Best Practices in Architectural Acoustics

Control of unwanted noise and design to help improve audibility and sound quality in classrooms, auditoriums and workplaces are two key goals of building design and operations. Noise source control is a part of this in the building’s operational phase, but building design can have a significant impact on the ability to control those sound variables over the life of the building. The propagation of waves in air, solids and other matter is studied in the multidisciplinary science of acoustics. The practical application of acoustics includes noise control and the prediction of sound behavior in buildings, interior environments and urban settings, among other designed places. From the manufacturing of building materials and systems to the design of every kind of occupied space and the surfaces and furnishings inside, there is a high degree of reliance on the principles of acoustics.