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Design of urban furniture to enhance the soundscape: A case study

Fusaro, G; D Alessandro, F; Baldinelli, G; Kang, J; (2018) Design of urban furniture to enhance the soundscape: A case study. Building Acoustics , 25 (1) pp. 61-75. 10.1177/1351010X18757413. Green open access

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Abstract

In modern urban scenarios, all the aspects of the historical heritage, including public open spaces and ancient buildings, have to meet the high increase of density of infrastructures and constructions, with the consequent change of visual and sound environments. This in turn affects people’s quality of life. Because of the growing interest on this problem, this study investigates the relationship between soundscape and design solutions for urban furniture, considering technical and environmental feasibility of the designing process, from the materials characteristics, to the acoustic and psychoacoustic impact of the tool on the user. The process includes the acoustic suitability of three-dimensional printing materials, the suitability of acoustic design using software simulation, the experimental assessment of the performance of the three-dimensional printed prototype and the statistical evaluation of the chosen studying parameters and conditions. This article describes all the stages of the designing process, with a focus on the study of shapes and volumes of the prototype and on its impact on the user’s perception. FEM simulations and experimental tests performed in a semi-anechoic chamber allowed to validate the design process. These analyses proved that the designed prototype of urban furniture can not only positively influence the physical environment but also the psychoacoustic perception of it.

Type: Article
Title: Design of urban furniture to enhance the soundscape: A case study
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1177/1351010X18757413
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1177/1351010X18757413
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Soundscape, psychoacoustics, urban furniture, additive manufacturing, finite elements method
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10047695
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