Engineering soundspace in urban open public space Seminar

Soundscape, by considering sound environment as perceived, in context, with an interdisciplinary approach, represents a step change in environmental acoustics. This talk explores putting soundscape into the intentional engineering process, by proposing a soundscape design framework for urban open public spaces, including four key components: characteristics of each sound source, acoustic effects of the space, social/demographic aspect of the users, and other aspects of the physical conditions. The potentials of engineering/designing methods for the four key components, namely sounds, space, people and environment, will then be explored. Engineering tools/models for soundscape in urban open public spaces will also be presented, including an auralisation software package for design modification and public participation, and a neural network model for predicting acoustic comfort based on various design variables. Some planning and design guidelines will also be introduced, relating to EU Directive Relating to the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise (END), which requires ‘quiet areas’ to be identified and protected.