Worked Example: Hotel Corridor — BS 8233 Flanking Noise Control
100 m³ narrow corridor with Rockfon ceiling, carpet, and plasterboard walls
A 100 m³ residential living designed to BS-8233 requires RT60 ≤ 0.8s. With Rockfon Sonar 25mm ceiling tile on the ceiling, the calculated RT60 is 0.39s — MARGINAL.
Room Setup
Total surface area: 180.0 m². Calculation method: Sabine equation (ISO 3382-2:2008 Annex A).
Surface Materials
| Surface | Material | Area (m²) | NRC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiling — Rockfon Sonar | Rockfon Sonar 25mm ceiling tile | 25.0 | 0.82 |
| Ceiling — plaster | Painted plaster | 15.0 | 0.04 |
| Floor | Heavy carpet | 40.0 | 0.29 |
| Walls — plasterboard | Plasterboard on studs | 80.0 | 0.07 |
| Doors (10 rooms) | Solid timber door | 16.0 | 0.09 |
| Fire doors (ends) | Solid timber door | 4.0 | 0.09 |
Absorption coefficients sourced from manufacturer datasheets and ISO 354 test reports. Browse the full acoustic materials database.
Step-by-Step Calculation
- 1
Room Volume
V = L × W × H = 20 × 2 × 2.5 = 100 m³
- 2
Total Surface Area
Stotal = 25.0 + 15.0 + 40.0 + 80.0 + 16.0 + 4.0 = 180.0 m²
- 3
Absorption per Surface at 500 Hz
Ceiling — Rockfon Sonar: 25.0 m² × 0.82 = 20.50 Sabins
Ceiling — plaster: 15.0 m² × 0.04 = 0.60 Sabins
Floor: 40.0 m² × 0.14 = 5.60 Sabins
Walls — plasterboard: 80.0 m² × 0.05 = 4.00 Sabins
Doors (10 rooms): 16.0 m² × 0.08 = 1.28 Sabins
Fire doors (ends): 4.0 m² × 0.08 = 0.32 Sabins
- 4
Total Absorption at 500 Hz
Atotal = 20.50 + 0.60 + 5.60 + 4.00 + 1.28 + 0.32 = 32.30 Sabins
- 5
Sabine RT60 at 500 Hz
RT60 = 0.161 × V / A = 0.161 × 100 / 32.30 = 0.50s
- 6
Compare to Target
Mid-frequency RT60 (avg of 500, 1k, 2k Hz) = 0.39s. Target: 0.4--0.8s per BS-8233. Verdict: MARGINAL
Octave Band Results
| Frequency | 125Hz | 250Hz | 500Hz | 1kHz | 2kHz | 4kHz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Absorption (Sabins) | 34.5 | 28.9 | 32.3 | 43.4 | 54.0 | 56.8 |
| RT60 (s) | 0.47 | 0.56 | 0.50 | 0.37 | 0.30 | 0.28 |
| Target (s) | — | — | 0.80 | 0.80 | 0.80 | — |
| Verdict | — | — | PASS | MARGINAL | FAIL | — |
Compliance Verdict
Reference:
Open the AcousPlan calculator pre-loaded with the exact room dimensions (20m × 2m × 2.5m) and RT60 target (0.8s).
Open CalculatorField Story
Guest corridor acoustics are the single biggest source of noise complaints in UK hotels, yet corridors are routinely treated as an afterthought. This 20 m long corridor connects 10 guest rooms and features parallel plasterboard walls creating the classic "tunnel effect" — footsteps, luggage wheels, and conversation propagate the full length. Rockfon Sonar ceiling tiles cover 62% of the ceiling, with plaster at service access points. Heavy carpet is critical for eliminating impact noise from suitcase wheels and high heels transmitting into rooms below. The extensive plasterboard wall area provides low-frequency panel absorption but minimal mid-frequency contribution. BS 8233:2014 Section 7 addresses flanking transmission through corridors; controlling corridor RT60 is essential to achieving the sound insulation that bedroom partition STC ratings promise to deliver.
Frequently Asked Questions
What RT60 does a Hotel Corridor — BS 8233 Flanking Noise Control achieve?
With the specified materials and dimensions (20m x 2m x 2.5m, volume 100m3), the calculated mid-frequency RT60 is 0.39s using the Sabine equation. The target under BS-8233 is 0.4--0.8s. The result is a MARGINAL.
What materials are used in this hospitality acoustic example?
This example uses Rockfon Sonar 25mm ceiling tile on the Ceiling — Rockfon Sonar (NRC 0.82), Painted plaster on the Ceiling — plaster (NRC 0.04), Heavy carpet on the Floor (NRC 0.29), Plasterboard on studs on the Walls — plasterboard (NRC 0.07), Solid timber door on the Doors (10 rooms) (NRC 0.09), Solid timber door on the Fire doors (ends) (NRC 0.09). The total absorption at 500 Hz is 32.3 Sabins.
How much does acoustic treatment cost for this room?
Cost data is not available for this example. Use the AcousPlan calculator to estimate treatment costs for your specific room configuration.
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All calculations are advisory and based on the Sabine equation (ISO 3382-2:2008 Annex A). Results require professional verification for compliance submissions. Absorption coefficients are sourced from manufacturer datasheets and ISO 354 test reports.