Twelve partitions, three rounds of testing, and a project that didn’t stop until every single one passed.

Client

Kim Seng Heng Engineering Construction

Location

National University of Singapore

Service

Acoustic Compliance Testing

Completed

2022

Scope

COM3 Building, Levels B1, 1 & 2

12 / 12

Partitions tested across three levels of the COM3 building, every one compliant on final sign-off

3 Rounds of testing

Tracking each partition from initial assessment through to confirmed compliance

ASTC 32 → 46

Largest single improvement, on the partition that took the longest to bring into compliance

The Situation

Kim Seng Heng Engineering Construction engaged Soundzipper for acoustic compliance testing across the COM3 building at the National University of Singapore’s School of Computing, spanning Basement 1, Level 1, and Level 2. The scope covered twelve partitions across a wide mix of spaces: executive lounges, multipurpose halls, active learning rooms, open offices, phone booths, meeting rooms, and showcase areas. Every partition carried its own specified sound transmission class requirement, ranging from STC 45 up to STC 50 depending on the adjacency and function of the rooms on either side.

What We Found

Initial testing in May 2022 identified a mix of results. Several partitions passed straightaway. Others fell short, most notably in the AI open office to phone booth partition, which measured well below its STC 50 requirement, along with three further partitions serving open office and meeting spaces on Level 2. Soundzipper issued remediation recommendations for each non-compliant partition and returned to site in June for a first round of retesting. Most partitions passed at this stage. Four did not: the two partitions around a Level 2 open office grid, and the partitions serving the AI Phone Booth and the IS Showcase meeting room. Each remained short of its target despite the initial round of rectification work, which meant a further, more targeted round of fixes was needed before these four could be closed out.

What We Confirmed

A second retest was carried out on 24 June 2022, focused specifically on the four remaining partitions. All four passed. The AI Open Office to Phone Booth partition, which had shown the most persistent shortfall, reached ASTC 46 against its STC 50 requirement, a result within the expected field-to-laboratory range and confirmed compliant: a conversation on one side of that partition can no longer be followed from the other. The remaining three partitions cleared their targets by similar margins. With these four confirmed, every one of the twelve tested partitions across the COM3 building met its required rating. Soundzipper’s own summary of the final round was direct: the non-compliant items from the previous report were retested, and all partitions showed compliance upon rectification on site. For NUS, that meant a building where every tested space, from the executive lounge to the smallest phone booth, kept sound contained to the room it belonged to before handover.