Raised acoustic floors ensure comfortable living at new 116-unit retirement building
The SoundDown Tranquillo Acoustic Flooring System delivers an STC rating of 66 and an IIC rating of 60, exceeding acoustic requirements to provide a quiet and comfortable environment at Summerset’s new building in Cambridge.
The project consists of a three-storey 9,400m2 apartment block that includes 116 units — a mix of serviced apartments, care units and memory care, together with shared facilities including dining rooms, leisure areas and an indoor pool. With living areas across multiple floors, it was crucial to specify an effective acoustic floor system to meet the requirements of NZBC G6. The SoundDown Tranquillo Acoustic Flooring System was specified and installed on over 4,258m² throughout the development to exceed that compliance requirement and ensure minimum sound transfer between floors.
The large development features a CLT floor structure, so it was important to select the right acoustic floor system to meet acoustic requirements. Going beyond the minimum STC 55 and IIC 55 requirements of G6 Airborne and Impact Sound, the architects turned to the SoundDown Tranquillo Acoustic Flooring System — a raised acoustic flooring system which meets STC 66 and IIC 60 to ensure optimum acoustic comfort.
The Tranquillo system is a tested acoustic assembly which features pre-assembled acoustic battens, acoustic insulation installed between battens, and a top flooring layer which can be OSB, Magnedure or fibre cement, resulting in an acoustically rated system ready for installation of the final floor covering.
On this project, OSB was used as the top layer for most areas, but in bathrooms Magnedure was specified. Magnedure Flooring Boards are made of non-combustible composite cementitious material, providing an alternative to fibre cement boards. They offer high strength, stability and resistance to biological degradation, providing additional wet floor durability as part of an E3-compliant flooring system.
The project also incorporated SoundDown In-Floor Fire Stop Battens — a prefabricated fire stopping solution that maintains the continuity of the firecell at the fire door threshold. The battens are quick and easy to install as part of the overall SoundDown floor system, helping to keep large projects such as Summerset Cambridge on track.
Simon Bews, Site Manager of Brosnan Construction appreciated the support from the Build Anatomy technical team throughout the project. “They were good to work with. They come up with ideas and solutions. Nothing was ever too hard.”
Smooth coordination of trades was critical for keeping the project on schedule, and the straightforward installation of the system and ability for the SoundDown installation team to work in with other trades was greatly appreciated.
“With so many trades on site, you never get a clean run,” explains Simon. “There was a small window for the installers to jump in and do the floor. They adapted to doing it unit by unit so we could clear that unit and have all the trades back in, and then did the hallways. I would highly recommend them.”
“I’d never worked with the system before, but it was very quick and pretty simple,” adds Simon. “Once the first zone was complete, it was a breeze, it went down really quickly.”
Once the system was installed, and final finished flooring laid, the SoundDown team then completed final acoustic testing which verified that the floors met the acoustic levels specified and would perform as intended.
Now in the final stages, Summerset Cambridge’s new multi-unit building will soon be complete, with the first residents expected to move in late this year. And they can expect quiet, comfortable living thanks to the excellent acoustic control the SoundDown Tranquillo provides.
