Towards Acoustic Comfort in Buildings

Dear Colleagues,

Building acoustics has been an interesting research topic for decades. As we spend most of our time in buildings, acoustic comfort inside a building is therefore of the utmost importance. This includes designing buildings to be quiet and free from unwanted noise, as well as designing spaces with good sound quality for specific purposes, such as concert halls or classrooms.

The role of acoustic materials are crucial. Although synthetic materials such as glass wools and rock wools are still widely employed, more environmentally friendly materials, such as natural fibers from plants, have been found to have comparable sound absorption performance. Studies on non-fibrous acoustics absorbers, such as micro-perforated panels (MPPs) are also progressing in terms of their configurations to broaden the frequency of absorption. The use of 3D-printing technology enhances the flexibility of various configurations of MPPs. This includes the fabrication of acoustic meta-materials, which are designed to control the propagation of sound waves in specific ways, such as by allowing certain frequencies to pass through while blocking others, or by directing sound waves in specific directions. These materials are often made using a combination of materials, such as metals and plastics, and can be used in a variety of applications, such as soundproofing and noise reduction.

Some works have also been published on porous concrete used as a wall to enhance the absorption inside a building. In providing acoustic comfort in buildings such as hotels and apartments, the structure-borne sound sources responsible for radiating noise inside the building must also be tackled.

In this Special Issue, we welcome any research that contributes to the enhancement of acoustic comfort in buildings.

The sub-themes of this topic include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Sound insulation;
2. Sound absorption;
3. Room acoustics;
4. Speech intelligibility;
5. Noise control;
6. Vibration control;
7. Architectural acoustics.

We welcome a broad range of article types, including original research, systematic reviews, methods, hypotheses and theories, perspectives, and brief research reports.

Dr. Azma Putra
Dr. Iwan Prasetiyo
Dr. Kim Hung Mo
Dr. Nazli Che Din
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• building acoustics
• acoustic materials
• sound insulation
• sound absorption
• noise control
• architectural acoustics
• speech intelligibility
• environmental noise