Lucia Busa

Schools in urban areas are often located in areas with high traffic and noise pollution that affect the overall and sonic quality of the external spaces. Due to this, teachers and students are exposed to high noise levels, this condition could have an impact on the perceptive-cognitive and neurobehavioral aspects, determining auditory and extra-auditory effects from exposure to noise. The BRiC - ID14 project, funded by INAIL, investigates the extra-auditory effects of noise exposure on primary and secondary school teachers and students. In this study, the assessment of sonic, acoustic and overall environment of the external area of three kindergartens, three primary schools and three secondary ones located in Rome, Florence and Perugia was carried out. The external areas were investigated and discussed by analyzing the acoustic, psychoacoustic and subjective data collected. The results obtained by the acoustic measurements campaign under non-occupied conditions were compared with th...

Noise exposure may cause auditory and extra-auditory effects. School teachers and students are exposed to high noise levels which have an impact on perceptual-cognitive and neurobehavioral aspects. The latter influence teaching conditions and student school performance. A Protocol was defined and parameters to be investigated were identified for acoustic characterization of unoccupied and occupied school environments, assessment of users by means of questionnaires completed by teachers and students, and vocal effort evaluation. Classrooms, laboratories, auditoriums, gymnasiums, common areas, canteens and outdoor areas were analysed in terms of acoustic features and identification of the origin of noise. The Protocol was tested in three kindergartens, three primary schools and three secondary schools placed in Rome, Florence and Perugia. Results of nine case studies are presented, including comparisons of objective and subjective investigations. Generally, the acoustic performances o...

In industrial scenarios the most effective strategies aiming to protect workers from high exposure to noise consider specific noise reduction actions to be implemented in close proximity to noise sources. At the same time functional limitation and hygienic condition not always allow rude interventions like cabins or source complete coating, thus the need of reducing airborne noise propagation becomes relevant. The authors have developed a method, based on the acoustics analysis of sub areas, delimited by real or virtual surfaces. It shows good results in complex industrial areas, where critical contribution are given by characterizing sources. The typical parameters of room acoustic are used in model implementation, leading to feasible and effective plans for noise mitigation and to considerable reduction of costs as well. The method has been successfully applied in some case studies reported here.

This paper proposes an approach to acoustic quality designing methods applied to working environments, whether they are spaces specifically intended for speaking and listening (classrooms, theaters, auditoriums, etc.) or spaces that are in any case characterized by the need for clear and effective communication and comprehension of messages and acoustic signals. Some design methodologies inspired by the principles of global comfort and a set of acoustic and non-acoustic variables that characterize the well-being perceived in employment are illustrated.A case study, representing the application of global comfort principles to acoustic design is shown: acoustic and comfort remediation and improvement is reported, relating to a large industrial environment, part of the BRIC inter-university research project called “Definition of innovative guidelines, based on the state of the art, for the purposes of designing, building, certifying and reclaiming machines, equipment and work environme...

The paper deals with the facade sound insulation of Italian schools placed in Lombardy and Tuscany Regions. The selected sample consists of more than one hundred facades of Italian schools of all levels (from nursery to upper secondary school) and built in different time periods and building technology. For this reason, the selected sample can be considered as representative of typical Italian schools. For each school, the facade sound insulation, the reverberation time, the average outdoor noise, the age of building and the main characteristics of the facade have been studied (kind of glass, kind of ventilation, dimension of the windows etc.). Based on these data, it has been studied the correlation between the main characteristics of the facades and the facade sound insulation and between the year of construction and the acoustic performance. These results are also referred to the complete building stock of the Italian school buildings based on a recent census realized by the Ital...

Acoustic quality and, in wider terms, global comfort are crucial aspects for the design of built environments. There are objective and subjective parameters, from different disciplines, which may be used for contributing to the definition of global comfort. Concerning restaurants, dining out represents an opportunity for spending quality time in good company; therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is required to the designer in order to create a unique experience for all senses. In this paper, factors involved in the assessment of the global comfort are presented. Vie en.ro.se Ingegneria has worked for the improvement of global comfort in many restaurants, such as Fratelli Briganti’s Restaurant. The project was designed and defined starting from the observations collected through a Customer Satisfaction questionnaire, together with the results of acoustics and lighting measurements carried out on site. According to the outcomes, the intervention has interested different disciplines...

Façade sound insulation can be improved by using high performance components or by modifying the shape of the façade. In many cases, when high acoustic insulation levels are required, the use of high performance components cannot be sufficient, for technical ...

ABSTRACT Façade sound insulation can be improved by using high performance components or by modifying the shape of the façade. In many cases, when high acoustic insulation levels are required, the use of high performance components cannot be sufficient, for technical ...