Acoustic assessment of the St Spirit's church in Aversa (Italy)

Abstract

The St Spirit's church of Aversa, in Italy, is part of the rich clerical patrimony in Baroque style. The earthquake occurred in 1732 determined the collapse of the entire vaults and roof, left in ruins for different centuries. Restoration works started at the end of the 20th century have been commissioned by the local authority to adapt the conditions of the architecture to classical music besides the sacred functions. This paper deals with the acoustic assessment of the St Spirit's church after the construction of a double-slope roof and the realization of vaults by employing exposed canes. Acoustic measurements undertaken inside the church represent the basis to determine a new acoustic design focused on the integration of temporary music venues. As such, a variety of solutions related to finish materials and additional acoustic panels have herein proposed to achieve optimal values for live musical concerts.