A critical review of acoustic modeling and research on building façade

Abstract

Noise pollution has been impacting negatively on living comfort and working environment for a long time. Acoustic treatment on building façade is one of the effective means to tackle this issue. Numerous articles were published over the past decades to address the acoustic related problems of building façade. However, a systematic review of the research development on façade acoustic technology is lacking. Therefore, this paper examines the published research articles from seven selected journals, in terms of the annual number of articles, citation counts, co-authorships, research locations, and keywords. The analyses show that interest in façade acoustics increased during the last two decades. Researchers from Europe and areas with a high density of tall buildings made significant contributions to this development. Based on keyword analysis, articles are categorized into three groups. These include sound insulation studies, studies on the effect of façade on street noise, and noise reduction techniques. The surveyed research topics comprise numerical modeling, experimental studies, ISO standard development, and analyses on annoyance level. Potential future directions are presented based on a summary of the limitations of the existing research. This paper offers researchers and engineers an in-depth understanding of the state-of-the-art of the current façade acoustic research. Additionally, potential future directions are identified based on the findings and limitations of the previous studies.

The influence of the acoustic performance in the certification of a school buildings according to the ITACA protocol

“…The input data for the model were carried out from data-sheet of materials manufacturers or calculated with models published in scientific literature. 12,33 –36…”

Improved acoustics for semi-enclosed spaces in the proximity of residential buildings

“…Due to the critical role that building facade performs in transmitting or reflecting of environmental noise, it seems to be one of the most investigated topics in the literature [24]. In the presence of multiple buildings in urban spaces -e.g., in the case of street canyons or inner yards of housing complexes -strong (and multiple) facade reflections can lead to increased reverberation time (RT) and SPL for noise sources from the environment, which in turn affects the spatial impression and noise annoyance [10,15,25].…”

“…In order to ameliorate the acoustic environment (indoor and outdoor), there are a number of noise reduction methods to employ in facade acoustics such as using facade absorptive material, scattering facade structure, adding control components, applying new designs, etc. Use of acoustic absorbing materials on building facades has been shown to have a significant effect on both reducing noise levels and annoyance ratings [24][25][26][27][28], even though in long-term, their durability could be problematic especially when exposed to the environment on a building facade surface [24].…”

Active Indoor Soundscape Design: A Case Study of Ceramic Passive Amplifiers

“…A soundscape method provides a new direction for environmental acoustics. Specifically, traditional noise control research focuses on two aspects (i.e., noise reduction and sound isolation) [ 8 ], but it cannot satisfy people’s acoustic comfort directly. When people’s perception of sound is valued, acoustic comfort can truly be improved.…”