SOUNDSCAPE ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING EXTERNAL AREA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PISA

According to the EU Environmental Noise Directive, noise pollution mitigation is a key aspect in reducing the harmful consequences of environmental noise exposure. Within national and European regulations, noise exposure management is achieved only on the basis of sound pressure level limits, not covering aspects of sound perception. The soundscape approach provides a new key for the assessment of outdoor areas based on the subjective perception of users. This approach was used to assess the environmental noise exposure of students at the School of Engineering, University of Pisa, Italy. A soundscape analysis was carried out in five measuring points located in the defined area between Pisa San Rossore train station, Piazza del Duomo, and the School of Engineering. A classroom of university students was involved in the assessment of the soundscape and the overall environment of each measuring point, according to ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 procedure. In this article, a preliminary analysis of the main acoustic and psychoacoustic parameters is discussed, obtained by comparing subjective responses and assessments according to standards. As expected, the soundscape technique produces a more in-depth assessment of the perceived quality of outdoor areas, allowing both noise pollution to be countered and sounds to be included if they enrich life sounds.