Sound By Design: Achieve Acoustic Excellence with USG

The role that acoustics play in the built environment is that of a key design imperative, inextricably linked to the comfort and well-being of a building’s occupants. But too often acoustic criteria are devalued in favor of cost-cutting measures.

When acoustic considerations are treated as disposable or an afterthought, the long-term viability of the space is impacted, often leading to occupant complaints and subsequent retrofitting projects to address noise issues. As such, acoustics must be treated as an impactful and space-making factor of design. Only then can it embed human comfort into every project, enhance the invisible dimensions of design, and optimize acoustics for integrated building systems.

Embedding Comfort

Prioritizing and establishing acoustic performance criteria early in the design phase allows a project the opportunity to specify acoustical products and systems that balance performance with budget demands. This means that aesthetics and acoustics are executed to meet an owner’s requirements while also enhancing human experience and comfort for building occupants.

Enhancing Dimensions of Design

Although materials like metal, wood, or concrete are visually striking when used in exposed-structure or open-plenum designs, they absorb sound quite poorly. Address this invisible aspect of design with sound-absorptive materials that marry visual beauty with optimized sound performance. This allows for uncompromising design aesthetics and delivers building performance that supports and satisfies its occupants.

Optimizing Acoustics

Optimizing acoustics across ceiling, wall, and floor systems will typically require engagement with multiple suppliers, each with varying levels of expertise, responsiveness, and product performance. Working with a qualified acoustician and a single manufacturer to design and deliver acoustically effective systems that meet code in real-world environments is the best route toward a successful project. The amount of time and resources spent on administrative tasks will be reduced and potential non-compliance costs can be avoided, allowing increased focus on occupant experience and satisfaction.

Building a System

USG understands the impact that acoustics can have on the built environment and has poured years of innovation into developing a range of solutions across product portfolios to allow for greater acoustic control in a variety of applications.

Here are a few products across our portfolio that have been developed to achieve acoustical excellence:

USG Ceilings

You can’t begin to talk about the importance of acoustics without starting from the top. For exceptional solutions that balance aesthetics with acoustics, USG Ceilings products contain some of our highest quality and strongest performing acoustic materials.

Building upon the strong acoustical performance of USG Barz® - Open Plenum Modular Acoustic Baffles, our high-end custom Barz® + Brilliance™ solution from Ceilings Plus® offers static and color-tunable lighting features, including circadian lighting technology options. This makes it a compelling product to create a truly unique space.

Ensemble® Acoustical Drywall Ceiling is the first integrated ceiling system offering an ideal combination of seamless design and superior acoustics. This system offers the stunning appearance of a monolithic drywall ceiling and utilizes breakthrough innovations across USG technologies in drywall, finishing, and acoustical systems, coming together in one system to maximize sound control.

Juno™ Acoustical Panels are designed to bring together the highest performance in both acoustics and aesthetics in an easy-to-handle mineral fiber package. Juno™ High-NRC panels offer balanced acoustics with a 0.95 NRC and 30 CAC, and fully encapsulated edges provide a premium appearance and durability both during and after installation.

USG STRUCTO-CRETE® Brand Structural Panels

Avoid the unnecessary weight added to a project with traditional poured concrete floor when using STRUCTO-CRETE® Brand Structural Panels. These panels create a strong foundation within lightweight, framed structures for noncombustible construction. They also feature comparable acoustical control to poured concrete at a fraction of the thickness, cutting down on weight and removing drying time from the equation.

USG Levelrock® Brand Sound Attenuation Mats & Underlayments

Add a layer of dimension to sound control between floor-ceiling assemblies with our range of Levelrock® Brand Sound Attenuation Mats. Superior sound dampening and best-in-class STC and IIC ratings ensure an acoustically sound environment, all in a thin profile design.

Top things off with Levelrock® Brand Underlayments to maximize sound isolation between floors while providing a smooth, quick-setting application. Save even more time on the jobsite with a gypsum-based underlayment that’s ready to take on foot traffic within hours—not days.

The USG Solution

Acoustics should matter to your materials manufacturer. Experience newfound flexibility to balance and allocate budget requirements with optimal aesthetics and acoustical performance when you partner with USG. Your project becomes our project, incorporating acoustical performance considerations as a critical design component rather than an afterthought.

Watch this video to learn more about this three-part sound solution: