Aco(s)ustainability (Acoustics and Sustainability)—is a space truly functional for its intended use?

Abstract

Numerous scientific studies defining acoustical values of common building materials and assemblies have been performed throughout history and then correlated to occupant health, productivity, and speech intelligibility within the defined space. Since occupant well-being should be a driving factor during design and construction phases, the effects of sound and noise should be considered an inherent component of sustainable design. The functionality of the inhabitable spaces for the intended purpose suddenly increases the scope of sustainability. Without knowledge of previous experiments or publications, various University of Oklahoma College of Architecture students were tasked with answering the following question: Is a space truly functional for the intended purpose? Various built environments were evaluated, basic SPLs and frequencies were documented, and the results were compared with published data for construction materials and methods including OSHA and ANSI regulations. Students were anonymously surveyed concerning acoustical conditions they experienced to define what they considered helpful and distracting conditions. This paper focuses on introducing architecture students to the intrinsic link between acoustics and sustainability, allowing an appreciation for both the art and science contributing to inhabitable space(s).