Securing Sensitive Communication in Bahrain

Sound travels, but in secure government facilities, it shouldn’t. To support acoustic security at a U.S. government facility in Bahrain, NCE performed in-field Sound Transmission Class (STC) testing, also known as Measurement of Airborne Sound Attenuation between rooms in buildings, and developed diagnostic solutions to help protect sensitive and ensure speech privacy per ICD/ICS 705.

NCE developed a government-approved procedure that complied with ASTM E336-20 and applicable building specifications. This on-site testing approach accounted for real-world challenges, including varying partition sizes, room sizes and geometries, and reverberation conditions throughout the facility. Using this methodology, NCE repeatedly and reliably identified the field STC of all relevant partitions.

Testing confirmed that many of the partitions met or exceeded the performance criteria. Where partitions underperformed, our team conducted a series of diagnostic tests to identify the root causes of deficiencies. We worked with the client and government stakeholders to develop practical corrective measures which helped the facility achieve its acoustic security objectives.