On the acoustics of coupled volumes in the safavid architecture—Comparison of computer-modeled objective parameters of two historic buildings

Abstract

One of the typical architectural prototypes in the Safavid era is the utilization of nested rooms for creating assembly spaces with spatial connectivity. Varied in geometry and size, each volume contributes differently to the acoustical environment. Shah Mosque prayer hall and Ali Qapu Palace music room are the two rooms that employ this organization system in their planning. Various simulations have been performed on 3D models of these architectural entities to study the mechanism of sound energy exchange and the impact of each volume on the perceived acoustic characteristics. The objective parameters were collected for both rooms and compared in various configurations to understand each cluster of space's impact on the overall acoustic experience. Furthermore, materials' properties, proportions, and architectural features are discussed as contributing factors to the sonic landscape. The result shows that the sound energy decay behaves differently mainly due to the two rooms' differences in scale and sound absorptive properties. The comparative analysis verifies some of the previous research on coupled volumes in which these two precedents exhibit a similar non-exponentialsound energy decay.