Sonic Quality in the Living Environment Traditional and Recent Urban Structures: Learning from the Past

Abstract

During the last 50 years, most Islamic countries have lost their urban and architectural heritage; they opted for a contemporary urban structure imported from Western countries; and, as a result, they lost their identity and missed the opportunity to preserve their valuable Islamic architectural heritage. Our cities are losing their historic styles and the impact of modernisation has led to a rupture of continuity between the inherited morphology and more recent urban structure. On the other hand, Western designers are impressed by Medinas and old cities; they are seeking and investigating established techniques and ways of construction which have proved their effectiveness and success. It seems that we have forgotten that traditional architecture proved its effectiveness in reducing heat, cold, noise, humidity, etc., inside buildings; that is an important message for modern designers. Our architectural heritage is a force that should link and connect past, present and future communities. This study investigates the acoustic comfort and design intentions of the traditional house; it compares techniques used for reducing noise in traditional local buildings and modern apartments and identifies how to integrate sonic quality to architectural design. This may provide an alternative approach for designers and developers who are able to create architecture that will be the heritage of tomorrow. Our research focuses on objective sound levels, in different indoor and outdoor spaces. In conjunction with these measures, we correlate the use patterns in different zones of the buildings and the effect of noise on the inhabitants. Our intention is to present a multidisciplinary study on sonic quality in housing and public spaces and to promote traditional ways of construction.