Good sound isolation requires airtight structure that still lets occupants breathe

Evidence

So in order to have good sound isolation one needs good partitions and an airtight, draught-free, structure. Achieving this in practice while still allowing the occupants to breathe is a challenge. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2174

So in order to have good sound isolation, one needs good partitions and an airtight, draught-free structure. Achieving this in practice while still allowing the occupants to breathe is a challenge. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 2127

Categorization

Category: Inspiration and Speculation

• QUESTION: The built-in tension between airtightness and breathability is worth chasing: how do modern building codes balance ventilation with acoustic isolation?
• XREF: Connects to the earlier note that double-glazing dramatically improved isolation — a small fact about the pane gap being the load-bearing detail.

Related

• Sound isolation fails mainly through flanking paths like pipes and air leaks. (similarity 0.84)
• Sound isolation is defeated mainly by flanking paths like air leaks and structure. (similarity 0.82)