Soup Studio, UK, design and construction

I think the gym matt mystery deserves it's own thread here.

I think there certainly must be a slight mitigation, dry friction, in the use of anything on the bottom of a wall assembly. My thinking is more that the air leaks are sealed, rather than there is some dramatic acoustical change by the simple inclusion of a rubber mat or some sort of device in hope of decoupling a wall from a floor.

Thanks guys, that certainly sounds like an interesting recommendation, given the advantage of smoothing out any uneven surfaces in the concrete slab and preventing air gaps. I take it it's not cheaper than simply using acoustic caulk? On a different point - with studs 3.13m high, how many horizontal bracings (or noggings as they are known in the UK) would you recommend using? Thanks a lot!

That usually comes in the form of a code consideration. As it stands, the blocking is placed at 4 foot intervals, or the Metric equivalent. As it applies to an interior framed assembly, it is, all seismic considerations included, not something I have to worry about in the US, and I reside in hurricane alley. The exterior of the structure has to be taken care of first, the decoupled interior is different...but all countries and some states/counties here, have different considerations depending on this activity. Chile wants all interior wall plates bolted to the slab...not so in Mobile, Alabama but California and Memphis, TN may have different considerations. Dade County (Miami, Florida) are building with concrete these days, much like Chile, but for different reasons. OSB plywood is the best shear sheathing you can apply, replaces go-bolts and reduces the blocking, noggins as you guys refer to them as, to the height of the shearing sheathing, typically 8 feet but can be purchased in nine foot long panels to allow for covering the 8 foot wall assembly and lapping the upper level floor band...essentially tying the entire lower floor level to the upper and providing a blocked break for the tie in.

Thanks guys, that's really handy. Think I might get in on Monday, very exciting. If anyone who has kindly written on here is interested in viewing my sketchup model, I have uploaded it here: http://soupstudio.co.uk/plan.skp Plan shows the existing wall and the studwall that I have designed. With all of your help. Cheers!

If anyone who has kindly written on here is interested in viewing my sketchup model, I have uploaded it here:

The basic looks good, and the live room seems to be properly decoupled (although you could probably save on wood by straightening and/or angling some of those walls a bit), but the control room is not decoupled, and there are several flanking paths directly from the CR inner leaf to the rest of the building. You might want to fix those. - Stuart -