Potential of a soundscape element design

In contemporary metropolitan scene the historical heritages, including also public open spaces, have to face the high increase of density of infrastructures and buildings, with the consequent change of visual and sound scenarios, which in turn affect people’s quality of life. Due to the growing interest on this topic, the overall aim of this study is to develop design solutions for noise related issues and for soundscape management by creating selective and pleasant spots in terms of sound environment. A series of designs of soundscape elements have been proposed and investigated. Acoustic simulations have been made on how different materials and shapes affect the sound spectrum. A prototype was built using 3D printers and tested in an anechoic chamber. The aim of this paper is to understand how such designs can not only reduce noise level, but also change the profile of sound in terms of psychoacoustic parameters and soundscape parameters. This is carried out by analyzing a series of data recording with two variable factors: the source position and the head position related to the prototype location.