28 research outputs found

    Ten questions on the soundscapes of the built environment

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    Soundscape research represents a paradigm shift from noise control policies towards a new multidisciplinary approach as it involves not only physical measurements but also the cooperation of humanity and social sciences to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures, with more focus on how people actually experience the acoustic environments; and it considers environmental sounds as a ‘resource’ rather than a ‘waste’. The ten questions presented in this paper range from the very basic definitions underlying the emerging soundscape ‘science’, to more applied topics about how to use soundscape as a design approach for the planning and management of the built environments. Although significant research activity has been conducted so far, there is still a need to systematically provide the underpinning science and practical guidance in soundscaping. Thus, the last question aims to identify the most crucial gaps in soundscape research and set the agenda for future advancements in the field

    Soundscape assessment: Towards a validated translation of perceptual attributes in different languages

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    The recently published ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 standard aims to provide researchers and practitioners around the world with a reliable questionnaire for soundscape characterization. The ISO Technical Specifications report protocols and attributes grounded in the soundscape literature, but only includes an English version. The applicability and reliability of these attributes in non-English speaking regions remains an open question, as research investigating translations of soundscape attributes is limited. To address this gap, an international collaboration was initiated with soundscape researchers from all over the world. Translation into 15 different languages, obtained through focus groups and panels of experts in soundscape studies, are proposed. The main challenges and outcomes of this preliminary exercise are discussed. The long-term objective is to validate the proposed translations using standardized listening experiments in different languages and geographical regions as a way to promote a widespread use of the soundscape attributes, both in academia and practice, across locations, populations and languages

    Soundscape: The Holistic Understanding of Acoustic Environments

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    The expanded recognition of soundscape studies has resulted in a research domain composed of various disciplinary perspectives and, at times, contradictory interpretations of what is meant by “soundscape.” At its core, soundscape is a construct of human perception that factors in the entirety of an acoustic environment and the individual’s responses to it. This stands in contrast to the acoustic environment, which is simply the composition of acoustic stimuli in an environment. The baseline of human perception in soundscape was recognized by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 12913-1 (ISO 2014), which emphasizes the interrelationships between person, activity, and physical place in both space and time. The breadth of one’s responses beyond auditory sensation can be much more complex than reactions to noise. The meaning an individual ascribes to sounds, individual’s attitude and expectations toward the acoustic environment, socioeconomic and cultural background, and life experiences all play a role. The complexity of interrelationships between context and listener can only be understood through a multilateral, holistic approach in the field of soundscape study. This chapter traces the broad trajectory of soundscape studies to contextualize a holistic approach and concludes by highlighting various holistic research projects that sought to enhance the quality of acoustic environments and living situations

    Piazza del Marchese Paolo: an architectural and soundscape design to redevelop an outdoor public space

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    This paper will report about a design procedure regarding the redevelopment of an open square located in the historical center of Città di Castello, Italy. The square has five entrances and it is surrounded by old buildings. The Public Library of the town is also located at this place. Currently, the square is used as a parking lot. The goal of the design is to redevelop this square matching the given context. For the design procedure, first, the visual and acoustical status of the place will be described. Second, binaural recordings will be carried out to measure the acoustical climate and third, soundwalks will be conducted to help to detect the soundmarks of the area. Moreover, the idea is to transform the space in a pedestrian area and to consider the square as an acoustical “outdoor floor” for the library. The design process will be focused on the preservation of the genuine Soundscap

    From the soundscape to the architectural redevelopment of an outdoor public space

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    The historic urban centers often undergo redevelopment, restoration and enhancement activities aimed at the preservation of the historical and artistic heritage and at the improvement of the citizens’ quality of life. Usually these interventions are mainly focused on architecture and urban planning, favoring the visual appearance and not considering adequately the multidimensionality of the environment perception, not least the sound environment. For this reason, the choice to adopt the "Soundscape Approach" in the design is linked to the desire of adding a significant contribution to the regeneration of urban areas, in order to make them more enjoyable and to meet the needs of all the people who really and in different ways "live" the area (dwellers, storekeepers, tourists and nightlifers). The case study of the present paper is located in the historical center of Perugia, in Italy. The acoustic analysis was performed through binaural recordings and soundwalks involving residents of the area, in order to obtain respectively objective and subjective evaluations of the soundscape. After this stage, Piazza Danti, a small square located in the very heart of the historical center, was chosen as the project area. This decision was taken together with the Municipality of Perugia since there are several problems afflicting the square, such as difficult routes for motorists, lack of urban design and, above all, nightlife noise. A comprehensive historical and architectural survey of the square allowed to understand all its morphological and functional characteristics, while a noise monitoring showed night noise levels significantly higher (even 30 dBA) than the law limits. These aspects guided the renovation project of the square: a particular focus was put on the interaction between the architectural and the soundscape design, in order to enrich the square with new sounds, while reducing some noise issues considered highly annoying by part of the citizens

    Aeroacoustic analysis of a NACA 0015 airfoil with Gurney flap based on time-resolved PIV measurements

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    The present study investigates the feasibility of high-lift devices noise prediction based on measurements of time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV). The model under investigation is a NACA 0015 airfoil with Gurney flap with height of 6% chord length. The velocity fields around and downstream the Gurney flap are measured by PIV and are used for the PIV-based noise predictions. The predictions are assessed via microphone measurements. Since the Gurney flap height is much smaller than the emitted acoustic wavelength, the source of noise can be considered compact and the integral implementation of Curle's analogy based on the unsteady aerodynamic loads can be followed. The results are compared with the simultaneous microphone measurements in terms of time histories and power spectra. The integral formulation of Curle's analogy yields acoustic sound pressure levels in good agreement with the simultaneous microphone measurements for the tonal component. All the calculated far-field noise power spectra reproduce the peak at vortex shedding frequency, which also agrees well with the microphone measurements.</p
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