ACOUSTICS

ACOUSTICS
Architectural acoustics (also known as building
acoustics) is the science and engineering of achieving a
good sound within a building and is a branch of acoustical
engineering. The first application of modern scientific
methods to architectural acoustics was carried out by the
American physicist Wallace Sabine in the Fogg
Museum lecture room. He applied his newfound
knowledge to the design of Symphony Hall, Boston.
 ACOUSTICS
U.S. physicist who founded the science of architectural acoustics.
After graduating from Ohio State University in 1886, Sabine did
graduate work at Harvard University, where he later joined
the faculty. A brilliant researcher, he enjoyed teaching and never
bothered to get his doctorate; his papers were modest in number but
exceptional in content. When Harvard opened the Fogg Art
Museum in 1895, its auditorium revealed seriously
defective acoustics caused by excessive reverberation. Sabine was
asked to find a remedy. His discovery that the product of the
reverberation time multiplied by the total absorptivity of the room is
proportional to the volume of the room is known as Sabine’s law, and
a unit of sound-absorbing power, the sabin, was named after him. The
first building designed in accordance with principles laid down by
Sabine was the Boston Symphony Hall, which opened in 1900 and
proved a great acoustical success.
Wallace Clement Sabine
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SYMPHONY HALL, BOSTON Symphony Hall interior (empty) Symphony Hall interior (in concert)
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Architectural acoustics can be about:
- achieving good speech intelligibility in a theatre,
restaurant or railway station
- enhancing the quality of music in a concert hall or
recording studio
- or suppressing noise to make offices and homes more
productive and pleasant places to work and live in.
Architectural acoustic design is usually done by acoustic
consultants.
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The word acoustics comes from a Greek
word akoustikos which means “of or for hearing”.
Architectural acoustics may be defined as the technology
of designing spaces, structures, and mechanical systems
to meet hearing needs.
With proper design, "wanted" sounds can be heard
properly and "unwanted" sounds or "noise", can be
attenuated to the point where it does not cause
annoyance.
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However, achieving good acoustics has increasingly
more difficult for a variety of reasons.
To cut costs. The weight of construction materials used
in many of today's buildings is reduced. Since light
structures generally transmit more sound than heavy
ones. this practice poses major acoustical problems.
Forty percent or more of a building budget may be
allocated for mechanical systems-most of which makes
noise.
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Outside noise sources such as cars, trucks, trains, and
airplanes present problems in isolating interior spaces
from exterior sound.
All acoustics situations have three common elements-
source, transmission path, and receiver. The source
can be made louder or quieter and the path can be
made to transmit more or less sound. The listener's
reception of sound also may be influenced.
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Building skin envelope
This science analyzes noise transmission from building exterior
envelope to interior and vice versa. The main noise paths
are roofs, eaves, walls, windows, door and penetrations.
Sufficient control ensures space functionality and is often
required based on building use and local municipal codes. An
example would be providing a suitable design for a home
which is to be constructed close to a high volume roadway, or
under the flight path of a major airport, or of the airport itself.
Inter-space noise control ACOUSTICS
The science of limiting and/or controlling noise transmission from
one building space to another to ensure space functionality and
speech privacy. The typical sound paths are ceilings, room
partitions, acoustic ceiling panels (such as wood dropped
ceiling panels), doors, windows, flanking, ducting and other
penetrations. Technical solutions depend on the source of the noise
and the path of acoustic transmission, for example noise by steps or
noise by (air, water) flow vibrations. An example would be providing
suitable party wall design in an apartment complex to minimize the
mutual disturbance due to noise by residents in adjacent
apartments.
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Interior space acoustics

This is the science of controlling a

room's surfaces based on sound absorbing and
reflecting properties.
Excessive reverberation time, which can be calculated,
can lead to poor speech intelligibility.
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Mechanical equipment noise
Building services noise control is the science of controlling noise produced by:
• HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) systems
• Elevators
• Electrical generators positioned within or attached to a building
• Any other building service infrastructure component that emits sound.
Inadequate control may lead to elevated sound levels within the space which
can be annoying and reduce speech intelligibility. Typical improvements
are vibration isolation of mechanical equipment, and sound attenuators in
ductwork. Sound masking can also be created by adjusting HVAC noise to a
predetermined level.
Role of Acoustics ACOUSTICS
Acoustics involves many areas. Knowledge in acoustics is important for
many professional engineers and architects, but also for professionals
from other faculties, such as medical doctors, psychologists, biologists,
oceanographers, media professionals and so forth.

Knowledge in acoustics is essential to promote the creation of

environments, both indoors and outdoors, involving rooms with good
listening conditions for speakers, musicians and listeners and also living
environments and working areas which are reasonably free from harmful
and/or intruding noise and vibrations and with acoustic comfort.

In other words.
Acoustics is a discipline of great importance for a sustainable
development.
Role of Acoustics ACOUSTICS

Illustration from Fundamental Physical Acoustics

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Definition of Terms
Absorption Coefficient – the fraction of the incident sound energy absorbed by a surface.

Anechoic Chamber – a sealed room in which all the surfaces are designed to completely absorb all sound
produced in the room.

Attenuation – a reduction in sound level. Sound attenuation in air-conditioning is specified in terms of dB per
meter.

Background Noise – ambient noise

Break-in Noise – transfer of noise from a space surrounding the duct into the duct through duct walls.

Break-out Noise – transfer of noise from the interior of a duct through duct walls into a space outside the duct.

Dead Room – a room containing an unusually large amount of sound absorption..

Decibel (dB) – a unit of measurement for sound pressure level, sound intensity level or sound power level.
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Definition of Terms
Diffraction – a change in the direction of propagation of sound as a result of bending caused by a barrier in the
path of a sound wave.

Diffuse Sound (field) – a sound field in which the sound comes in equal intensity from all directions.

Direct Sound – the sound that arrives at a receiver along a direct line from the source without reflection from any
surface.

Echo – a sound that has been reflected with sufficient time delay.

Environmental Noise – exterior background noise in a neighborhood (ie. traffic, aircraft).

Fidelity – faithful reproduction of a sound source.

Flutter Echo – a rapid but repetitive succession of sound from a sound source usually occurring as a result of
multiple reflections in a space with hard, flat and parallel walls.

Frequency – the number of full cycles per second measured.

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Definition of Terms
Impact Noise – noise caused by the collision of two objects.

Infrasonic – a sound that is below the human audible frequency, below 20 Hz.

Insulation – see isolation

Intermittent sound – a sound which is discontinuous or fluctuates to such an extent that at times its sound
pressure level falls below a measurable level.

Inverse square law – a law which states that the sound intensity in a free field varies inversely with the square
of the distance from the source.

Isolation – a lack of acoustical connection.

Leak – a small opening in a barrier that allows airborne sound to pass through.

Live room – a room containing an unusually small amount of sound absorption.

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Definition of Terms
Loudness – an auditory sensation that depends on sound pressure level and the frequency of sound.

Masking – the increase in the threshold of audibility of a sound that is required so that the sound can be
heard in the presence of another sound.

Noise Isolation Class (NIC) – a single number rating derived from the measured value of noise reduction
between two rooms.

Noise Reduction (NR) – the reduction in sound pressure level of noise.

Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) – a single number rating derived from measured values of sound
absorption coefficients of a material at 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz.

Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC) – a weighted single number rating of the sound reduction
effectiveness of a partition that separates an indoor space from the outside.

Pitch – a listener’s perception of the frequency of a pure tone.

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Definition of Terms

Reflection Coefficient – a measure of the sound reflective property of a surface.

Resonance – the relatively large amplitude of vibration produced when the frequency of the source of sound is
equal to the natural frequency of a room.

Reverberant Sound Field – a sound field created by repeated reflections of sound from the boundaries in an
enclosed space.

Reverberation – the continuation of sound in an enclosed space after the initial source has been terminated.

Reverberation Time (RT) – the time it takes for sound intensity to decay by 1 millionth of its steady state value
after the sound source has been terminated.

Sabin – a unit of measure of sound absorption.

Scattering – an irregular diffraction of sound in many directions.

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Definition of Terms

Sound Insulation – the ability of a barrier to prevent sound from reaching a receiver.

Sound Intensity (SI) – the average rate of sound energy flow through a unit area in a given direction.

Sound Intensity Level (SIL) – a quantity expressed in decibels of airborne sound.

Sound Lock – a small space that works as a buffer between a source room and a receiving room.

Sound Pressure – fluctuating pressure of sound superimposed on the static air pressure.

Sound Pressure Level – see sound intensity level

Sound Transmission Class (STC) – a single number rating of the sound insulation rating of a partition.

Structure-Borne Sound – sound propagated through a solid structure.

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Definition of Terms

Transmission Coefficient – the ratio of transmitted sound energy

to incident sound energy

Transmission Loss (TL) – is the measure of sound insulation of a partition.

Wavelength – distance between two adjacent compressions or rarefactions in a sound wave.

White Noise – a noise whose energy is uniform over a wide range of frequencies. This is analogous to the
term “white light”, which consists of almost equal amount of light of different wavelength (colors). A white noise
sounds hissy.
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