlayment is and isn’t used. This testing produced not only an IIC number but a sound file that allows a user to actually hear the difference,” Henry added.

Shaw’s efforts stand to bring more science-based decision-making to building design, room design and product selection, the company said, adding that the company’s research-centric approach will shape how its teams advise designers and facility managers through product selection and how Shaw develops innovative products in the future.

"Sound Advisor is particularly helpful for the multifamily, senior living, student housing and hospitality markets that are keenly focused on floor-to-floor sound transmission," Jay Henry exclusively told FCW. "We’ll continue to evolve our education materials and the Sound Advisor tool based upon user experience, additional testing and further research to provide customers with valuable insights to assist with their decision-making. Our goal is to continually arm our Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial and Shaw Contract team members with the knowledge and tools to provide added value to their customers and make the product selection and purchase process easy."

Henry also told FCW the impact that Shaw hopes Sound Advisor will have on its clients. "At every stage of Sound Advisor’s development, our customers and the people who will live, work, heal and learn in these spaces were at the center of our effort, and because of that, this innovation has the potential to make building design and product selection even more human-centric. Actually hearing the sound test helps specifiers, builders and property managers make more informed, science-based decisions about the flooring and acoustics within their spaces — not basing these decisions on speculation.

"Because Shaw will glean valuable insights from the way Sound Advisor is used and building design trends that emerge following its release, we foresee this solution making our salesforce even more invaluable to their clients due to the wealth of assistance they can now provide," Henry commented.

/Uploads/Public/Tapper - Close Up.jpg