Kang J.

Whist the acoustic quality in ¡®acoustic spaces¡¯ such as concert halls and recording studios has been intensively examined, research on ¡®non-acoustic¡¯ buildings/spaces has been rather limited. Moreover, existing works concentrate on some basic technical indices, whereas the acoustic comfort, quality and atmosphere have been paid little attention. Recently a series of studies have been carried out on this topic, considering various spaces including shopping mall atrium spaces, library reading rooms, football stadia, swimming spaces, churches, dining spaces, railway stations, hospital dialysis centres, call centres, as well as urban open public spaces and residential areas. The studies consider characteristics of sound fields as well as perceptions of acoustic comfort. It has been demonstrated that the acoustic atmosphere is an important consideration in such spaces and the acoustic comfort may vary considerably with the same objective acoustic indices. The relationships based on the case studies between subjective and objective indices would be useful for developing guidelines for acoustic design of such ¡®non-acoustic¡¯ spaces. This paper first gives a brief overview of the studies. It then concentrates on one or two building/space types.