Search Results (101)

This research addresses urban inequality by focusing on the rehabilitation of communal rooftops in Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, the city’s historic district, where residential vulnerability is concentrated in a particularly dense heritage urban environment with a shortage of outdoor spaces. Using participatory methodologies, this research develops low-cost, removable, and recyclable prototypes aimed at improving social interaction, technical performance, and environmental conditions. The focus is on vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly. The approach integrates a bottom–up process and scalable solutions presented as a Toolkit of micro-projects. These micro-projects are designed to improve issues related to health, safety, durability, accessibility, energy savings, and acoustics. In addition, several possible material solutions for micro-projects are examined in terms of sustainability and cost. These plug-in interventions are designed for adaptability and replication throughout similar urban contexts and can significantly improve the quality of life for people, especially the elderly, in dense historic environments. Full article

The impact of soundscapes in religious architecture on public psychology has garnered increasing attention in both research and policy domains. However, the mechanisms by which temple soundscapes influence public emotions remain scientifically unclear. This paper aims to explore how soundscapes in temple architectures designated as World Natural and Cultural Heritage sites affect visitors’ experiences. Considering visitors with diverse social and demographic backgrounds, the research design includes subjective soundscape evaluations and EEG measurements from 193 visitors at two World Heritage temples. The results indicate that visitors’ religious beliefs primarily affect their soundscape perception, while their soundscape preferences show specific correlations with chanting and human voices. Furthermore, compared to males, females exhibit greater sensitivity to emotional variations induced by soundscape experiences. Urban architects can enhance visitors’ positive emotional experiences by integrating soundscape design into the planning of future religious architectures, thereby creating pleasant acoustic environments. Full article

Acoustic quality is one of the aspects that contribute to the heritage of cultural and religious spaces. It is increasingly common to find scientific literature detailing the sound characteristics of places of worship, especially those with cultural and historical significance. This article presents a comprehensive acoustic characterization of three colonial heritage churches in Quito. It examines the relationship between objective and subjective parameters that influence the valuation of a space or sound environment. To analyze this relationship, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate three latent variables using perceptual acoustic indicators. The SEM results highlighted significant associations between physical acoustic parameters, emotional responses, and evaluative judgments, underscoring that traditional intelligibility metrics alone may not fully capture acoustic quality in these contexts. These findings provide a robust interdisciplinary framework that spans objective measures and human perception, offering valuable guidance for future heritage conservation efforts. Full article

The existence of echoes in an acoustic event can ruin the capture of a spoken message and the perception of a piece of music. Likewise, in the performers’ area, clear hearing is essential for the coordination and execution of the ensemble. Bullrings are buildings with a circular plan in which echo-encouraging focalisations can occur. Since bullrings lack a roof, the density of reflections is lower than that in a closed area, and therefore strong isolated reflections perceived by the audience as an echo can be created. In this work, calculations of the echo parameter (Echo Criterion EK) and inspection of impulse responses and energy decay curves are obtained in an on-site measurement campaign in the audience zones and in arena areas where the EK parameter exceeds the thresholds. To this end, four bullrings very emblematic of the Iberian Peninsula together with a very prominent Roman amphitheatre in a relatively good state of conservation in the Roman province of Hispania comprise the study cases. Experimental results of the EK parameter and from acoustic simulation in two of the bullrings present good concordance and show that there is no echo for music in any of the venues in the spectator zones and that the most critical area is when source and receiver are both in the arena, where even double and triple echoes appear. Full article

Chinese traditional instruments are diverse and encompass a rich variety of timbres and rhythms, presenting considerable research potential. This work proposed a deep-learning framework for the automated classification of Chinese traditional instruments, addressing the challenges of acoustic diversity and cultural preservation. By integrating two datasets, CTIS and ChMusic, we constructed a combined dataset comprising four instrument families: wind, percussion, plucked string, and bowed string. Three time-frequency features, namely MFCC, CQT, and Chroma, were extracted to capture diverse sound information. A convolutional neural network architecture was designed, incorporating 3-channel spectrogram feature stacking and a hybrid channel–spatial attention mechanism to enhance the extraction of critical frequency bands and feature weights. Experimental results demonstrated that the feature-fusion method improved classification performance compared to a single feature as input. Meanwhile, the attention mechanism further boosted test accuracy to 98.79%, outperforming baseline models by 2.8% and achieving superior F1 scores and recall compared to classical architectures. Ablation study confirmed the contribution of attention mechanisms. This work validates the efficacy of deep learning in preserving intangible cultural heritage through precise analysis, offering a feasible methodology for the classification of Chinese traditional instruments. Full article

Monumental trees, defined by their exceptional size, form, and age, are critical components of both cultural heritage and ecological systems. However, their conservation faces increasing threats from habitat fragmentation, climate change, and inadequate public policies. This review synthesized global research on monumental trees by analyzing 204 peer-reviewed articles published between 1989 and 2024 that were sourced from Web of Science and Scopus. Our bibliometric analysis highlighted Olea europaea and Castanea sativa as the most frequently studied species and identified a surge in publications after 2019, particularly from the USA, Italy, and Spain. Key research themes included conservation, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. The methodological approaches varied globally, encompassing ranking systems; GIS mapping; remote sensing; and non-invasive diagnostic tools, such as acoustic tomography and chlorophyll fluorescence. Conservation strategies discussed included vegetative propagation, cryopreservation, and legal risk management. Despite advances in these techniques, significant gaps remain in effectively addressing environmental pressures and integrating multidisciplinary approaches. We concluded that targeted, interdisciplinary strategies are essential to safeguard monumental trees as vital ecological and cultural landmarks. Full article

Acoustic Emission is a non-invasive technique with potential applications in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), particularly for assessing historic masonry structures. However, its use in this field is complex due to the heterogeneous nature of masonry, where variations in density, mortar joints, and internal discontinuities influence signal propagation, leading to attenuation and distortion that complicate damage detection and localization. Nonetheless, AE can offer qualitative insights into damage initiation and progression, serving as a complementary approach to traditional monitoring methods. This study explores the feasibility of AE through an in-field test conducted on the historic Santa Maria delle Grazie complex, assessing its ability to capture qualitative indicators of structural behaviour. By integrating AE results with data from conventional monitoring instruments, a comprehensive interpretation of the load test outcomes was developed despite the challenges posed by the irregularities of ancient masonry. The findings contribute to the ongoing evaluation of AE as a diagnostic tool and highlight its potential role in heritage conservation strategies. Full article

Debonding, especially in plastic materials, refers to the separation occurring at the interface within a bonded structure composed of two or more polymeric layers. Due to the great heterogeneity of materials and layering configurations, highly specialized expertise is often required to detect the presence and extent of such defects. This study presents a novel approach that leverages transfer learning techniques to improve the detection of debonding defects across different surface types using PICUS, an acoustic diagnostic device developed at Roma Tre University for the assessment of defects in heritage wall paintings. Our method leverages a pre-trained deep learning model, adapting it to new material conditions. We designed a planar test object embedded with controlled subsurface cavities to simulate the presence of defects of adhesion and air among the layers. This was rigorously evaluated using non-destructive testing using PICUS, augmented by artificial intelligence (AI). A convolutional neural network (CNN), initially trained on this mock-up, was then fine-tuned via transfer learning on a second test object with distinct geometry and material characteristics. This strategic adaptation to varying physical and acoustic properties led to a significant improvement in classification precision of defect class, from 88% to 95%, demonstrating the effectiveness of transfer learning for robust cross-domain defect detection in challenging diagnostic applications. Full article

Opera houses are often used as concert halls with the use of a temporary acoustic shell set on stage. In most cases, the shell shape and its position in the fly tower are decided by theatre technicians, after evaluating the concert programme and considering the conductor and the musicians’ requests, without being supported by an acoustic analysis. This paper describes the acoustic shell influence on the acoustic field of a baroque theatre when changing its dimensions and the orchestra staff, with and without the choir, when the theatre is used as a concert hall. The “Opera di Roma” case study is presented, and the main acoustic parameters’ trends and their sensitivity are analyzed. The shell layout optimization, which is suggested in the prediction analysis of the case study, does not coincide with the ones preferred by the musicians. The main reasons for this controversial result are explained in the paper, underlining the rules determining the musicians’ opinions during the acoustic design and/or analysis process, to better focalize the applied acoustics activities. Full article

The percentage of historical heritage buildings in Italy is substantial. Many of these buildings are abandoned or not adequately restored for public access due to safety concerns. However, some are managed by city councils and made available to local communities. These heritage buildings, valued for their historical significance, are now frequently used for live events, including musical performances by ensembles and small groups. This paper deals with the acoustics of two rooms provided with barrel-vaulted ceilings: Sisto V Hall in Naples and Aula Magna at the University of Parma. These spaces are structurally very similar, differing mainly in length. Acoustic measurements conducted in both halls reveal reverberation times of approximately 4.5 s at mid frequencies, resulting in poor speech clarity. This is primarily due to the presence of reflective surfaces, as the walls and ceilings are plastered, and the floors are tiled. To optimize their acoustic properties for functions such as celebrations, gatherings, and conferences, an acoustic design intervention was proposed. Digital models of the halls were calibrated and used to correct the acoustics by incorporating absorbing panels on the walls and carpeting on the floors of the central walk path. This treatment successfully balanced the reverberation time to approximately 1.3–1.4 s at mid frequencies, making speech more intelligible. Additionally, an amplified audio system was analyzed to enhance sound distribution, ensuring uniform coverage, even in the last rows of seating. Under amplified conditions, sound pressure levels (SPLs) range between 90 dB and 93 dB, with appropriate gain control applied to the column array speakers. Full article

In this paper, the acoustic characteristics of the most important rooms of the Royal Palace of Caserta are presented. The palace, built in the XVIII century as a residence for the King of Naples, consists of numerous rooms dedicated to court life. The acoustic properties of the rooms have been studied according to ISO 3382. For each room, the average values of reverberation time (T30), clarity (C80), definition (D50), and Speech Transmission Index (STI) are reported. The acoustic issues of the rooms are highlighted as the understanding of acoustics during the period in which the palace was constructed was limited. While the rudiments of Vitruvius’ theories were known, the good acoustics of the rooms resulted primarily from the intuition and experience of the architects who designed them. The building materials—marble and plaster—contribute to the long reverberation times in the rooms. Special attention was given to the elliptical vault where musicians were positioned, the Palatine Chapel, the theatre used for court entertainment, and the Royal Throne Room. The study applies methods and techniques already seen in the literature and already reported in other published papers. Full article

The preservation of historical heritage requires a deep understanding of the interactions between physical and structural phenomena. This study investigates the influence of bells acoustic waves propagation on the dynamic behavior for the historical bell tower of the San Michele Arcangelo Cathedral in Caserta Vecchia, Italy. By combining environmental acoustic measurements with finite element modeling in ABAQUS, the research analyzes vibroacoustic coupling and identifies vibrational modes affected by the bell sounds. Harmonic analysis reveals the relationships between sound frequencies and structural vibrational modes, providing insights into the dynamics of historic towers subjected to repetitive acoustic loads. The findings demonstrate how sound can induce complex structural responses, offering valuable guidance for targeted conservation strategies. This interdisciplinary approach can be extended to other historic buildings, highlighting the critical role of vibroacoustic considerations in safeguarding cultural heritage. Full article

The present article investigates the effect of superplasticizer and graphene nanoplatelet addition on the flexural and electrical behaviour of nanocomposites for applications related to the restoration/conservation of Cultural Heritage Monuments in laboratory scale. Graphene nanoplatelets’ addition is used to transform the matrix into a piezo-resistive self-sensor by efficiently dispersing electrically conductive graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) in the material matrix to create electrically conductive paths. Nevertheless, the appropriate dispersion is difficult to be achieved as the GnPs tend to agglomerate due to Van der Waals forces. To this end, the effect of the addition of carboxyl-based superplasticizer (SP) is proposed in the present investigation to efficiently disperse the GnPs in the water mix of the binders. Five (5) different ratios of SP per GnPs addition were examined. The GnPs concentration was chosen to be within the range of 0.05 to 1.50 wt.% of the binder. The same ultrasonic energy was applied in all of the suspensions to further aid the dispersion process. The incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets at low concentrations (0.15 wt.%) significantly increases flexural strength when added in equal quantity to superplasticizer (SP1 series). The SP addition at higher concentrations does not enhance the mechanical properties through effective dispersion of the GnPs. Additionally, a correlation was established between the electrical resistivity (ρ) values of the produced nanocomposites and the modulus of elasticity as a function of the GnPs concentration. The functional correlation between these parameters was also confirmed by linear regression analysis, resulting from the experimental data fitting. Finally, the acoustic emission (AE) can effectively capture damage evolution in such lime-based composites, while the emitted cumulative energy rises as the GnPs concentration is increased. Full article

Jiao-Liao Mandarin, a distinguished dialect in China, reflects the linguistic features and cultural heritage of the Jiao-Liao region. However, the labor-intensive and costly nature of manual transcription limits the scale of transcribed corpora, posing challenges for speech recognition. We present JLMS25, a transcribed corpus for Jiao-Liao Mandarin, alongside a novel multi-dialect knowledge transfer (MDKT) framework for low-resource speech recognition. By leveraging phonetic and linguistic knowledge from neighboring dialects, the MDKT framework improves recognition in resource-constrained settings. It comprises an acoustic feature extractor, a dialect feature extractor, and two modules—WFAdapter (weight decomposition adapter) and AttAdapter (attention-based adapter)—to enhance adaptability and mitigate overfitting. The training involves a three-phase strategy: multi-dialect AID-ASR multi-task learning in phase one, freezing the dialect feature extractor in phase two, and fine-tuning only the adapters in phase three. Experiments on the Jiao-Liao Mandarin subset of the KeSpeech dataset and JLMS25 dataset show that MDKT outperforms full-parameter fine-tuning, reducing Character Error Rate (CER) by 5.4% and 7.7% and Word Error Rate (WER) by 6.1% and 10.8%, respectively. Full article

Traditional villages in the Hakka region of Guangdong Province have attracted significant attention for their unique cultural heritage and traditional lifestyles. Their favourable audio-visual environments offer immersive and realistic experiences for both residents and visitors. Thus, we selected four representative villages and used semantic segmentation to extract the core visual elements (sky, vegetation, construction, and dynamic) from visual landscape images. Audio-visual interaction experiments and subjective surveys were conducted to investigate the participants’ evaluations of the visual landscape and soundscape to explore the mechanisms of audio-visual interaction. The results revealed that different audio-visual combinations significantly influenced the participants’ visual landscape satisfaction, acoustic comfort, and audio-visual harmony evaluations. Specifically, visual images of natural spaces with a high proportion of sky (24.54%) and vegetation (72.56%), matched with natural sounds (with a sound pressure level of approximately 55 dB) such as birdsong, wind, and flowing water, received excellent ratings for both visual landscape satisfaction and acoustic comfort evaluations. Moreover, the findings further revealed that coordination between visual and audio materials was crucial for enhancing the participants’ perceptions and assessments, highlighting the importance of audio-visual coordination in creating harmonious environments. These findings provide recommendations for spatial planning, landscape design, and soundscape optimisation in traditional villages. Full article