Look—Do you see the noise leaking through that ceiling?

Abstract

Oftentimes, acousticians must convey complex, three-dimensional, acoustical phenomena that occur within and between rooms in buildings to architects, interior designers and other visually oriented people. The message can be lost during translation from quantitative acoustics metrics and their acronyms to the design and intersection of actual building elements such as walls and ceilings. The current phase of the Optimized Acoustics Research Program focuses on turning sound absorption and sound isolation performance visual by using color mapping. Much like a thermal imaging camera shows differences in surface temperatures, a sound intensity probe is being used to produce high definition color sound mapping of noise transmitting through acoustical ceiling systems and sound reflecting off or being absorbed by surfaces with different absorption coefficients. This measurement method helps to bridge the gap between the technical, quantitative side of acoustics and the visual side of design in an impactful and memorable way.