Despite advancements in room acoustic simulation techniques, accessible tools that provide acoustic design insights for non-specialist users remain rare. I truly believe this is a significant barrier to improving the acoustic quality of our built environment. This lack of tools could be partly attributed to the limited applicability of diffuse-field models to real rooms. However, methods such as EN 12354-6 Annex D and Zhou et al. (2021) aim to address this limitation, with the latter appearing capable of providing accurate results for rectangular rooms with non-uniform absorption distribution—a description that fits many real rooms today!
To help overcome this threshold, I began developing a web-based application focused on accessibility and intuitiveness, while providing accurate results by implementing the Zhou et al. model. I’m excited to share the first version here!
https://room-acoustic-optimizer.sonoresacoustics.be/
The Room Acoustic Optimizer (working title
) lets you intuitively explore the impact of design choices on room acoustics by easily comparing different configurations. I see some educational value as well, by allowing side-by-side comparisons of different acoustic models—highlighting, for example, the limits of diffuse-field approaches. The computational side of the application has so far been validated against the paper by Zhou et al. (2021).
This first version is shared to showcase the app’s capabilities and gather feedback on both UI/UX and results. All feedback is warmly welcomed! You can comment here, message me, send an email (info@sonoresacoustics.be), or use the feedback button in the app. The guided tutorial is highly recommended to find your way in the workflow! (Note: the backend currently runs on a free tier, so computation times may be longer which sadly is in contrast with the app's responsive features.)
I plan to further develop the following features:
- implementing the EN 12354-6 Annex D model
- further implementation of additional standards and their requirements
- include other acoustic parameters such as EDT, C50/C80, STI, ...; derived from RT (diffuse-field models) or decay curves (Zhou et al. method)
- feature to optimize the applied materials of existing room models by validating results against measured reverberation times
- automated design suggestions to help meet design criteria
- expanding the materials library, including scattering coefficients
- work on the documentation
- possibility to add fixed furniture to the room
- carry out more validation against real room measurements
- ...
To help overcome this threshold, I began developing a web-based application focused on accessibility and intuitiveness, while providing accurate results by implementing the Zhou et al. model. I’m excited to share the first version here!
https://room-acoustic-optimizer.sonoresacoustics.be/
The Room Acoustic Optimizer (working title
) lets you intuitively explore the impact of design choices on room acoustics by easily comparing different configurations. I see some educational value as well, by allowing side-by-side comparisons of different acoustic models—highlighting, for example, the limits of diffuse-field approaches. The computational side of the application has so far been validated against the paper by Zhou et al. (2021).This first version is shared to showcase the app’s capabilities and gather feedback on both UI/UX and results. All feedback is warmly welcomed! You can comment here, message me, send an email (info@sonoresacoustics.be), or use the feedback button in the app. The guided tutorial is highly recommended to find your way in the workflow! (Note: the backend currently runs on a free tier, so computation times may be longer which sadly is in contrast with the app's responsive features.)
I plan to further develop the following features:
- implementing the EN 12354-6 Annex D model
- further implementation of additional standards and their requirements
- include other acoustic parameters such as EDT, C50/C80, STI, ...; derived from RT (diffuse-field models) or decay curves (Zhou et al. method)
- feature to optimize the applied materials of existing room models by validating results against measured reverberation times
- automated design suggestions to help meet design criteria
- expanding the materials library, including scattering coefficients
- work on the documentation
- possibility to add fixed furniture to the room
- carry out more validation against real room measurements
- ...
