A taxonomy of indoor acoustic environments and sound source preference in shopping centres

Abstract

As part of soundscape research, sound source classification and taxonomy studies play an important role in relation with contextual experience and user perception. Although, outdoor acoustic environments have been studied in detail, published and standardized in the literature, taxonomy studies on indoor acoustic environments are still at its preliminary phase and should be progressed. This study concentrates on shopping centre indoor acoustic environments and presents a preliminary proposal on the indoor sound source taxonomy of such indoor public spaces. The presented taxonomy and the structured classification of the sound sources lead to the preparation of a structured surveying protocol. Thereby, the sound source preference in the case shopping centre has been studied through this structured indoor soundscape preference assessment questionnaire, which is applied to 23 participants. The indoor sound source taxonomy lead to the identification of the sound sources to be included in the structured preference assessment questionnaire. 24 sound sources have been assessed through a bi-polar 6-point forced-choice rating scale. The results of the questionnaire have led to the identification of the most and least preferred sound sources in shopping centres, which can act as key elements in the design phase of such public enclosed environments.