Ten Questions Concerning Architectural Acoustics

Building and room acoustics are relatively modern architectural and engineering disciplines. Nevertheless, acoustics was also a concern for buildings in the past, e.g., in theatres in ancient Greece and in Roman times. Nowadays, we spend 80–90 % of our time indoors, and sound impacts our communication and actions in an environment to a great extent. Therefore, acoustic aspects should be considered appropriately in the Environmental Quality and Global Comfort context as part of the overall aspects of building physics, although other factors (e.g., thermal, air quality, etc.) are conventionally considered more “mainstream”. The ten questions considered in this paper range from the basic definitions underlying the differences between building and room acoustics, to more applied topics about how to measure, simulate and use acoustic data in the design of the built environment. Significant research activities have been conducted by acoustic experts on different aspects related to the measurements of physical properties, perceptual aspects and technological development in both the physical and virtual dimensions, thereby paving the way towards a more inclusive and healthier acoustic environment. Apart from illustrating the current state of the art, the answers to these questions point out the still existing gaps in the field and future challenges, thereby highlighting the new competencies required to support the design of the acoustic environment, focusing on the physical, physiological, and psychological needs of the users.