Acoustics is one of the subjects in the 4th year of the Degree of Technical Architecture.



Noise is one of the most common pollutants in the today society. It is well known that being exposed to high or persistent noises can lead to severe health and comfort problems, which negatively affect our life quality. In 2013, a new appeared at the media telling "A pianist faces 7.5 years of prison for disturbing one neighbour";. The consciousness of the today society about building comfort and noise issues is rising more and more, which is also reflected on the increasing normative requisites to be fulfilled.



In Architectural Acoustics we try to provide you with the foundations that govern the phenomenon of noise, to analyse which are their effects as well as the methods to measure and evaluate them. Moreover, it develops a technical formation that will lead you to set-up and project spaces with an adequate sonority for their purpose, with acceptable noise levels that are isolated from noise sources. In this way we will create more comfortable and healthy spaces.

Competences of the subject:



C1: Apply the basic concepts of Acoustics to the elaboration of building projects, in order that they fulfill the requirements of conditioning and isolation for their use.



C2: Prevent from the possible work risks derived from noise as well as the environmental risks due to acoustic pollution.



C3: Detect acoustic isolation and conditioning problems, do reports and analyses using the typical equipment for measuring acoustic variables.



C4: Plan conditioning and isolation interventions in order to improve the acoustic performance.



In this subject, you will work on three cross-competences, as well as those corresponding to the module and the degree.

The contents are grouped in four major blocks:



1# Block. The physical characteristics of sound are studied, and how it is related to the perception by human hearing.



-1# Chapter. Introduction

Historical introduction. Basic magnitudes. Oscillations. Simple Harmonic Movement. Waves. Acoustic spectrum.

-2# Chapter. Audition

Characteristics of human audition. Scale in decibels. Sound levels. Octave and 1/3 octave bands. Audition thresholds. Weighting.



2# Block. The basic aspects of sound propagation in open and closed spaces are described.



-3# Chapter. Sound propagation in open space

Calculation of the sound level due to a source. Attenuation. Ground effect. Efficacy of acoustic barriers.

-4# Chapter. Acoustic conditioning

Definition. Propagation in closed spaces. Reflection and absorption. Direct field and reverberant field. Reverberation time. Absorbing materials and elements. Sabine formula. Other parameters that affect the acoustic behaviour of a room. Reflectors. Diffusors. Phenomena that have effect on the acoustics of a room.



3# Block: Several questions related to noise are studied.



-5# Chapter. Noise

Definition. Noise as a pollutant. Audition loss due to noise. Scales to determine the trouble due to noise. Equivalent levels. Norms (work and CTE).



4# Block: The concept of sound isolation as well as the methods to reach it are described.



-6# Chapter. Sound isolation.

Definition. Isolation measures. Methods for air noise isolation. Methods for isolation of impact noise and vibrations. Isolating materials.

In order to acquire progressively the required concepts, the following tasks will be carried out:



TASKS: the professor will ask you for different tasks along the year, which could consist in:

- Solving numerical problems, individually or in group

- Developing of works and project, individually or in group

These tasks will be uploaded to the eGela platform of the subject. If a content is not adequate, it may be asked to be repeated. These tasks may comprise a revision of the concepts exposed in class, as well as the extension to new concepts; to solve them, you will have to work with books or webpages specialized on Acoustics, and they will have to show a profundity according to a student that will be soon a graduate.



LABORATORY PRACTICES: they are compulsory, and necessary to know about the experimental equipment as well as the usual measurement techniques and norms for the acoustic characterization of a room. The list of practices with their dates, along with a description of their content will be announced in eGela. The practices are done individually or in groups, and they are evaluated.



WRITTEN EXAMS: one individual exam after the first 2 lessons (10% of the final grade) + one individual exam at the official date (30% of the final grade)



ASSISTANCE TO CLASS: the minimum assistance will be 75% of the teaching hours. Should the student not fulfill this requirement, he/she would be out of the continuous evaluation.

• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 40
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 30
  • Laboratory practices (%): 30

There are two options to being evaluated: (1) follow the continuous evaluation or (2) choose a final exam. The student that rejects to be evaluated by continuous evaluation and wants to attend the final exam must let the professor know, in writing, two weeks before the end of the classes. He/she will have to fill the corresponding form available in eGela.



(1)CONTINUOUS EVALUATION:



- TASKS (30% of the final grade)

- LAB PRACTICES (30% of the final grade, minimum 5 out of 10): the assistance to the sessions as well as the submission of the corresponding reports are compulsory.

- WRITTEN EXAMS individual: 1.- one exam after the first 2 lessons (10% of the final grade, minimum 5 out of 10) 2.- exam at the official date (30% of the final grade, minimum 5 out of 10)

ASSISTANCE TO CLASS: the minimum assistance will be 75% of the teaching hours. Should the student not fulfill this requirement, he/she would be out of the continuous evaluation.



(2) FINAL EXAM:



The final exam will be held the same day and hour of the written exam of the continuous evaluation, but both exams will be different. It will consist in:

- 30% Lab practices (minimum 5 out of 10)

- 70% Individual written exam (minimum 5 out of 10)



OBSERVATIONS:



(1) Should the student not attend the final exam, his/her qualification will be 'Not presented´.

- 30% Lab practices (minimum 5 out of 10)

- 70% Individual written exam (minimum 5 out of 10)



The evaluation is performed by means of a final exam that comprises a practical part that will be held at the lab (whose weighting will be 30% of the total mark). All students that attend the practical part will work in group, in similar way to that employed along the year.



The students that have followed the continuous evaluation and want to retain the mark obtained in the different activities (tasks and lab practices) in order to have the same percent as in the previous opportunity, (60% continuous evaluation, 40% exam of all the contents) will have to apply to the professor by writing at least 10 days before the official date of the exam.

Basic bibliography

Architectural acoustics, M. D. Egan, McGraw-Hill (1998)

Architectural acoustics, M. Long, Elsevier (2006)

In-depth bibliography

• Acondicionamiento acústico. M. Recuero López, Ed. Paraninfo (2001)
• Ruido industrial y urbano. Rejano de la Rosa, M. Editorial Paraninfo Thomson Learning
• Diseño acústico de espacios arquitectónicos. A. Carrión Isbert, Alfaomega, eds. UPC (2003)
• Architectural acoustics, M. D. Egan, McGraw-Hill (1998)
• Architectural acoustics, M. Long, Elsevier (2006)
• Acústica de los edificios, M. Meisser, Editores Técnicos Asociados (1973)

Todos los libros los podéis consultar en la primera planta de la biblioteca.

Journals

Especial Acústica de Investigación y Ciencia

Web addresses

http://www.ehu.es/acustica/
http://ocw.uc3m.es/ingenieria-termica-y-de-fluidos/acustica-tecnica
http://gcastro.webs.uvigo.es/PFC/PROYECTO_ZALO.htm