Acoustics of Apulian-Romanesque Churches: An Experimental Survey

Abstract

A detailed acoustic survey was carried out of nine Romanesque churches built in Apulia, in Southern Italy. Despite the common architectural style the churches show specific features and have volumes ranging from 1500 m3 to 32000 m3. In each church both monaural and binaural acoustic parameters were measured according to the ISO 3382 standard. The results of the measurements are discussed in this paper, analysing both the distribution of the acoustic parameters inside each church, and how that distribution depends on specific characteristics. Finally, a discussion of the results as a whole is given. In a later paper the whole set of data will be used in order to investigate the correlations between architectural features, such as dimensions and materials, and acoustic characteristics.