Multi-family and officetel noise blocking standards between floors increase... Light impact sound 58→49dB

Inter-floor noise blocking standards for multi-family homes and officetels will be strengthened.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 5th that it will make an administrative notice on the partial revision of the 'Inter-story floor impact sound blocking structural standard for noise prevention' containing such contents from the 6th to the 26th.

The key to this amendment is to strengthen the floor impact sound blocking performance of buildings subject to the Building Act, which had relatively lower standards than apartment complexes subject to the Housing Act.

Applicable areas include multi-family housing, apartment complexes with less than 30 households, and officetels.

The floor impact sound blocking performance standards are strengthened to 49 dB (decibel) or less for both heavy and light impact sounds. The current standards are 50 dB or less for heavy impact sounds and 58 dB or less for light impact sounds, which are lowered by 1 dB and 9 dB, respectively.

Heavy impact noise refers to noise caused by a heavy and soft impact, while light impact noise refers to noise caused by a relatively light and hard impact.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to prepare a new standard floor structure in line with the strengthened standards and to improve the quality standards for cushioning materials that absorb impact sound.

However, considering the burden on the building owner, the current system that allows the choice between a 'certified floor structure' whose blocking performance is recognized through performance tests and a 'standard floor structure' that follows the structural and construction standards set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will be maintained.

The standard floor structure can be applied without a separate performance test if the concrete slab, cushioning material, and finishing mortar are constructed according to the published standards. However, the established structure and cushioning material quality standards must be observed.

The full text of the amendment can be found on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's website, and opinions on the amendment can be submitted through the website or mail until the 26th.

Lee Jin-cheol, Director of Building Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “Through this revision, the residential environment of multi-family houses and officetels, which have been relatively vulnerable to floor impact noise, will be able to improve.”