Acoustic comfort in highly attended museums: A dynamical model. (October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: D'Orazio, Dario; Montoschi, Federico; Garai, Massimo
• Is Part Of: Building and environment. Volume 183(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-10
• Subjects: Acoustics -- Human noise -- Museums -- Lombard effect -- Background noise; Buildings -- Environmental engineering -- Periodicals; Building -- Research -- Periodicals; Constructions -- Technique de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 696
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107176
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-1323

Abstract

Abstract: High-attendance exhibitions are often uncomfortable, due to too loud background noise. This is due to several factors, primarily the human voice. Moreover, most of the largest museums are housed in historical buildings which cannot be acoustically corrected, therefore the control of human noise is the only way to manage acoustic comfort. Human noise due to visitors is treated as a non-stationary phenomenon, related to flux of visitors/talkers. In the present study, a predictive model is proposed. Markov-chain theory is proposed to study the temporal behaviour of occupancy and generative algorithms are used to analyse the spatial distribution of visitors. The model has been validated by means of measurements in a highly attended museum in Florence during a free-entrance day. Measurement results agree with the predictive model, returning useful information on vocal effort and feedback processes. Results also show that a maximum number of visitors and a maximum visit time should be established in order to keep a proper acoustic comfort. Excess number of visitors or visiting time, may result in an almost two-fold increase in human noise level. Highlights: A predictive model for human noise in museums. Dynamical occupancy modeled by Markov-chain theory. Generative algorithms allow to analyse visitors' spatial distribution. A high-attended museum in Florence surveyed to validate. Lombard Slope of 0.4 dB/dB and group size of 4 were found.