applsci-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Indoor Acoustic Comfort Management Through Measurement, Simulation and Design

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Acoustics and Vibrations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1036

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Engineering Department, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Interests: building acoustics; environmental acoustics; metamaterials; innovative materials; multi-domain analysis; psychoacoustics; industrial design; ergonomics; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Engineering Department, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Interests: acoustic measurements and instrumentation; architectural acoustics; speech intelligibility; Numerical Methods; simulations; geometrical acoustics; finite element method; finite-difference time-domain; room criteria; cultural heritage; metamaterials; classrooms; offices; learning and working environments

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Engineering Department, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Interests: sustainability; characteristics of materials; metamaterials; uncertainty of measurements and calculations; mitigation of noise from infrastructures; acoustics of historical Italian opera houses; room acoustics simulation; building acoustics; energy and buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Industrial Engineering Department, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
Interests: machine learning; room acoustics; speech intelligibility; acoustic metamaterial; environmental acoustics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of acoustics in built and urban environments has become increasingly multidisciplinary, integrating numerical methods, material science, signal processing, and psychoacoustics to improve human comfort and performance. This Special Issue of Applied Sciences explores cutting-edge research in four key areas: (1) innovative numerical methods for room acoustics (including FDTD, FEM, and BEM) to enhance indoor acoustic analysis and design; (2) advanced materials and metamaterials for a more comprehensive building acoustics approach targeting ergonomics and sustainability; (3) machine learning and data-driven signal processing techniques for advancing acoustic analysis; and (4) environmental acoustics methodologies, including noise barriers and urban sound planning for enhancing the indoor comfort.

This Special Issue will benefit researchers in acoustics, computational modeling, material science, and signal processing, as well as professionals in architecture, urban design, and industrial acoustics. By bridging theory and application, it aims to provide innovative solutions for optimizing indoor comfort and soundscapes, reducing noise pollution, and improving the acoustic experience in diverse environments, ultimately shaping future standards in academic, design, and industrial communities.

Dr. Gioia Fusaro
Dr. Giulia Fratoni
Prof. Dr. Massimo Garai
Guest Editors

Dr. Domenico De Salvio
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • numerical acoustic analysis
  • machine learning
  • metamaterials
  • sustainable materials
  • indoor acoustic comfort
  • multi-domain analysis
  • signal processing
  • noise barriers
  • urban sound planning
  • applied acoustics

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 2486 KB  
Article
Annoyance Penalty Model for Steady-State Broadband Noise with Varying Spectra
by Antti Kuusinen and Valtteri Hongisto
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 783; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020783 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Noise regulations often apply penalties (e.g., +5 dB) to A-weighted equivalent sound pressure levels (LAeq [dB]) to account for increased annoyance from tonal or impulsive features. Psychoacoustic evidence indicates that spectral characteristics also affect annoyance, with some spectra being substantially more [...] Read more.
Noise regulations often apply penalties (e.g., +5 dB) to A-weighted equivalent sound pressure levels (LAeq [dB]) to account for increased annoyance from tonal or impulsive features. Psychoacoustic evidence indicates that spectral characteristics also affect annoyance, with some spectra being substantially more disturbing than others. Yet, no established method exists for determining spectrum-based penalties from measured sound spectra. This study aimed to develop a simple, objective model for assigning penalties to steady-state broadband sounds based on spectral properties. Using experimental data comprising annoyance ratings and penalties for 23 spectrally distinct broadband sounds at three LAeq levels (32, 40, and 48 dB), we evaluated several single-number noise descriptors from the literature. Room The Noise Criterion showed the strongest association with direct annoyance ratings, while the spectral centroid (SC) and sharpness were most closely related to spectrum-based penalties. Due to its simplicity, the spectral centroid was selected for the final model: k=6.9·log10(SC)16.3. The proposed model is expected to be applicable for broadband sounds within 32–48 dB LAeq and offers a practical approach for incorporating spectral effects into noise assessment. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop