liniar studio, has partnered with the Institute for Health in the Built Environment (IHBE) in the University of Oregon's Department of Architecture, the recently established University of Oregon Acoustic Research Laboratory (UOARL), Westside Acoustics and Vibration Engineering, and big marks studio to form the Timber Sounds Project: A Mass Timber Acoustic Field Research Initiative with a research goal to collect acoustic data from existing mass timber buildings in the Pacific Northwest via a field acoustic measurement program.

liniar studio has been established as an affiliate of the IHBE’s BuildHealth Industry Consortium.

Relative to other more established building types, there is a lack of acoustic field data available for mass timber buildings and a resultant lack of clarity and even confidence by the development, design, and construction communities at large regarding sound isolation in these buildings. We have partnered in order to leverage the high concentration of mass timber buildings in the Pacific Northwest as well as our respective experiences in industry and research to inform and expand the future use of mass timber construction.

Measurements include airborne and impact isolation measurements, as well as non-standardized airborne sound and vibration measurements.

Through the University of Oregon’s Department of Design, School of Architecture and Environment, Department of Architecture, the Timber Sounds Project was awarded a $300,000 Wood Innovations Grant from the US Department of Agriculture. The partners, as well as NTi Audio, producer of acoustic test equipment and measurement solutions, provided an additional required $300,000 cost share amount.

We are actively seeking mass timber buildings in which to perform measurements, as well as research and funding partners in the architecture, construction, engineering, and product manufacturing industries. Please visit www.timbersoundsproject.org for interest and enquiries.