Acoustic correction of monumental churches with ceramic material: The case of the Cathedral of Benevento (Italy)

Abstract

In this work, soundproof systems for the acoustic correction of large spaces, such as monumental churches, are studied. The Cathedral of Benevento is considered as a case study. Dated back to the seventh century, the church was destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in the mid-twentieth century, using marble for the floor and smooth plaster for the side walls. In the current state, the cathedral exhibits an excessive reverberation time (about 10 s) that causes poor understanding of speech and not good listening to musical performances. It is difficult to perform any form of acoustic correction inside the cathedral, since the walls and the ceiling cannot be covered with traditional sound-absorbing material due to architectural and aesthetic reasons. Therefore, the possibility of using ceramic material applied to the side walls for the acoustic correction of low-frequency components and transparent micro-perforated sheets placed under the ceiling for the acoustic correction of medium- and high-frequency components are considered. The work is divided into three phases: in the first phase, measurement of the current acoustic characteristics of the cathedral is performed. In the second phase, sound absorption material is investigated and in the third phase, the effects of insertion of soundproof systems on the acoustic characteristics of the cathedral are theoretically evaluated by means of a room acoustic software.