Nova Scotia Community College Ivany Campus Residence Hall

Acoustic Design for Student Residence Housing

Nova Scotia Community College’s new Ivany Campus residence hall expands student housing at the waterfront site in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The five-story, 96,000-square-foot building accommodates 200 students in apartment-style suites. We provided acoustics, noise, and vibration consulting to help the residence promote vibrant community life, focused study, privacy, and rest.

Improving Sound Isolation, Mechanical Noise Control & Vibration Isolation

Our work focused on the spaces that most directly impact the student experience, including suites, study spaces, mechanical rooms, service areas, and administrative offices. We advised the design team on partition construction to improve sound isolation and analyzed the room acoustics to confirm that they fell into a range that was comfortable for occupants. We also guided the mechanical system design to control airborne noise through ventilation ducts and noise caused by equipment vibration.

The project’s acoustic goals included sound isolation that meets the National Building Code of Canada, vibration isolation and background noise levels consistent with ASHRAE guidance, and reverberation times aligned with best practices.

Solving Nonstandard Partition Challenges in a Residence Hall Setting

The building’s structural design created one of the project’s key acoustic challenges: nonstandard partitions that the team couldn’t simply select from the Building Code’s standard list of assemblies. Some of these partitions incorporated structural cross bracing and formed part of the walls separating spaces, requiring a more tailored approach.

We worked with the architectural team to identify components that could turn those cross-bracing conditions, which often reduce sound isolation, into workable partitions with strong acoustic performance. The team also focused on reducing background noise in bedrooms and study spaces.

Supporting a Better Student Living & Study Environment

Together, these measures helped shape a student housing project defined not only by sustainability goals and modern amenities but also by the acoustic comfort needed for everyday residential life. By addressing sound isolation, vibration, mechanical noise, and room acoustics across key spaces, we helped the new residence hall create an environment better suited to living, studying, and shared campus experiences.