The Difference of the Surrounding Environment's Function Complexity on the Formation of Environmental Sound Character

Abstract

The development of Surakarta has shaped the urban spatial structure into two regions: the north and the south. Every region has royal mosques: the Grand Mosque in the north and the Al Wustho Mosque in the south. The Grand Mosque is located in the middle of the textile trade centre, while the Al Wustho mosque is in the middle of an educational area. This study used the two royal mosques to find the sound or acoustic character. The sound around the building will give the place identity and affect the building design. This study aims to reveal the differences in area character concerning mosques' environmental acoustic character using a soundscape approach. The research employed a sound pressure level measurement method, visitor's behaviour, interview, and descriptive analysis. The data reveal that high environmental function complexity is not always associated with a high noise impact, while low environmental function complexity is associated with a high noise impact. This study's findings highlight the importance of considering outdoor materials as a landscape component with a high noise absorption capacity. One of the research findings is that south beach sand has good acoustic performance in the environmental sound absorption process.