An Acoustical Evaluation of the Ankara University Medical School Faculty Members’ Dining Hall

Abstract

Today, finish surface materials with hard, unruffled, or smooth surfaces are preferred in the tiling, walls, and ceilings of restaurants and dining halls because of their hygienic and easy-cleaning characteristics. In this context, in restaurants and dining halls that have sound-reflecting surfacesare also classified as reverberant rooms where talking sounds are added to the background noise level; thus, the noise level in the setting increases gradually, and speech intelligibility is affected unfavorably. In the context of this study, the pre-assessment of the dining hall of Ankara University Medical School faculty members was completed by using measurements, simulations, and estimation methods; because the appropriate acoustic conditions that comply with regulations, international standards, and suggestions in the literature were not met, suggestions were developed for acoustic treatment. Because of feasibility issues, improvements were implemented only on the walls, which was one option among the several suggested, and then acoustic measurements were repeated. Following the application, improvements in acoustic conditions occurred within the dining hall, and the characteristics of oral communication was improved to an acceptable level according to the literature; however, it was also revealed that a further level of improvement of oral communication could be achieved by implementation of the suggested sound-absorbing suspended ceiling.