• acoustics
• architecture
• auralization
• computer simulations
• music
• sound

The study of auralization in indoor spaces is important in defining the acoustic properties of buildings and in the development of a modus operandi to control them. The objective of this thesis is to study the correlations between music and architecture, with the aim of developing a hybrid method for predicting the sound field and auralizing the indoor spaces. Starting from the correlations among mathematics, music and architecture in history, the sound appears to be a fundamental aspect in the genesis of the project. A hybrid method is then developed, combining the Image Source Method (ISM) with the Diffusion Equation (DE). The case studies are two churches in Eindhoven: the Neo-Gothic St. Catharina church (1861-67) and the modern Maranatha church (1953). To investigate, compare and reproduce the acoustics of these churches, in situ acoustic measurements and 3D computer simulations were done. The ISM was used to study the direct sound and the first order reflections, while the DE to study the Early Decay Curve. The study focuses mainly on the application of the DE. The auralizations were generated by convolving three different dry signals with modelled and measured Binaural Impulse Responses (BRIRs). In order to investigate the differences from a perceptual point of view between the auralizations derived from the measurements and the ones derived from the simulations, a listening test was conducted involving twenty-six subjects. This pointed out some differences due to: geometrical simplifications of the 3D models, material distribution and the first order reflections considered. But, despite this, the auralizations from the simulations were rated as realistic compared to the other. In conclusion a methodology was defined, since auralization techniques are becoming useful design tools to improve the quality of life inside architectural spaces.