Abstract

Room acoustical parameters have frequently been used to evaluate or predict the acoustical performance in rooms. For housing complexes in urban areas with high population density, it is important to improve acoustic performance not solely indoors, but outdoors as well; for example on the balconies or in the yards. This paper investigates to what extent classic room acoustical parameters would be able to predict the perceived acoustic comfort in outdoor spaces (i.e., courtyards) of virtual housing complexes. Individual and combined effects of a series of independent variables (such as facade absorption, sound source, and observer position) on short-term acoustic comfort were investigated in three laboratory experiments. ODEON software was used for virtual inner yard simulation, whereby 2D spatialization was carried out for a playback over five loudspeakers. Moderate facade absorption was found to increase acoustic comfort. Relatively pleasant and relatively unpleasant sounds were associated with comfort and discomfort, respectively. Lower acoustic comfort ratings were observed at receiver positions with high sound pressure levels and/or strong flutter echoes. A further analysis of the results is carried out here with respect to the room acoustical parameters and their ability to predict the acoustic comfort ratings. Speech transmission index (STI), definition (D50), clarity of speech (C50) and music (C80), early decay time (EDT), and lateral energy fraction (LF80) were found to be significantly correlated with acoustic comfort. They were found to be significant predictors of acoustic comfort in a series of linear mixed-effect models. Furthermore, linear mixed-effect models were established with the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level, LAeq, as a significant predictor of acoustic comfort.

Highlights

  • Development and densification of urban areas has led to an alteration of the urban sound environment and many inhabitants are exposed to high noise levels in their everyday life

  • This paper investigated to what extent classic room acoustical parameters are suitable to predict perceived acoustic comfort in outdoor spaces of housing complexes

  • Subjective acoustic comfort ratings were collected in the course of three psychoacoustic experiments in the laboratory

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Summary

Introduction

Development and densification of urban areas has led to an alteration of the urban sound environment and many inhabitants are exposed to high noise levels in their everyday life. One approach to the mitigation of noise in urban living areas is the construction of housing complexes with courtyards or inner yards, where the buildings perform as shields, lowering sound levels from road traffic on one side of the buildings. This allows for several rooms of dwellings to face a “quiet” side of the building complex (Öhrström et al, 2006). Inner yards of housing complexes are under investigation in Switzerland as building typologies with capacities for improvement of the sound environment and acoustic comfort (Sturm and Bürgin, 2016; Sievers et al, 2018; Sturm et al, 2019)

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