The Acoustic Environment of York Minster’s Chapter House

York Minster is the largest medieval Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, renowned for its magnificent architecture and its stained glass windows. Both acoustic measurements and simulation techniques have been used to analyse the acoustic environment of its Chapter House, which dates from the 13th-century and features an octagonal geometry with Gothic Decorated stone walls replete of geometric patterns and enormous stained glass windows, covered by a decorated wooden vault. Measured and simulated room impulse responses served to better understand how their architectural features work together to create its highly reverberant acoustic field. The authors start by analysing its acoustic characteristics in relation to its original purpose as a meeting place of the cathedral’s Chapter, and end by reflecting on its modern use for a variety of cultural events, such as concerts and exhibitions. This work is part of the “Cathedral Acoustics” project, funded by the EC through the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie scheme

The Acoustics of Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel : a study of its changes throughout history

The Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral, built in the 14th century, is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of medieval England. The Lady Chapel is a semiindependent space connected to the north of the cathedral choir. Its interior is a great example of the Decorated Gothic style, being also the largest Lady Chapel and one of the widest stone vaulted spaces in England. This work presents the study of the acoustic behaviour of Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel throughout history, which has been undertaken using both on-site measurements and simulation techniques. Three different acoustic models were created for the purpose of this work. The acoustic model of the Lady Chapel in its current state was adjusted and validated by taking as a reference a set of room impulse responses registered on site. Then, the model was carefully modified to recreate the acoustics of the space at different points in history: as it was in its origins, before being heavily damaged during the Reformation in the 16th century; and when it was fully furnished to be used as the parish of Holy Trinity, as it remained until the beginning of the 20th century. A comprehensive study is undertaken based on a comparative analysis of the acoustic parameters derived from the simulated room impulse responses, and the results are discussed focussing on the architectural alterations and the interior arrangement modifications undertaken to serve the great varieties of uses it has had over time

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries