UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

B. SC. (HONS.) IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT STUDIES
YEAR III
MAY/JUNE 2015 EXAMINATION SESSION
Unit Code: EVD3502

Unit Title: Advanced Acoustic Studies

Date: Wednesday 17th June 2015

Reading Time: 10:00 10:05

Examination Time: 10:05 11:35
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SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
ANSWER ANY FOUR QUESTIONS
USE A CALCULATOR WHEN REQUIRED
Unless otherwise stated, assume an air temperature of 20C corresponding to an air
density of 1.206kg/m3 and a speed of sound of 343m/s.
Reference pressure, Pref = 2x10-5 Pa.
______________________________________________________________________________
1 a) Which primary acoustic requirements one would need consider upon the
commission to design a building space/layout to be acoustically comfortable?
Write brief notes on such requirements.
(10 marks)
b) You have been commissioned to design the layout of a two floor building. Sketch
the layout of each of the levels, taking into consideration the requirements in your
answer to (1a). The layouts are to include the following:
Ground Floor: Small Lobby, Lift/Stair space, Retail outlet, Customer bathroom,
small office, staff room.
First Floor: Small Lobby/Reception area, Lift/Stair area, Open plan office,
Photocopy room, Coffee Room, Bathroom, Board room, Managers office, and
corridors (if required).
(15 marks)

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2 a) A small classroom has vinyl tile floors and plaster walls, and 20% of the wall area
plus the entire ceiling is covered with acoustic tile. Dimensions are 10x6x3 m. Half
the floor area is to seat 30 people. Calculate the reverberation time at 1000Hz, using
the data in the table below, for (i) empty room and (ii) occupied room.
Absorption
Coefficient
Acoustic tile
Plaster
Upholstered
Seating
(unoccupied)
Upholstered
Seating
(occupied)
Vinyl Tile

125 Hz

250 Hz

500 Hz

1kHz

2kHz

4kHz

0.2
0.2

0.4
0.15

0.7
0.1

0.8
0.05

0.6
0.04

0.4
0.05

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.7

0.6

0.6

0.4

0.6

0.8

0.9

0.9

0.9

0.02

0.03

0.03

0.03

0.03

0.02
(10 marks)

b) State the Mass Law for a partition, and prove it using the Transmission Loss
equation quoted below.
TL = 20 log10(m) + 20 log10(f) 42.6
A wall is needed to protect nearby apartment windows from the sound of coolingsystem compressor, by blocking the line of sight.
(i) What minimum mass per unit area would you specify if the needed attenuation
is 18dB at 1kHz and 14dB at 500Hz?
(ii) Why is this alone not enough to guarantee a satisfactory result?
(15 marks)

3) Write brief notes on:

a) Auditory Threshold
b) Frequency Spectrum
c) Noise Rating Curves
d) Sound Intensity and Directivity
e) Sound Measurement Techniques
(25 marks)

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4 a) With the aid of sketches, describe how multiple transmission paths may come into
play simultaneously, giving examples. How would these be principally grouped
when seeking to identify noise sources and their paths?
(10 marks)
b) What is the response of a mass-spring system dependent upon? How can this be
applied to building acoustics and sound transmission?
(5 marks)
c) (i) Transmission loss varies with frequency, and the loss is usually greater at higher
frequencies. Is this statement true or false? Explain your reasoning by describing
what transmission loss is.
(ii) Write brief notes on the most common two types of insulation.
(10 marks)

5 a) As the architect of a block of twelve apartments, you are called to give your advice
with regards to the noise being generated by the HVAC plant set up situated on the
roof. The block of apartments is a recently developed building (five years old),
however Photovoltaic panels were installed two months ago, on the same roof, and
machinery might have been moved in the process. Give an account of what might
be the cause of the recently developed noise disturbance which is affecting some
apartments.
(10 marks)

b) By drawing a simple sketch, describe what may be happening in terms of sound and
vibration through the building. How would you assess and eventually mitigate this
issue?
(15 marks)

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