Society Hot in Japanese real estate: soundproof apartments

[thomas]

In Japan, the social penalties for upsetting the neighbours can be harsh. But some people sing, play music or yell at the top of their lungs day or night without worrying about the people next door or on the floor below: in soundproof apartments called "musision," a portmanteau of "music" and "mansion". Nearly 3,000 people are on the waiting list as COVID changes lifestyles.

These days, demand for sonically insulated rooms is no longer limited to musicians and other noisy professionals. Ordinary folks who don't want to tiptoe around are also snapping up such dwellings as the COVID-19 pandemic encourages people to spend more time at home. [...] Livlan, a Tokyo real estate developer, has been marketing soundproof dwellings to musicians since 2000. The company has a total of 727 units in 30 buildings in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including 14 buildings that went up after 2020. Livlan has been aggressively constructing such buildings since the outbreak of COVID-19. Although rents are around 30% higher for a soundproof unit than for a conventional dwelling of comparable size and location, Livlan has 2,800 people on the waiting list to move in, it says.

The degree of soundproofing a space has is measured by its "D-value." The higher the number, the better insulated it is against noise leaks. The Architectural Institute of Japan recommends a D value of 50 for an apartment and designates it as "especially soundproof" if it is 55 or higher. Almost all units in soundproofed buildings have a D value over 70; some go as high as 85.


Paywall alert:

Shout it out loud: Soundproof apartments catch on in Japan

Nearly 3,000 people on waiting list as COVID changes lifestyles

asia.nikkei.com