The built environment is evolving towards a strong emphasis on wood as a building material. Due to the lightweight nature of the structural elements, it is challenging to achieve high impact noise insulation. Putting the focus on existing, standardized methods and parameters with weak interconnection with human perception is not a satisfactory metrics that would fully characterize the annoyance produced by impact sources.  A more recent approach that circumvents these uncertainties is to recreate virtual built environments. This approach enables simultaneous investigation of different stimuli and to include artificial environments without the need of building them first.

Approach

This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers with advanced knowledge in wooden materials, sound field analysis, building acoustics, modelling and perceptual evaluation. Perception is no longer condensed to a single number, based on outdated methodologies and low structural variety. Due to novel recording technologies, their unique combination and mathematical modelling, together with advanced methodologies to observe and interpret human perception, a holistic understanding of the interrelation of building and inhabitant can be created.

Innovation

The projects results will deliver the fundamentals to develop highly efficient floating floors and impact sound insulation layers with high acceptable point load and low dynamic stiffness from renewable materials. Furthermore, the unique combination of sound and vibration when recording and reproducing the stimuli leads to more authentic artificial environments for the subjects in the laboratory. This new approach in perceptual studies lead to a realistic environment for listening tests to asses new target quantities to evaluate development success.

Advanced measurement and simulation methods are being developed to support an effective future R&D process of those structures by generating virtual stimuli to quantify the performance of these new construction based on the realistic impact on the annoyance of walking noise for building occupants.