ACOUSTIC PERCEPTION EVALUATION IN BUILDINGS- THE APPEAL METHOD

Conventional acoustic performance criteria for buildings refer to the unoccupied state. In contrast, the APEAL method enables a shared acoustic evaluation of a building in use from the occupants’ perspective. This method involves the production of an aurally-accurate video representing selected temporal and spatial elements of the environment. Binaural sound recording combined with a pointof-view video camera places emphasis on human perception. The APEAL film systematically portrays the in-use acoustic conditions of a building. The common perception of an environment can enable a shared design aspiration for in-use acoustic conditions - something that has hitherto been without language to describe. The APEAL method is particularly useful for open plan, mixed use spaces, where the acoustic descriptors for the unoccupied building have only little influence on the in-situ acoustic environment. However, it is also a valuable resource to illustrate conventional acoustic design parameters. The APEAL method overcomes the traditional difficulties of communicating acoustic performance, as it obviates the need for using technical descriptors such as sound pressure level and reverberation time that are often unfamiliar to the non-specialist. Rather, it enables non-specialists to participate and engage in forming acoustic design aspirations for all types of spaces.