855773520-LEED-v5-ID-C-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition-1 - Page 336
Extracted Content
Table 5. Mapping acoustical expectations
| Noise exposure zones | Acoustical comfort | Acoustical privacy | Communication zones | Soundscape management |
|---|---|---|---|---|
High risk, Medium risk, Low risk, No risk. | Loud zone, Quiet zone, Mixed zone, Circulation, Sensitive, No specific expectations. | High speech security, Confidential speech privacy, Normal speech privacy, Marginal speech privacy, No privacy | Excellent, Good, Marginal, None, No specific expectations | Preserve, Improve, Restore, Mitigate, Specialized (e.g., Wellness, Therapeutic, Agency in equity), No Specific Expectations. |
For each primary indoor and outdoor space, the mapping exercise is continued to identify acoustic criteria and subsequent design strategies or solutions that, if implemented in the design, increase likelihood of the project to meet the desired expectations. Example acoustic criteria and design targets are listed in Table 6.
Table 6. Common acoustic criteria
| Acoustic criteria category | Example design or performance target | Col3 |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic criteria category | Acoustic criteria threshold | Threshold reference |
| Internally generated background noise | e.g., 35 dBA | e.g.,ANSI S12.60–2010 |
| Externally intrusive background noise | Externally intrusive background noise | Externally intrusive background noise |
| Electronically generated masking sound | None | N/A |
| Outdoor acoustical environment | e.g. Daytime: 55 dBA, Nighttime: 50 dBA | e.g. local code |
| Airborne sound reverberation | e.g. 0.7s | e.g.AS/NZS 2107:2016 |
| Sound insulation | e.g. STC 45 | e.g. FGI Guidelines |
| Vibration insulation | e.g. IIC 50 | e.g. WELL Beta Feature Impact Noise Management |
| Impact noise | e.g. NISR | e.g. NISR |
PATH 2. ACOUSTIC CRITERIA FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SPACES
This pathway builds off the mapping exercise in Path 1. It requires using generally accepted engineering practices to demonstrate that the project design is likely to meet the acoustical expectations outlined for the space. The acoustical consultant will select calculations, modeling methods, or measurements as appropriate for the acoustic criterion. For example, if the acoustic criterion is “internally generated background noise below 35 dBA,” the project might calculate sound pressure levels or measure sound pressure levels in the completed space.
U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Interior Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 325