Evaluation of Acoustic Enhancement Strategies in Indoor Environments: A Case Study

This study proposes a methodology for assessing and enhancing vertical partitions' airborne sound insulation performance by incorporating the indoor environment's geometric configuration and material characteristics into the analysis. An experimental campaign was carried out to verify whether the real partition complies with the minimum acoustic requirements and to validate the results obtained from the predictive model, subsequently used to evaluate the acoustic performance of alternative configurations. Specifically, a case study was conducted on an existing wall separating two laboratories at the University of Calabria (Italy), where experimental measurements revealed that the current structure fails to meet the minimum acoustic insulation requirement set by Italian regulation. To evaluate the potential improvement in acoustic performance resulting from the use of alternative structures, predictive modelling based on UNI EN ISO 12354-1 was carried out. In the simulations, the laboratories were modelled according to their actual geometry, and different types of vertical partitions between the two spaces were assessed, including commercially available heavyweight masonry walls, lightweight gypsum-based systems, drywall linings, and four innovative configurations. In addition to acoustic performance, implementation costs were also considered. Among the commercial systems, the highest-performing solution achieved a R'w of 58.0 dB for €168.9/m², while a cost-effective innovative solution based on double gypsum boards reached a R'w equal to 51.4 dB with a cost of €65.9/m².