Sustainable design and LEED requirements are transforming the building industry. But like any shift in practice, there's a domino effect. A number of sustainable design options that earn a building IEQ credits (indoor environmental quality) in some respects are at odds with achieving equally important acoustical goals. With creative engineering and an integrated design approach, these inherent conflicts can be resolved.

The LEED checklist of desirable features includes natural ventilation, thermal comfort and the use of recycled/low VOC finish materials, and these are all areas where "credit conflicts" frequently show up when it comes to also satisfying acoustical criteria. Speech privacy and sound isolation are challenging to achieve in a naturally ventilated building. On a noisy site, open windows let in street noise - buses, trains and auto traffic generate 69-75 dB, well in excess of the recommended 45 dB. In a quiet area, naturally ventilated buildings can be too quiet for speech privacy, lacking the background white noise of HVAC systems. Hard surfaces bounce sound while they reflect light.

These design paradoxes - and others - all have acoustical engineering solutions, such as the use of partitions and sound masking devices, acoustical banners, the judicious choice of finish materials and the selection of windows and doors. TA has successfully applied these and other sustainable design solutions on a variety of projects for over 10 years.

Lisa Thorburn's class, "LEED Conflicts - The Impact Synergies Have on Good Design Practices and Acoustics" is available for booking as a lunch-and-learn and approved as an AIA continuing education session. It was given recently at the AIA California Council, to excellent reviews. Contact any member of TA staff to schedule it. Attendees earn one (1) AIA HSW (Health Safety Welfare) SD (Sustainable Design) learning unit.