GS Construction Officially Recognized for 'New Standard Grade 1 Floor Structure' Reducing Interfloor Noise

GS Construction's self-developed 'New Standard Grade 1 Floor Structure' was officially recognized as a Grade 1 floor structure that meets the strengthened inter-floor noise legal standards and evaluation methods for the first time among domestic construction companies last year.

Measuring floor impact noise. [Photo by GS Construction]

GS Construction announced on the 22nd that on the 20th, the Eco-friendly Architecture Research Team at the Construction Technology Research Center received official recognition as a Grade 1 floor structure from the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), an institution designated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for performance grade recognition of floor impact sound insulation structures, using a new floor structure applying ultra-high elasticity cushioning material and high-density mortar.

According to the strengthened legal standards and evaluation methods effective since August last year, it achieved 36 dB for heavy impact sound and 31 dB for light impact sound. Although there were cases recognized as Grade 1 floor structures before the standards were strengthened, GS Construction is the first domestic construction company to be recognized as a Grade 1 floor structure under the new standards.

The new standard Grade 1 floor structure developed by GS Construction maintains the same slab thickness of 210 mm as the existing Grade 1 floor structure, applying 80 mm of high-density heavy mortar on a 60 mm cushioning layer that combines ultra-high efficiency cushioning material and soundproof sheets, forming a 140 mm finishing layer.

While maintaining the structurally stable and constructible existing floating floor structure, it simultaneously realizes on-site constructability and high performance by applying precise vibration isolation design technology and the latest materials. The new standard Grade 1 floor structure features a 30 mm increase in finishing thickness compared to the existing floor structure with a 110 mm finishing layer, maximizing vibration isolation efficiency to reduce inter-floor noise.

Comparison between the 'New Standard Grade 1 Floor Structure' and the existing floor structure cross-section.
[Photo by GS Construction]

Until now, Grade 1 floor structures developed have rarely been applied on actual sites due to construction quality issues, but the newly developed new standard Grade 1 floor structure was installed at GS Construction's actual apartment construction site and floor impact sound measurements were conducted, demonstrating that it is a technology that satisfies both constructability and high performance suitable for large-scale sites, according to the company. GS Construction plans to apply it sequentially to newly built apartment complexes after sufficient verification on actual sites.

GS Construction had already applied the Grade 1 structure on-site in January 2022 and confirmed its performance with an official test report. In October of the same year, it developed a '5-layer floor structure' that improves inter-floor noise performance by adding a base layer to the existing unit floor finishing, continuing its research and development efforts to reduce inter-floor noise.

A GS Construction official said, "As inter-floor noise has recently become a social issue, related laws and regulations have been strengthened, and we are making every effort to secure inter-floor noise reduction technology that meets these standards. Being the first construction company officially recognized for a 'Grade 1 floor structure' that satisfies the new standards, we will continue research and development to reduce inter-floor noise so that residents can live in a more comfortable environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.