Showing papers in "Building Acoustics in 2018"
TL;DR: The results indicate that noise is a significant issue in living environments, especially certain impact noise types, and the use of extended low-frequency spectra down to 50 Hz was suggested for impact measurements in order to predict better self-reported noise response.
Abstract: Acoustic comfort is a concept hardly described in the literature. But it has been used in engineering typically to refer to low noise or annoyance in order to invoke no discomfort. Current standard...
50 citations
TL;DR: An experiment to measure the changes of cognitive and physiological parameters on a sample of 25 male and female volunteers exposed to three types of noise in a hemi-anechoic room showed that in noise conditions, subjects reduced their response times, an evidence of growing stress, according to arousal theory.
Abstract: Indoor working and living environments are increasingly exposed to low-frequency noise sources. The well-known relationship between noise conditions and effects on human health requires the develop...
43 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a research that is concerned with the indoor soundscape in historical mosque and Haci Bayram Mosque and its surroundings area of Hamamonu has been selected as the research site due to its historical significance.
Abstract: This study presents a research that is concerned with the indoor soundscape in historical mosque. Haci Bayram Mosque and its surroundings area of Hamamonu has been selected as the research site due...
38 citations
TL;DR: Investigation of the physiological and mental health effects caused by exposure to low-frequency noise in typical control rooms and office-like areas showed that mental fatigue significantly affected heart rate, low- to high-frequency ratios, and electroencephalogram indices such as theta, alpha, as well as eye activities and working memory.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and mental health effects caused by exposure to low-frequency noise in typical control rooms and office-like areas. The participants w...
34 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors synthesize the diversity of soundscape classifications and schemes and unify them for soundscape perception and space experience, aiming to synthesize a diversity of categories and schemes.
Abstract: The effecting factors of soundscape perception and space experience have a very close relationship. This study aims to synthesize the diversity of soundscape classifications and schemes and unify s...
23 citations
TL;DR: The EU Environmental Noise Directive recognized the importance of identifying and preserving “quiet areas,” even if the majority of EU member states have not yet defined what is a quiet area, many rese...
Abstract: EU Environmental Noise Directive recognized the importance of identifying and preserving “quiet areas.” Even if the majority of EU member states have not yet defined what is a quiet area, many rese...
20 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a special issue on soundscapes of buildings and built environments, focusing on the relationships between soundscape, architecture, and urban design, as well as the perception of indoor and outdoor acoustic environments and how buildings (and building elements) can mediate these two.
Abstract: The term soundscape has been defined in 2014 by the ISO 12913-1 standard as “[the] acoustic environment as perceived or experienced and/or understood by a person or people, in context.”1 However, the debate about soundscape and its meaning goes as back as to the late sixties when authors like Southworth and Schafer started to question how built environments should sound like.2–4 Such debate has been going on ever since, and in recent years, researchers and practitioners have shown an increasing interest for the assessment, management, and design of both outdoor and indoor acoustic environments, from a perceptual point of view.5 While much soundscape research has been conducted at a relatively large urban scale and for outdoor spaces,6–9 the definition provided by the ISO standard focuses on “context”; thus, the concept also applies to buildings and indoor environments in general. Indeed, several studies went in this direction, addressing the perceived quality of the acoustic environment of (public) enclosed spaces.10–15 The present special issue on “Soundscapes of buildings and built environments” aimed to gather new research results dealing with the relationships between soundscape, architecture, and urban design, as well as the perception of indoor and outdoor acoustic environments and how buildings (and building elements) can mediate these two. Papers generally considered the relationships between the physical elements of the acoustic environments and the perceptual constructs (i.e. the soundscapes) they elicit. Some studies focused explicitly on general assessment methodologies for indoor soundscapes,16,17 while others sought to look for connections between conventional acoustic comfort measures used in building acoustics and subjective quality assessments.18–20 Several papers addressed the perception of acoustic environments of indoor settings with specific functions, such as: worship spaces,21 care facilities,22,23 learning and teaching environments,24,25 or commuting hubs.26 On the other hand, some papers looked at the built environment more broadly to explore how buildings and building elements, as part of a more complex urban fabric, often play a crucial role in defining the acoustic quality of a context.27–30 The number (and quality) of the contributions published in this special issue reflects the growing interest for the emerging field of “indoor soundscaping” and points out that we should start looking at buildings also as mediators of our everyday aural experience.
19 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, it has been proved that auditory perception has an influence on how we live and move through places and on the use of public spaces, despite the numerous studies that have focused on the theme "auditory perception".
Abstract: Auditory perception has been proved to have an influence on how we live and move through places and on the use of public spaces. However, despite the numerous studies that have focused on the theme...
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a standardized method for airborne and impact sound reduction is used to assess the acoustic comfort of a home. But this method is not suitable for indoor environments and it is limited to low noise levels or annoyance.
Abstract: Acoustic comfort has been used in engineering to refer to conditions of low noise levels or annoyance, while current standardized methods for airborne and impact sound reduction are used to assess ...
18 citations
TL;DR: In modern urban scenarios, all the aspects of the historical heritage, including public open spaces and ancient buildings, have to meet the high increase of density of infrastructures and construct....
Abstract: In modern urban scenarios, all the aspects of the historical heritage, including public open spaces and ancient buildings, have to meet the high increase of density of infrastructures and construct...
15 citations
TL;DR: The urban fabric largely consists of acoustically rigid materials as mentioned in this paper, which not only affects sound pressure levels in streets, but also how sound propagates towards the back side of a building or to co...
Abstract: The urban fabric largely consists of acoustically rigid materials. This not only affects sound pressure levels in streets, but also how sound propagates towards the back side of a building or to co...
TL;DR: Results showed that the MoSART intervention was accompanied by an increased experience of vibrant soundscapes and audibility of human sounds as perceived by the professionals, and a significant decrease of negative moods and severity of stereotypical behavior in the clients.
Abstract: This article evaluates the role of soundscapes in the emotional well-being of individuals with severe or profound intellectual disabilities. Given the high prevalence of visual disabilities in this...
TL;DR: The analyses revealed that certain activities could be identified from LAeq values, which primarily identified a tranquil/restorative vibrant dimension, where the highest noise levels tend to be at the most vibrant end.
Abstract: Rapid and intrusive spatial adjustments in common spaces are increasingly questioned by the awareness of citizens demanding higher quality standards. This study aims to understand the use of common space by identifying how the sound environment affects the functions of space and the interaction with other environmental and spatial variables. Is there a certain sound environment required or that should be avoided when designing a space for a specific activity? In situ evaluations with regular users were collected in nine common spaces in Gothenburg, Sweden, conducting sound recordings and questionnaires. Site selection responded to the purpose of the analysed places, the noise level (LAeq) of the city road traffic noise map, and the number of activities suggested by the city sociotope maps. The analyses revealed that certain activities could be identified from LAeq values. Discriminant functions with respect to sound levels primarily identified a tranquil/restorative vibrant dimension, where the highest noise levels tend to be at the most vibrant end. Other results showed that a considerable variability of overall and visual quality judgements came from the variability in sites. These quality assessments were highly correlated, allowing both to be analysed as a single attribute. The variability in sound quality was much lower. Notable is the difference between recorded and perceived loudness. In addition, poor sound quality judgement does not seem to correlate with the perception of mechanical sources as the main source of noise.
TL;DR: This paper evaluated the speech reception performance of native (L1) and non-native (L2) normal-hearing young adults in acoustical conditions containing varying amounts of reverberation and backgro...
Abstract: This study evaluates the speech reception performance of native (L1) and non-native (L2) normal-hearing young adults in acoustical conditions containing varying amounts of reverberation and backgro...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors aim to evaluate the acoustic performance of construction defects, even visually untraceable, and evaluate their impact on the performance of acoustic systems. But the execution of the systems is a parameter that is hard to control.
Abstract: Construction defects, even visually untraceable, can forfeit the acoustic performance of systems. The execution of the systems is a parameter that is hard to control. This article aims to evaluate ...
TL;DR: This work compares different measurement techniques to evaluate the spatial distribution of intelligibility criteria and shows, in a preliminary way, how different techniques and equipment can influence intelligible criteria used in the open-plan office characterization.
Abstract: Acoustic comfort in open-plan offices is a relatively recent research topic and some practices have not yet been consolidated. The goal in these spaces is to achieve good speech privacy at every wo...
TL;DR: In this article, the first book of Kircher's Phonurgiae Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvi...
Abstract: This article continues the preliminary exploration of the sonic observations of Athanasius Kircher, namely, the first book of his Phonurgiae Nova (1673), the Phonosophia anacamptica (Tronchin, Durvi...
TL;DR: Analysis of the results of noise measurements carried out in homes located near a wind farm in Southern Italy shows how for low wind speeds, the noise generated by the rotating of the blades is considered an annoyance by the people who live near the farm.
Abstract: The rapid expansion of energy produced by wind power has increased the interest in the possible harmful effects on the health of the residents in the areas near to wind farms. It is therefore impor...
TL;DR: In this article, the angular resolution performance of three scaled microphone arrays and one alternative array geometry were tested with both approximately free-field and reflective boundary conditions, and all of the arrays were subjected to a thorough regimen of testing with broadband acoustic sources.
Abstract: The Rayleigh criterion has long been considered the standard criterion for angular resolution of imaging systems, including microphone arrays. However, advanced beamforming methods have been developed in the past 20 years that have dramatically improved the angular resolution of microphone array systems. In this investigation, the angular resolution performance of three scaled microphone arrays and one alternative array geometry were tested with both approximately free-field and reflective boundary conditions. All of the arrays were subjected to a thorough regimen of testing with broadband acoustic sources. Beamforming analysis was performed with the Delay-and-Sum, TIDY, DAMAS, DAMAS2, and CLEAN-SC algorithms. The Delay-and-Sum algorithm is shown to offer the lowest angular resolution performance because it does not separate the acoustic source map from the point spread function of the array. The DAMAS algorithm offers the greatest angular resolution because it numerically deconvolutes the acoustic source map from the point spread function. However, deconvolution-based algorithms (DAMAS and DAMAS2) were the most negatively affected by boundary reflection effects. The logarithmic spiral array is shown to offer versatile performance across a wide range of frequencies, while an alternative quasi-periodic array yields results that are highly frequency-dependent. It is demonstrated that this is because of gaps in the source-to-element differences coverage, and the gaps in coverage correspond to half-wavelengths of frequency bands with significantly lower angular resolution performance.
TL;DR: In this article, the junctions between light and heavy buildings are investigated in historical old buildings, where they bring together a whole set of unique characteristics with substantial influence on the acoustic behavior.
Abstract: Historical old buildings bring together a whole set of unique characteristics with substantial influence on the acoustic behaviour, especially concerning the junctions between light and heavy eleme...