| The Tundra Lodge was perfectly situated to draw | | | | rooms, this was a complete disaster. Something had |
| faraway fans and local families to its Lombardi | | | | to be done. |
| Avenue address. In September 2003, Green Bay, | | | | THE SOLUTION |
| Wisconsin's legendary Lambeau Field celebrated the | | | | Novinska felt compelled to educate herself. "I read |
| completion of a $297 million redevelopment. On a | | | | about a number of solutions on the internet and |
| nearby street named after football's greatest | | | | requested information. We chose to fix the problem |
| coaching legend, another multi-use structure opened | | | | using QuietRock, an internally damped soundproof |
| for business. Combining an indoor water park, arcade, | | | | drywall." After receiving third-party validation from |
| and conference center with an exquisite 161-room | | | | Patrick McCormick of Brandner Engineering about the |
| lodge, The Tundra Lodge Resort and Waterpark | | | | proposed solution, contractor HJ Martin began the |
| seemingly had everything going for it on opening day. | | | | work of removing the now two-year-young drywall. |
| THE PROBLEM | | | | While the new soundproof drywall could have simply |
| But then the complaints about room-to-room sound | | | | been placed over the existing drywall, outlets needed |
| intrusion began. The facility's Managing Director of | | | | to be moved as well, so it was decided to remove |
| Engineering, Melanie Novinska, vividly remembers the | | | | the drywall on the shared walls. The soundproof |
| impact that mounting complaints over unwanted | | | | drywall was then used instead of the old RC/drywall |
| sound were having by the end of the first year of | | | | wall. "With tape, texture and paint, we were able to |
| operation. "The cost of keeping people happy | | | | complete about 6-8 rooms every 5 days", Novinska |
| included discounts and certificates for people to try | | | | recalls. |
| us again. "The sound transfer from one guestroom to | | | | RESULTS |
| another was unacceptable. Of course, when you first | | | | "Before we fixed it, the situation was really bad," Jay |
| open any hotel property, business is slow. You don't | | | | Hussong of drywall contractor HJ Martin commented. |
| find the problems until you're selling lots of rooms and | | | | "You could hear conversations right through the walls. |
| guests are next to each other." How bad was the | | | | After we were finished, we went back to measure |
| real-life performance of the resilient channel walls her | | | | the STC of the rooms and found they exceeded |
| original architect-builder believed would deliver an STC | | | | STC 50...we could clearly hear the difference." "After |
| rating around 50? Before renovation began, the | | | | fixing the rooms, the noise complaints ceased," |
| sound transmission of the old walls was measured. | | | | reported Novinska. "Our occupancy rates went up |
| The best-performing walls came in at a mere STC 37 | | | | and the difference was amazing. This was the |
| and the worst yielded a paltry STC 34 rating-only | | | | perfect solution for us. Factoring all the costs, |
| one or two points above standard 5/8-inch drywall. | | | | including materials and labor, you'll realize savings over |
| Because the lodging business is so heavily impacted | | | | the long term by addressing soundproofing upfront, |
| by word-of-mouth, Novinska estimates inadequate | | | | she advised other building owners. "Start with the |
| sound isolation in the original construction was causing | | | | right products and properly position your outlets and |
| some 50% of repeat business to evaporate. That's a | | | | any other openings on back-to-back guestrooms, and |
| lot of revenue for any hotel to lose; As we had 160 | | | | you'll get quiet rooms. |