Audiovisual integration effect on the perception of the overall acoustic and architectural quality in a conference room

Given the complexity of historical spaces, a detailed geometric 3D survey is essential to build an accurate visual model that realistically integrates the proposed design solutions for their acoustic enhancement. This work aims to investigate the audiovisual integration on the perception of the overall acoustic and architectural quality. It investigates two different design alternatives proposed for speech intelligibility improvements in a conference room inside the historical building at the Egyptian Museum of Turin. The first part of the research focused on acquiring and processing data for a detailed 3D geometric and acoustic model. Spatial room impulse responses have been measured in the existing conditions and have been used for the model calibration in the geometrical acoustic-based software Ramsete. Simulations have been performed for two solutions installations that share similar objective acoustic parameters: S1) plaster-based seamless acoustic system, and S2) parametrically shaped felt baffles. An immersive 3D render has been developed using a LiDAR and a photogrammetric-based model, that incorporate the designed acoustic elements. Listening tests have been presented through 3rd order ambisonics scenes at the Audio Space Lab (ASL) at Politecnico di Torino. The results show a significant preference for the baffle-based solution, despite no substantial differences in auditory perception.