Acoustic Quality Index evaluation: procedure improvement supported by the results of a subjective survey

Abstract

The acoustic quality assessment is a general problem that affects quite all cities, where human activities, such as industries, business and commercial centres, represent the heart of the urban context. The present research focuses on the use of an Index for the definition of the Acoustic Environmental Quality. The Acoustic Quality Index (AQI) was already described and used in previous researches. In this case, it is applied on a residential area characterised by moderate traffic noise and 4-6 floors buildings with a regular rectangular layout. The noise level data have been calculated by simulation and validated by experimental measurements. The results in terms of AQI have been compared with the ones obtained by a subjective investigation developed for this aim in the area. From the comparison, the need of a more suitable definition of the AQI has lead to the proposal for modifying the noise level ranges previously considered.