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Forum Acusticum 2026

8–12 Sept 2026
Europe/Vienna timezone

Session

A18.06 Hospital Soundscape, Hospital Acoustics, Soundscape design

A18.06
11 Sept 2026, 08:40

Conveners

A18.06 Hospital Soundscape, Hospital Acoustics, Soundscape design: S133

  • Elif Özcan (Erasmus MC / TU Delft)
  • Ela Fasllija (Erasmus MC / TU Delft)
  • Thomas Hampton

A18.06 Hospital Soundscape, Hospital Acoustics, Soundscape design: S370

  • Thomas Hampton
  • Elif Özcan (Erasmus MC / TU Delft)
  • Ela Fasllija (Erasmus MC / TU Delft)

Presentation materials

There are no materials yet.

  1. 4528. Absence of Evidence or Evidence of Absence? ICU Acoustics ReSearch for a Needle in a Haystack (FA2026/208)
    Elif Özcan (Erasmus MC / TU Delft)
    11/09/2026, 08:40
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    The role of hospital acoustics and soundscapes has gained increasing attention, as creating restorative environments for patients and less stressful conditions for healthcare providers are closely linked to the quality of care. Despite this growing interest, the field remains underdeveloped; strong design guidelines and recommendations are still scarce. Intensive Care Units (ICUs),...

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  2. 4529. A human-centred multilayer framework for continuous acoustic characterisation of healthcare acoustic environments (FA2026/298)
    Alejandro Solorio (The Galway Sound Lab, School of Engineering,University of Galway)
    11/09/2026, 09:00
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    Healthcare acoustic environments (HAEs) are commonly characterised using sound level descriptors (e.g. LAeq, L10, Lmax, etc). These quantify acoustic magnitude and temporal variation but provide limited information about modelled loudness or acoustic context. Complementary approaches are often analysed separately, making their temporal relationships difficult to examine. This conceptual paper...

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  3. 4530. A rapid, occupant-facing mobile tool for perceptual soundscape assessment in hospitals (FA2026/332)
    Cees van Wezel (Saint-Gobain Ecophon)
    11/09/2026, 09:20
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    Hospital soundscapes shape patient recovery, staff performance, and the communicative value of functional sounds such as alarms and speech, yet they remain difficult indoor environments to characterise perceptually. ISO 12913 instruments deliver rich individual assessments but require time, explanation, or researcher presence; automated sound monitoring captures event-level acoustic data but...

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  4. 4531. Spatial variability of noise exposure in an intensive care unit: Fourteen-day comparison of bedside and nurse station LAeq and LAFmax levels (FA2026/486)
    Donya Dalir (Yeditepe University)
    11/09/2026, 09:40
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    Environmental noise in intensive care units remains a persistent challenge, with implications for patient recovery, staff performance, and communication. While ICU noise is often characterised using aggregated measurements, less attention has been given to spatial variability within functional care zones. This study presents a fourteen -day continuous acoustic measurement comparing sound...

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  5. 4532. Noise in the outdoor areas of a University Hospital: a survey method (FA2026/611)
    Alessia Nora (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna)
    11/09/2026, 10:20
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    Noise in hospitals can significantly affect patients and healthcare staff, disrupting physiological processes and contributing to stress, annoyance, and reduced well-being. Although indoor hospital acoustics have been widely investigated, the acoustics of outdoor healthcare spaces remain under-explored, despite their potential to support healing environments. As part of a three-year project,...

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  6. 4533. Methods, acoustic measures, and sound sources in hospital soundscape research: a scoping review (FA2026/764)
    Enkela Alimadhi (AARE-SA)
    11/09/2026, 10:40
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    The present study aims to systematically review existing research on hospital soundscapes with a specific focus on studies incorporating user-based assessments. The objective is to identify methodological approaches, acoustic indicators, and dominant sound sources, in order to highlight current gaps and inform future research directions.The research method involved a preliminary search in...

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  7. 4534. Exploring the Effect of Sound Augmentation on Soundscape Perception in a Hospital Outpatient Waiting Area (FA2026/817)
    Oya Yildiz (Bilkent University)
    11/09/2026, 11:00
    A18 Soundscape, Environmental Quality, Health and Well-being

    Prior research has shown that human-based sounds dominate healthcare waiting environments and are associated with negative perceptual qualities. Yet acoustic design interventions targeting soundscape quality remain limited. This study explores the effect of sound augmentation on soundscape perception in a hospital outpatient waiting area based on an in situ binaural recording using Odeon’s...

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