Soundscape Perception Research Articles

Office soundscape assessment: A model of acoustic environment perception in open-plan officesa).

The soundscape approach has been utilised in recent research for residential environments, but applications to indoor working environments remain limited. This study investigated the suitability of affective quality evaluations of open-plan office acoustics. Perceptual assessments were completed by occupants of eight open-plan office floorplates, using affective dimensions outlined in PD ISO/TS 12913-3:2019 and indoor soundscape studies. Participant demographic, contextual, work-related quality, and psychological well-being data were collected. Workstation noise levels were measured following BS ISO 22955:2021. Principal component analysis identified Pleasantness, Eventfulness, and Emptiness as the main perceptual dimensions, cumulatively explaining 56% of the total variance. Results indicate the suitability of the PD ISO/TS 12913-3:2019 two-dimensional model for open-plan offices. The perceived presence of human sounds negatively correlated with ISO Pleasantness yet positively correlated with ISO Eventfulness. Participant gender and aural diversity mediated ISO Pleasantness. Psychological well-being and work-related quality correlated positively with soundscape pleasantness. No correlations were found between level-based acoustical indicators-equivalent continuous sound level (LAeq), level exceeded 10% (LA10) and 90% (LA90) of the time, level variability (LA10-LA90) and Liveliness-and perceptual scores. A conceptual representation of open-plan office soundscape perception is presented, offering a framework for evaluating and designing workspaces to enhance well-being.

Soundscape and indoor air quality in naturally ventilated educational environments: a multi-domain study

In this study, indoor air quality (IAQ) and acoustics were jointly analysed to determine their i) combined effect on students' performance in a math task, and ii) cross-modal effect on soundscape perception. 192 students (12 to 14 years) took part in a laboratory experiment. Students were separated into two classroom-like chambers with different IAQ conditions: a CO2 concentration of 800 and 2000 ppm, respectively. The participants were asked to solve calculations and answer a soundscape questionnaire in three listening conditions: quiet, a natural scenario with birdsongs, and one scenario with children's playground activity sounds. In the latter two conditions, the sounds were played back through headphones at a level of 47 dBA. Results show that students had faster response times in the math task in quiet compared to the listening condition with children's activity sounds, while maintaining a similar task accuracy. No effect of the IAQ conditions and natural sounds was found on the task performance. No cross-modal effect of CO2 concentration on soundscape perception was detected. Regarding soundscape assessments, playground activity was rated as the most annoying listening condition, while listening to birdsongs was the most pleasant one, despite its noise level exceeding the quiet condition.

Literature review on perception and evaluation criteria of soundscapes among sighted and visually impaired individuals

The sound and its qualities are important of the quality of built environments. The concept of soundscape, rooted in user's subjective perception of context, plays a crucial role in peoples' overall assessment of their surroundings. This study attempts to discern the similarities and differences in soundscape perception and evaluation between sighted and visually impaired users through a literature review. The results suggest that visually impaired people perceive soundscapes as having the additional role of helping to understand spatial boundaries and providing information about the external environment. The soundscape assessment protocols were adapted both to take account of this feedback and to compensate for their inaccessibility (e.g., questionnaire format and potential hazards associated with soundscapes). The review output also suggested that visually impaired people orient their impressions more towards their expectations. Particularly, the impact of event-based sounds, characterized by spatial and semantic features, extends to influencing their experiences and behaviors within a given space. Despite distinctions, there exist commonalities in their perception of certain acoustic features between visually impaired and sighted individuals, such as sounds from nature having a positive effect on both groups and mechanic sound noted as negative. This review ends by listing research gaps and methodological opportunities.

An investigation of soundscape perception in oncology polyclinics' waiting area based on biophilia hypothesis paradigm: a field and laboratory survey study

The present study employed an in-between investigation to examine changes in soundscape perception in two waiting areas of Ankara City Oncology assessing both audio-visual environments. For the investigation, a questionnaire survey procedure was employed based on a Biophilia Hypothesis Paradigm in the field and laboratory. While it is important to establish a baseline from a soundscape perspective within the paradigm, the latter establishes an investigation procedure that claims a positive affective outcome. Important measures for this study are Biophilic Quality using the Biophilic Interior Design Index (BIDI), Affective Attributes, Sound Overall Quality, Appropriateness, and Sound Source Dominance following ISO/TS 12913-2:2018., Method A. For the visual environment, Visual Appropriateness and Overall Quality were assessed. For the laboratory setting, audio and visual environments are digitally reproduced using still images and binaural recordings accordingly. Overall, 112 subjects completed the survey considered for further analysis. Significant differences were tested separately with the t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. The biophilic quality between waiting areas in the field varies from low to moderate biophilic, while the sound descriptors identify an eventful, annoying, monotonous, and chaotic sound environment for both waiting areas and settings based on mean scores.

Sonic ambiances through fundamental needs: An approach on soundscape interventions for intensive care patientsa).

We explored the underpinnings of providing positive listener experiences for intensive care unit (ICU) patients with compositions of added sounds. Our objective was to derive an approach to such interventions based on soundscape perception and need fulfillment. In one study, we gathered qualitative empirical data about imagined soundscapes where nine fundamental needs were fulfilled. Hierarchical clustering and thematic analysis showed that imagined soundscapes clustered into four types of sonic ambiances, i.e., affective connotations with soundscapes: Comfortable, Pleasurable, Motivating, or Stimulating ambiances. We derived four design parameters to achieve these ambiances with sound compositions: eventfulness, sonic ambiance qualities, narrative structure, and sound distribution. A sound artist was asked to use these parameters to create sound compositions. In a listening experiment, we examined their effects on the perceived pleasantness and eventfulness of soundscapes and on listeners' experienced pleasure and arousal. Soundscapes were perceived as pleasant with varying eventfulness in line with our structured approach. We found a strong correlation between pleasantness and with listener's pleasure and a moderate correlation between eventfulness and with listener's arousal. Finally, we suggested that in future research, three sonic ambiance types should be considered rather than four. Concluding, we showed that our need-driven approach could form a promising way to support ICU patients.

갯벌 방문객의 경관 및 소리경관지각과 환경연결감 및 회복경험, 회복관련자기효능감, 재방문의도의 구조적 관계

갯벌 방문객의 경관 및 소리경관지각과 환경연결감 및 회복경험, 회복관련자기효능감, 재방문의도의 구조적 관계

Exploring the Impact of Visual and Aural Elements in Urban Parks on Human Behavior and Emotional Responses

As cities progress into high-quality developments, the demand for urban parks that enhance residents’ well-being and sustainability is increasing. Traditional visual-centric design methods no longer suffice. Given that vision and hearing are the primary sensory pathways through which people perceive their environment, exploring their relationship with landscape experiences offers a novel perspective for optimizing the audiovisual perception quality of urban parks. This study explores the relationship between visual and auditory elements and landscape experiences to optimize urban parks’ sensory quality. Using visual perception, soundscape perception, sound source perception, and behavioral vitality, this study evaluates the audiovisual perception quality of a representative wetland park in Chengdu’s ring ecological zone. By quantifying relationships between audiovisual characteristics, behavioral vitality, and emotional feedback, several emotional assessment models were constructed. The results show that lawns, pavements, and sound pressure levels significantly impact vitality. A sound pressure level of 77 dB has been identified as a critical threshold in emotional perception models. Consequently, distinct emotional prediction models can be employed to enhance landscape design across various sound pressure level zones. This research provides scientific evidence and flexible strategies for designing urban open spaces that improve landscape experiences based on multisensory perception.

The Role of Soundscape on Urban Attractiveness in Traditional Cities

The soundscape is an immanent part of the open spaces in historical cities. This study aims to investigate the role of soundscape in enhancing urban attraction and its effect on intentional behavior. This is based on a questionnaire survey, which is conducted in compliance with ISO/TS 12913-2:2018, of 31 visitors in the Almutanabi and Almurad (alkadhmya) streets in historical blocks in Baghdad city. SPSS software is used to analyze the data. The results indicate that soundscape has a positive significance on urban attraction and the overall response to the sound source identification shows that the sound of human beings is dominant strongly while the sound of technology comes in second place and the sounds of nature are limited. In general, positive soundscape perception may contribute to the urban attraction of open spaces in historical cities.

Perception of indoor and outdoor school soundscapes: A large-scale Cross-Sectional survey with UK teachers

This study explores variations in teachers’ perception of indoor and outdoor soundscapes across different spaces within schools. A quantitative research design involved 452 teachers in the United Kingdom who participated in an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to UK teachers via random sampling on the Prolific platform, utilizing its customizable demographics for participant recruitment. A multi-method approach, combining closed- and open-ended questions, captured the multifaceted nature of soundscape perception. Participants reported on perceptions and experiences of school soundscapes in general areas, classrooms, hallways, dinner halls, playgrounds, and gyms. Findings reveal that schools are perceived as dynamic environments, characterized by a blend of chaos, engagement, and excitement, contradicting expectations of a calm atmosphere. Correlation analysis demonstrated weak associations between age and perceptions of the acoustic environment (rs([452])=[0.116]), as well as gender (rs([450])=[0.060]), teaching experience (rs([450])=[0.117]), school type (rs([450])=[− 0.109]), school location (rs([450])=[0.098]), time spent in outdoor places (rs([450])=[0.09]). A significant positive correlations were observed between wellbeing and the overall school soundscape (rs([450])=[0.286]), indicating that as self-reported wellbeing increases, the perceived quality of the school soundscape tends to increase. Differences were seen in the soundscapes of playgrounds, dinner halls, gyms, hallways, and classrooms compared to the overall school soundscape. These distinctions highlight varying levels of engagement, comfort, intrusiveness, and privacy across different areas, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of sound perception within schools. The study shows teachers use sound in education for different reasons and methods, with perceived impacts on student learning and wellbeing. It suggests the possibility of enhancing the educational experience through tailored interventions targeting specific areas in schools based on their unique soundscapes.

Soundscape descriptors in eighteen languages: Translation and validation through listening experiments

This paper presents the outcomes of the “Soundscape Attributes Translation Project” (SATP), an international initiative addressing the critical research gap in soundscape descriptors translations for cross-cultural studies. Focusing on eighteen languages – namely: Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese – the study employs a four-step procedure to evaluate the reliability and cross-cultural validity of translated soundscape descriptors. The study introduces a three-tier confidence level system (Low, Medium, High) based on “adjusted angles”, which are a measure proposed to correct the soundscape circumplex model (i.e., the pleasant-eventful space proposed in the ISO 12913 series) of a given language. Results reveal that most languages successfully maintain the quasi-circumplex structure of the original soundscape model, ensuring robust cross-cultural validity. English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Croatian, Dutch, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish achieve a “High” confidence level. French, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, and Vietnamese demonstrate varying confidence levels, highlighting the importance of the preliminary translation. This research significantly contributes to standardized cross-cultural methodologies in soundscape perception research, emphasizing the pivotal role of adjusted angles within the soundscape circumplex model in ensuring the accuracy of dimensions (i.e., attributes) locations. The SATP initiative offers insights into the complex interplay of language and meaning in the perception of environmental sounds, opening avenues for further cross-cultural soundscape research.

A Study on Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Spatial Dependence of Sound Source Perception in Fuzhou Historical and Cultural Districts

As a carrier of cultural characteristics of historic districts, the soundscape has unique advantages in shaping regional cultural personality, and mastering its spatiotemporal characteristics is crucial for preserving soundscape heritage with natural and humanistic environments as its kernel. Focusing on the Three Square and Seven Alleys historic and cultural district in Fuzhou, this paper analyzes the spatial and temporal patterns of the physical acoustic indicators of the soundscape, the spatial dependence of the sound source harmony, and the spatial relationship between the two. It was found that the physical acoustic indicators showed dynamic changes in spatial and temporal scales and reflect specific human activity and behavioral patterns; sound source harmony showed spatial autocorrelation in both global and local models, with prominent spatial characteristics; and the physical acoustic indicators may negatively affect soundscape perception. The study emphasizes the importance of the regional cultural connotation of soundscape in urban planning. It provides a scientific basis for the planning, designing, and managing of soundscape resources in historic and cultural districts and world heritage sites.

Exploring the effects of soundscape perception on place attachment: A comparative study of residents and tourists

The critical role of soundscapes in nurturing place attachment, affecting individuals' emotional ties and perceptions of specific locations, has been historically undervalued. In this case, this study examined the profound interrelationships between soundscapes and human connections to place, with a focus on the contrasting perspectives of residents and visitors. Based on on-site surveys on Kulangsu Island involving both groups, this research examined the difference in soundscape perception and place attachment as well as their relationships between the two groups. The findings revealed that residents and visitors showed a shared inclination towards natural sounds alongside the recognition of artificial sounds, while a significant divide emerged in the evaluation of overall soundscapes. Residents displayed a heightened sense of place attachment compared to visitors, characterized by feelings of belongingness and uniqueness. Notably, visitors' place attachment was closely tied to various soundscape evaluation indicators, particularly correlated with the perception of artificial and mechanical sounds. In contrast, residents' place attachment is independent of soundscape evaluations, while is influenced positively by the preference for natural sounds. This contrast underscores the differing perspectives and objectives between the two groups. The results facilitate a deeper understanding of the pivotal role of soundscapes in shaping human-place relationships, informing both academic discourse and practical applications.

Research on a New Soundscape Evaluation Method Suitable for Scenic Areas

Existing studies have focused mainly on the environmental quality of scenic spots, such as sufficient oxygen content in the air and a high concentration of negative oxygen ions. The perceptions of soundscape in scenic areas are generally good, but there are few reports on the quantitative evaluation of soundscape quality in scenic areas. In this study, we analysed existing methods for evaluating the soundscape of a landscape, evaluated the soundscape comfort of scenic spots, analysed and refined the natural environmental factors affecting the soundscape, and proposed for the first time to use physical environmental indicators such as the air temperature difference, relative humidity, natural illuminance ratio and wind speed as environmental evaluation variables. A quantitative method was used to calculate the soundscape comfort index (SSI) of the landscape. The physical environmental indicators related to famous scenic spots in China, namely, Qingcheng mountain field testing and a subjective soundscape of tourist satisfaction survey, were used to calculate the corresponding soundscape comfort index values, and a quantitative analysis of soundscape comfort and differences in temperature, relative humidity, the illumination ratio, and the correlation between the equivalent sound level A was performed. The measured values of the temperature difference and light ratio were significantly correlated with the soundscape comfort index. The distribution of sound landscape comfort was given by a GIS map, and soundscape comfort was evaluated scientifically. The correlations between soundscape comfort and landscape patch number (PN), landscape patch density (PD), diversity index (Shannon), and landscape shape index (LSI) were quantitatively analysed, which confirmed that the perception of soundscape comfort was affected by landscape space to different degrees. This study has scientific significance and application value for the soundscape evaluation of scenic areas and has significance for soundscape evaluation and design strategies for urban landscapes.

A Study on the Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soundscape Perception in Landscape Spaces of Urban Greenways

The acoustic landscape directly affects people’s perceptual experience, which is crucial to enhancing urban greenways’ visibility experience. This study analyzed data from three typical urban greenways in Fuzhou City. By classifying and combining the landscape space into two levels of “enclosure–coverage”, the space was categorized into six types: covered, uncovered, open, semi-open, semi-enclosed, and enclosure space. We explored the characteristics of soundscape perception and the factors affecting the evaluation of soundscape perception in different landscape spaces. The results showed that differences in sound sources between day and night led to differences in the soundscape of different spatial types. The sound pressure level decreased with an increasing degree of enclosure and coverage. The evaluation scores of sound source perception and soundscape perception were significantly different in different degrees of spatial enclosure and coverage, where the open space and covered space were the most sensitive to sound, and the open space played a positive role in enhancing the harmony of the artificial sound. Pleasantness and richness were the main factors influencing overall perception, contributing 50% and 17%, respectively. Visitors’ age, residence type, and visit frequency were the main factors affecting the evaluation of soundscape perception. The conclusions provide a reference and data for improving urban greenways’ soundscape quality.

The soundscape and tourism experience in rural destinations: an empirical investigation from Shawan Ancient Town

Rural tourism is becoming more valued by different tourist destinations along with the expansion of its market, especially, ancient town tourism, as one of the special rural tourism destinations, has become popular in recent years. This study aims to take Shawan ancient town as a case to comprehend the role of soundscape perceptions in affecting both flow experience and memorable tourism experience and further influence future behavioral intentions. The method of systematic sampling was performed, and finally, 394 samples were retained for further PLS-SEM analysis. The results show that both natural soundscape perceptions and human-made soundscape perceptions have significant effects on flow experience and memorable tourism experience, and natural soundscape perceptions have a stronger effect on tourism experience. In addition, both flow experience and memorable tourism experience were found to influence behavioral intention positively, and flow experience shows the stronger impact. Findings provide managerial implications suggesting that destination managers should cleverly integrate natural soundscape elements into the design of ancient towns and reduce interference from human-made soundscapes. Additionally, practical implications are provided for destination managers in designing soundscapes in the ancient town.

Impact of rural soundscape on environmental restoration: An empirical study based on the Taohuayuan Scenic Area in Changde, China.

Previous studies on environmental restorative effects have mainly focused on visual landscapes, and less on the influence of soundscapes on restorative, but soundscapes play a crucial role in restorative environments, especially rural soundscapes, but there is insufficient existing theoretical evidence on the subject. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of Rural Soundscape Perception on Environmental Restoration Perception, and introduces two affective variables, tourism nostalgia and place attachment, to explore the mechanism of Rural Soundscape Perception on Environmental Restoration Perception, as well as the moderating role of the number of trips is also discussed. Based on the theory of restorative environment, this study took the Taohuayuan Scenic Spot in Changde, Hunan Province, China, as the case site, and selected the rural soundscape in the area as the research object; a total of 506 valid data were collected through questionnaire surveys, and structural equation modeling was used to validate the collected data. It was found that rural soundscape perception had a significant positive effect on tourism nostalgia, place attachment, and environmental restoration perception. The results also showed that tourism nostalgia and place attachment mediated the relationship between rural soundscape perception and environmental restoration perception. Additionally, the results revealed that the number of trips did not play a moderating role in the structural relationship between rural soundscape perception and environmental restoration perception. Last, the results of the study shed light on the complex influence path of "rural soundscape perception→tourism nostalgia→place attachment→environmental restoration perception", which provides a new perspective for understanding the mechanism of the rural environment to people's health, and also has a certain guiding significance for the landscape planning of rural tourism sites.

Sons al Balcó: A Comparative Analysis of WASN-Based LAeq Measured Values with Perceptual Questionnaires in Barcelona during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

The mobility and activity restrictions imposed in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant improvement in the urban noise pollution that could be objectively measured in those cities with acoustic sensor networks deployed. This significant change in the urban soundscapes was also perceived by citizens who positively appraised this new acoustic scenario. In this work, authors present a comparative analysis between different noise indices provided by 70 sound sensors deployed in Barcelona, both during and before the lockdown, and the results of a perceptual test conducted in the framework of the project Sons al Balcó during the lockdown, which received more than one hundred contributions in Barcelona alone. The analysis has been performed by clustering the objective and subjective data according to the predominant noise sources in the location of the sensors and differentiating road traffic in heavy, moderate and low-traffic areas. The study brings out strong alignments between a decline in noise indices, acoustic satisfaction improvement and changes in the predominant noise sources, supporting the idea that objective calibrated data can be useful to make a qualitative approximation to the subjective perception of urban soundscapes when further information is not available.

Towards soundscape management of protected natural areas using the ISO 12913: A field study

Human perception of soundscapes in protected natural areas like national parks is crucial for their protection. At popular scenic spots, visitors themselves often contribute to noise pollution. Decibel-based systems (such as LAeq or Lden) do not fully explain human reactions to this phenomenon, necessitating a more holistic approach to allow for an effective management strategy. A mixed-methods soundscape approach based on the ISO 12913 series, developed mostly in urban soundscape studies, was tested in four protected natural ex-urban areas in the Dolomites (Italy) and Cairngorms (United Kingdom). During five soundwalks (7-12 km long), conducted by adopting the Method A of ISO/TS 12913-2, a total of 443 questionnaire responses were gathered across 28 evaluation points, alongside corresponding binaural measurements. A range of acoustic environments as quiet as LAeq = 31 dBA and as loud as LAeq = 76 dBA were observed, eliciting perceptions ranging from very calm to chaotic. A Linear Mixed-Effects Model was computed to analyse the impact of sound source dominance, psychoacoustic and environmental acoustic indices on perception. Presence of human sounds proved to be a major factor driving the perception of chaotic soundscapes.

A soundscape perspective for biophilia hypothesis: Theoretical considerations and conceptual approach

This study proposes a conceptual framework to consider the integration of the soundscape perception into the Biophilia Hypothesis paradigm and to further investigate the positive psychological outcomes such as affection or cognition indicators, and physiological outcomes or neurophysiological outcome indicators based on brain signal analysis on building occupants. The biophilia hypothesis claims that a natural content environment has positive psychological and physiological outcomes identified as restorative. The established soundscape framework, which is still under exploration in indoor environments, will help frame the rationale of this study to understand the soundscape perception and consider how to integrate it into the biophilic theoretical claims. In this line of thought, the conceptual framework emphasizes the significance of not just the visual realm, as suggested by the Biophilia hypothesis paradigm through empirical, experimental, and theoretical claims. Additionally, incorporating sound can contribute to a more holistic approach. To do so, based on an literature review and also on our very preliminary study this conceptual framework is an extension of the soundscape theoretical framework. It proposes the integration of complementary theories such as Attention Restoration, Stress-Recovery Theory, Biophilia hypothesis, and the soundscape framework to be further implemented for healthy designed environments.

A unified framework for creating soundscape perception indices based on the SSID Protocol

The soundscape approach provides a basis for considering the holistic perception of sound environments, in context. While steady advancements have been made in methods for assessment and analysis, a gap exists for comparing soundscapes and quantifying improvements in the multi-dimensional perception of a soundscape. To this end, there is a need for the creation of single value indices to compare soundscape quality which incorporate context, aural diversity, and specific design goals. Just as a variety of decibel-based indices have been developed for various purposes (e.g., LAeq, LCeq, L90, Lden, etc.), the soundscape approach requires the ability to create novel indices for different uses, but which share a common language and understanding. We therefore propose a unified framework for creating both bespoke and archetypal single index measures of soundscape perception based on the soundscape circumplex model, allowing for new indices to be defined in the future. The implementation of this framework is demonstrated through the creation of a public space typology-based index using survey data collected under the SSID Protocol. Indices developed under this framework can enable a broader and more efficient application of the soundscape approach in design, planning, and regulation.