Now that Kelowna city council has shown their interest in jumping on board the provincesa国际传媒檚 early-adoption initiative to increase storeys in wooden buildings from seven to 12, the question arises: will noisy neighbours be an issue?

Wood is the backbone of many structures, but it isnsa国际传媒檛 the first material one would think of when considering sound insulationsa国际传媒攅specially in multi-family residential builds. But the citysa国际传媒檚 building and permitting branch manager Doug Patan said noise and wafting smells wonsa国际传媒檛 be an issue thanks to the changes in the building code.

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Recent changes that came into effect in December 2018 saw improvements to sound transmission regulations in the British Columbia Building Code, he said.

sa国际传媒淏efore you had to meet a sound coefficient in the walls,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淣ow, itsa国际传媒檚 everything that embodies that unit; the floors, ceiling and the walls.sa国际传媒�

The updates to airborne sound transmission provisions regulate flanking noisesa国际传媒攐r sound that transmits between space indirectly by travelling around or over, rather than through it.

Patan said he has heard a lot of complaints in older units related to smells, but he said the changes to the building code will remedy this as well.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a bit costly for the developer, but for life safety itsa国际传媒檚 a great thing in case of a fire because it insulates in between the walls,sa国际传媒� he said, noting fire and smoke would be contained to one unit, protecting other homes.

The province announced it would be adopting the changes to allow for taller timber buildings back in March. With the provincial and national codes set to change over the next few years, the City of Kelowna is hopping on the encapsulated mass timber train a few years early.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e excited to see Kelowna leading innovations in the construction industry,sa国际传媒� development services director Mo Bayat said. sa国际传媒淏ecause many of the components are pre-assembled in mass timber, it translates to a much faster build with less disruption to the neighbourhood.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒� with files from Michael Rodriguez

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Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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