An Evaluation of Geometrical Room Acoustics Simulations in Outdoor Settings

The mitigation of environmental noise pollution in urban areas is essential to protect the health and well-being of the urban population. Urban and architectural design choices can contribute to enhanced acoustic comfort in outdoor and indoor spaces, and an increasing awareness of their potential is reported in the research community. For instance, at the urban microscale, it is possible to reduce environmental noise levels over the façade by acting on its design features, in terms of both materials and geometries. While several simulation tools for outdoor propagation are available (e.g., Cadna/A, Soundplan), often they have a limited ability to predict the effect of different façade design solutions, such as those with screening elements or sound absorbing materials. In this frame, the possibility to use room acoustic simulation tools in outdoor settings has emerged. This paper focuses on room acoustic simulations in an outdoor scenario, i.e., a case-study courtyard, and compares the simulation results with in-situ measured acquisitions. The virtual model of the case-study courtyard is fed to Odeon and Pachyderm to compare the measured and predicted sound pressure levels in the courtyard and over the façade, thus evaluating the reliability of the estimations.