Rethinking Acoustics Understanding silence and quiet in the built environment

摘要

Although sound is ubiquitous-a constant and inescapable experience-its positive role within the built environment is underappreciated, leading to ongoing debate about the control (or lack thereof) of background sound levels within various types of facilities. Reviewing the technical and popular use of various words allows one to gain appreciation of how they can lead to misunderstandings of what it takes to achieve an effective acoustic environment and, more specifically, the role played by background sound set to a controlled level and spectrum. The distinction between 'noise' and 'sound' is expansive and the implications are significant in terms of subjective and objective attributes of the built environment. It is by refining the definitions of those terms, as well as that of 'silence' and 'quiet,' that appreciable opportunities can be fostered to improve the design of the built environment and promote occupant well-being.