More super happy studio fun!!

[conan]

Hi guys, I've been away for a while during my move to sunny Taiwan. Miss me? *shakes fists* MISS ME??

Anyhow, you might remember that with the help of you guys I put this together a couple of months back.

I would now like to do something similar.. in a high-rise office block. Yes, bear with me. I happened on a great bargain office in a great area on the 5th floor of a pretty modern commercial high-rise. It seems well built and there is very little noise coming from the concrete outer walls and no traffic noise whatsoever. The office is partitioned into two rooms with a material that seems only slightly more effective at sound isolation than rice paper, but I can deal with this.

Now, get your thinking caps on and help me figure out a way of isolating the smaller partition (about 3 ping / 10 sqm - not a huge job here) with the following caveats:

1) no damage can be done to the existing structure (easy - the whole thing will be floating)
2) minimal traffic through the building's common areas (the disturbance created by 150 8' 2x4s and a few hundredweight of plasterboards in the last project was something else)
3) wood framed structure is a last resort.. technically not allowed, but building regulations mean squat here

So.. any ideas for a way of achieving reasonable isolation other than building a wood frame or pouring in concrete? Some way perhaps of using a lightweight frame then adding mass with the plasterboard? Defining 'reasonable', I was more than happy with the results of floating wood frame construction, single layer plywood floor, 2 layers plasterboard, 100mm fibreglass insulation in a terraced house. Perhaps some thoughts on making prefab panels in an outside workshop then putting the whole thing together in the office?

Cheers guys

 

[mshilarious]

Hi guys, I've been away for a while during my move to sunny Taiwan. Miss me? *shakes fists* MISS ME??

Miss you? Heck, I named my only son after you!

As for the other stuff, that's a bit beyond me

 

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Hello Conan! Welcome back. So, I see you're a glutton for punishment Well, lets see what we can do.

It seems well built and there is very little noise coming from the concrete outer walls and no traffic noise whatsoever.The office is partitioned into two rooms with a material that seems only slightly more effective at sound isolation than rice paper, but I can deal with this.

So, let me see if I understand you correctly. This is an high rise office, with a large space with FOUR concrete walls, thats been divided into 2 spaces by a less than soundproof partition, correct? First off, what are you planning on doing in each of the two existing spaces?

Now, get your thinking caps on and help me figure out a way of isolating the smaller partition (about 3 ping / 10 sqm

You mean the small "room"? (what does "3 ping" refer to?) (btw, in the States "partition" used as a noun usually refers to a WALL, not a room.
Is this space the only one to have a floating "room within a room"? If so, to what extent does it need to be isolated from the other space? How about neighbors or "common" space on the other side of the concrete walls? Are any of these concrete walls a partition between your space and somebody elses? Are any of these existing concrete walls an exterior wall, and if so, any windows?
How about the existing ceiling? If it is a suspended grid system? What is above it, a concrete floor for spaces above? Are there ductwork in this void space? How about insulation?
Can you provide a plan so we can see what you are dealing with? Maybe lable exterior and interior walls and note doors to common hallways or such?
You mentioned building with wood. I don;t think thats a good idea under such conditions. My first suggestion is to think about using metal stud and plates for walls, and . Its not that difficult, once you get the hang of it, and I'm sure they must be available since this office has a partition that is probably framed with them. However, the big problem is the floor. My gut feeling is this is a lightweight concrete floor poured over corrugated metal panels. Can you find out? These are probably rated for very lightweight construction, such as the existing partition. If you were to build a HEAVY floating room using wood framing for floor and walls, you might overload this, at least point loads on the isolator points, although I'm no engineer. But you've been through this scenario before.
My suggestion is to use a special ROLL OUT semi rigid fiberglass matt that has neoprene pucks embedded in the matt. Then a layer of OSB or ply subflooring. Then a finish floor. This assembly is laid BETWEEN walls and isolated from the walls by a fiberglass perimeter screed I believe. The walls could then be floated on their own isolators, and a cieling suspended by RISC isolators and hatchannel. You may even have to remove the grid panels, and run the suspension wires through the grid and hang the hat channel BELOW the existing grid. Of course, untill you tell us all about what is existing, this is pure conjecture. So, untill we know a bit more, I won't waste anymore bandwidth by guessing Later
fitZ