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Within the SIPARIO Project, a project founded by the European Community and lead by the Region Emilia Romagna, a specific acoustic survey has been carried out in the archaeological site of Pompeii. The ancient city includes three different Roman performing arts places: the theatre, the Odeon and the amphitheatre. The surveys have been conducted with differ ent types of equipment: monoaural and binaural microphones, B-Format (4 channels) microphones and 32-channels probe (EigenMike EM32). This paper reports the most important outcomes obtained from the measurements, by including 360° acoustic maps that allow a study and the visualization of the early and late reflections. The panoramic acoustic maps have been compared among the above cited sites, and analyzed with reference to the standard requirements outlined by ISO 3382.

Performing arts spaces characterize a specific group of buildings always subject to intense studies under architectural other than acoustics point of view. In Italy, the acoustics of historical theatres, as Baroque Opera houses and Renaissance concert halls, is nowadays considered the most important physical aspect of the architectural heritage. This paper analyzes the acoustical characteristics of some important Italian theatres. In order to precisely compare the analogies of the selected theatres, only the architecture realized during the 18th century has been considered. The acoustics features have been obtained by using a pre-equalized omnidirectional sound source, which emitted an exponential sound signal (ESS) acquired by a dummy head and a B-Format microphone. This technique satisfies the standard requirements of the ISO 3382:2009 and has been compared with the innovative process realized by using a 32-channel individually controlled microphone (i.e. em32 Eigenmike®). This new generation of the microphone is able to create a 3D auralization by synthesizing any real-time variable directivity pattern. In this way, both graphical analysis and 3D sound playback can be the resulting methods of how to show the room impulse response (RIR) data measured inside any performing arts space. Les termes «espaces de performances artistiques» caractérisentun typebien spécifique de bâtiments, régulièrement soumis à des tests acoustiquesdepuis des décennies, et ce, à partir de différentes techniques et équipements. La portée de cet article réside dansl'application et la comparaison successivede certains réseaux de microphones, selonleurs caractéristiques acous-tiques, capables de collecter des informations utiles afin à la fois pourdéterminer les paramètres acoustiques d'une pièce puis pour reconstruire les champs sonores 3D. L'exécution des mesures acoustiques avec différents équipements a été réalisée dans deux théâtres italiens, dans le cadre du patrimoine culturel du XVIIIe siècle. Le microphone Soundfield, utilisé pour le Teatro 1763 de Bologne, est une technologie limitée par rapport à une nouvelle génération de microphone armé de plusieurs canaux contrôlés individuellement, comme utilisé dans Teatro Sociale de Gualtieri.Ces technologies ont été considérées comme une manière coplanaire d'étudier l'acoustique d'un bâtiment historique. Les auteurs de cet article illustrent les résultats des princi-paux paramètres acoustiques des deux théâtres sélectionnés, autres qu'une comparaison d'une qualité différente d'analyse gra-phique dans le rendu de la directivité des rayons sonores en fonction des différents équipements employés.

L'impiego del Paraloid® B-72 come adesivo per gli oggetti in vetro è già da anni stato introdotto nella letteratura estera e viene utilizzato di routine al Corning Museum of Glass, mentre in Italia gli adesivi più impiegati sono le resine epossidiche e solo da pochi anni sono state fatte le prime sperimentazioni ed esperienze con il B-72. Si analizzano le differenti caratteristiche e metodologie applicative e quali sono i vantaggi, gli svantaggi e i limiti tecnici delle due classi di adesivi e in quali casi siano più indicati. La scelta dell'adesivo influisce profondamente sulla progettazione dell'intervento conservativo anche nel caso in cui sia necessario procedere con la fase dell'integrazione delle lacune. L'intervento conservativo degli oggetti in vetro è molto complesso e le procedure per attenersi il più possibile ai principi del minimo intervento e della reversibilità, spesso si scontrano con limiti tecnici e metodologici. Le tematiche affrontate verranno esemplificate tramite l'analisi di alcuni casi relativi ad interventi di restauro di oggetti vitrei in cui sono state impiegate le due classi di adesivo, approfondendo le motivazioni delle scelte effettuate.

Three case studies were analysed, the purpose of the conservation treatments was the same: they all need to improve their appearance to be displayed in exhibitions. The objects were: the Ennion cup from Civic Museums, Pavia, Italy for the traveling exhibition Ennion, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2015 and The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York in 2016. The square two-handled bottle with gladiators on the base from Acqui Terme (AL), Italy traveling to be exposed at the industrial glass fair Vitrum in Milan, followed by Antiquarium Alda Levi, Milan in 2015. Lastly, renaissance decorated vessels from the excavation of Padoa Santa Chiara Monastery for display at Restituzioni 2016 in the Gallerie d’Italia, Milan.

The identification of techno-economically feasible decarbonisation paths and sustainability transitions for the built environment is a necessary task for research today and building stock renovation processes can act in synergy with innovative economic and technological development paradigms to achieve different types of benefits such as economic growth and employment, together with resource efficiency and sustainability for the whole sector. The research presented aims at selecting the most relevant data analysis processes and techniques to respond to practical technical questions and to support decision-making in the built environment, at multiple scales of analysis, from individual buildings, to building stock and urban environment. The research aims to indicate in this way the possibility to join the micro-scale view, involving technological and behavioural issues in buildings, and the macro-scale view, involving strategic problems at market and policy levels for energy and sustainability planning. Further, the combined use of modelling techniques with large scale data acquisition and processing could guarantee multiple feed-backs from measured data, useful for the evolution, first of all, of design and operation practices in building but also, more in general, of the whole value chain of the sector. A synthesis and integration of modelling methodologies is presented through case studies, showing a path to improve transparency of performance assessment across building life cycle phases. Finally, multivariate data visualization techniques are presented to ease the use of the numerical techniques described, ensuring a wider applicability.

High efficiency paradigms and rigorous normative standards for new and existing buildings are fundamental components of sustainability and energy transitions strategies today. However, optimistic assumptions and simplifications are often considered in the design phase and, even when detailed simulation tools are used, the validation of simulation results remains an issue. Further, empirical evidences indicate that the gap between predicted and measured performance can be very large, due to different types of errors committed during building life cycle phases. Consequently, the discrepancy between a priori performance assessment and a posteriori measured performance can hinder the development and diffusion of energy efficiency practices, especially if we consider the problem of investment risk. The approach proposed in the research is rooted on the integration of parametric and probabilistic simulation techniques, used in design phase, and inverse modelling techniques used in measurement and verification (M&V) practice, in operation phase. The research concentrates on the analysis of these technical aspects for a Passive House case study building, showing an efficient and transparent way to link design and operation performance analysis, reducing effort in modelling and monitoring. The approach aims to detect and highlight critical assumptions in design phase and to ensure the robustness of energy performance management in operation phase, providing probabilistic performance boundaries to ease monitoring process.

L’intervento descritto riguarda due reperti longobardi rinvenuti durante lo scavo di Cascina Corte Bassa nel 2008 a Lodi Vecchio, si tratta di una coppia di corni potori gemelli in vetro azzurro con decorazioni applicate dello stesso colore e con filamenti spiraliformi in vetro bianco, i manufatti rappresentano una testimonianza molto importante e di particolare pregio per la relativa esiguità di confronti. La tomba femminile dalla quale provengono è caratterizzata da un corredo molto ricco e anche questi oggetti, confermato l’alto rango della sepoltura che fu probabilmente violata in antico. Dall’analisi dello stato di conservazione dei recipienti vitrei al momento dello scavo si è ipotizzato che i corni potessero essere stati danneggiati anche dal calpestio durante le fasi di depredazione della sepoltura. I recipienti molto frammentati erano conservati in parte in situ, mentre varie porzioni e frammenti erano sparsi in più punti all’interno dell’area della tomba. Per preservare il più possibile gli oggetti in condizioni critiche, i tecnici della Soprintendenza sono intervenuti sullo scavo con un preconsolidamento e velinatura delle porzioni più danneggiate e fragili e con un prelievo in zolla dei nuclei principali. Questo intervento ha permesso nel 2013, quando si decise di sottoporli ad intervento di restauro di evitare la perdita di connessioni. L’intervento conservativo è partito dalle porzioni rinvenute distaccate e non più in connessione con i recipienti, questo ha permesso di analizzare approfonditamente lo stato di conservazione dei reperti vitrei e di individuare la procedura più adatta per la ricostruzione dei manufatti. Si è evidenziato in generale un forte degrado del corpo vetroso. Il microscavo è iniziato dal corno conservato meglio, che manteneva ancora la sezione circolare, per poi separarli fisicamente appena possibile, per evitare che i frammenti si mescolassero. Il secondo manufatto in peggiori condizioni, era invece completamente schiacciato e maggiormente lacunoso. Il grado di estrema frammentazione ha portato a individuare strategie ben definite durante il microscavo che è proceduto distaccando gradualmente dalla terra piccole porzioni mappandole, e a mettere in atto le fasi conservative in parallelo. La particolare forma conica dei manufatti, la posizione ed estensione delle lacune hanno reso necessario progettare nel dettaglio la ricostruzione, lasciando delle sezioni di distacco per riuscire a procedere con le integrazioni. Nonostante il pessimo stato iniziale, grazie ai preconsolidamenti effettuati sullo scavo e al prelievo in zolla, è stato possibile ricostruire il profilo completo di entrambi i reperti e a restituirne la leggibilità. Le integrazioni effettuate con metodo diretto sono state realizzate con la stessa resina di tipo epossidico utilizzata per l’incollaggio, per aumentare la stabilità per uno dei due manufatti è stato costruito un supporto interno sagomato. Durante la fase operativa dell’intervento è stato spesso necessario trovare un difficile compromesso tra minimo intervento e la sopravvivenza dei manufatti stessi rendendo applicabile solo parzialmente il criterio della reversibilità. L’influenza della ricerca in questo campo a livello internazionale sposta l’attenzione sull’utilizzo di adesivi e integranti di natura acrilica in sostituzione alle epossidiche più comunemente usate in questo campo in Italia e sull’applicazione di metodi integrativi indiretti in alternativa a quelli diretti ci porta a nuovi spunti di riflessione e alla possibilità di individuare strategie conservative diverse.

The Ponchielli theater of Cremona was built in 1808 after a fire destroyed the old wooden structure. The interior, the architecture and the shape of the plan layout are reminiscent of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, a masterpiece by the architect Piermarini, albeit on a smaller scale. The four orders of balconies crowned by the top gallery are typical features of a 19th Century Italian Opera theater. Acoustic measurements have been undertaken across the stalls and in some selected boxes according to ISO 3382. The main acoustic parameters resulting from the measurements have been used for the acoustic calibration of a 3D model representing the Ponchielli theater. The calibration has been used to compare different scenarios involving the acoustic response of the main hall at 50% and 100% occupancy. The outcomes indicate that no significant change can be detected when the seats are provided with robust upholstery, which can be considered a positive result, especially for the actors who are not forced to change their effort between rehearsal and live performance. In order to contextualize the measured values in relation to the optimal ones, a comparison with other Italian Opera theaters provided with similar architectural characteristics has been carried out. Overall, the findings indicate that the acoustics of the Ponchielli theater are suitable for both music and speech in line with the other selected theaters, as these places were mainly created for multifunctional purposes in the 19th Century.

The acoustic characteristics and spatial features of the world’s only surviving Italianate Gordonia-style miniature theatre, one of the smallest theatres in the world, have inspired the author to analyse the acoustic behaviour of the Monte Castello di Vibio theatre, also called “Teatro della Concordia”. In this paper, the geometric and architectural features of this historical and unique performing art space were first reproduced, considering that these features are essential factors affecting acoustic characteristics. Subsequently, the acoustic measurements were taken throughout the stall and inside some selected boxes, and their main parameters were acoustically characterised according to ISO 3382-1. Lastly, the main acoustic parameters of the Monte Castello di Vibio theatre were compared to those of the 1763 theatre in Bologna, which is also a miniature theatre of similar size. The aim is to explore the main influences on the acoustic parameters of miniature theatres, and the results show that the plan layout of the theatre and interior decoration are the main factors influencing the acoustic characteristics rather than volume. Preserving the acoustic features of this unique heritage building is also seen as one of the goals of this paper.

Equipment, sound sources, operators, microphone placement, calculation techniques, and thermal–humidity measurement conditions all have an impact on the measurement of impulse responses when several channels are present. However, the thermal–humidity variable, which is a significant component of these factors impacting the assessment of acoustic characteristics, is commonly overlooked in research. The effects of altering temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity on acoustic parameters are investigated in this paper through experimental activities carried out in an experimental room. The patterns of fluctuation of a range of room acoustic characteristics are examined, data are acquired, and statistical analyses based on R (language and environment for statistical computing and graphics) are generated in order to ascertain the relationship between the variation of acoustic parameters and the variation of thermo-hygrometric parameters. Finally, a statistical analysis reveals relationships between thermal and hygrometric variables and interior acoustic characteristics.

The work presented here investigates the risk of interstitial condensation between the existing masonry and the insulation using several materials and evaluates the water content inside the insulation (WCI) through various simulations in dynamic mode onto existing buildings located in different countries in Europe. The insulation materials considered are specifically: natural fibre materials, mineral fibre materials, and artificial materials. The scenarios were chosen considering different climate zones, according to the Köppen climate classification, and the analysed buildings were taken from the TABULA database in the years of construction from 1945 to 1969. The building typologies are single-family houses, where in each building system the insulation was placed towards the warm side with a fixed thickness of 5 cm. The simulations concerned: (a) the application scenario, (b) the type of stratigraphy chosen, and (c) the exposure of the existing building system. The outputs generated by the simulations provided the data to determine in which type of building, depending on the insulating materials, interstitial condensation is formed or not. It is shown that only for the climate zones of the cities of Oslo and Brussels, associated with their building typologies, for the insulating materials: mineral and natural, is there the formation of interstitial condensation

The acoustics of Opera houses and theatres characterise many different architectural historical buildings in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. The acoustics of historical rooms, as baroque theatres and renaissance concert halls, is nowadays considered as the most important physical aspect in the cultural heritage of theatres. In this paper the acoustic characteristics of some important theatres in the Mediterranean basin will be considered. The theatres are chosen in important locations on the Mediterranean basin, covering different Countries. Moreover, in order to precisely characterise the analogies among the theatres, only theatres which were realised in the 18th Century were considered. The acoustics characteristics of the theatres have been obtained considering an exponential sine sweep played in the room by means of a pre-equilised omnidirectional sound source, and acquired by means of a dummy head and a Sound-Field microphone. Therefore, the measurements were be to obtain thorough informations about sound distribution in the hall, including spatial sound distribution. Afterwards, the acoustic physical parameters measured in the theatres are analysed and compared, and related with the architectural background of the area where they are located. Finally, some sound experiments obtained by means of 3D auralisation will be presented and commented. In this way the sound characterisation that was experienced by the listeners of the 18th century will be renewed and represented in the “Arlecchino” listening room at the University of Bologna.

The need for capturing the acoustic properties and spatial information of significant ancient theatres became very important in the last years. Particularly, the knowledge of sound propagation became very important during the design or refurbishment of historic theatres and opera houses. Theatre 1763 in Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati, in Bologna (Italy), is chosen as a remarkable example. This is a small private theatre built by the Aldrovandi family during the 18th Century inside the historic Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati. The theatre maintains its original shape, indoor materials and furnishings as chairs. For this reason and its peculiarities, the theatre was deeply investigated by several architects, but no acoustic measurements were extensively conducted within the hall. This article reports the results of two measurement campaigns which were conducted in different periods and with different methodologies, to evaluate the variability of the acoustic parameters and determine intrinsic characteristics of this unique small theatre.

Coconut fibre insulators represent an insulating material considered as “exotic”, which clashes with the scepticism of his thermo-hygrometric behaviour, particularly in the case of covering technology such as green roofs, which is a technological solution often adopted in the case of sustainable buildings or nearly zero energy building. Green roofs represent a valid constructive solution with high thermal performances, adopted both in existing and new buildings. The purpose of the research regards the study of the thermo-hygrometric behaviour of the concrete (CLS) and Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) slabs, insulated with coconut fibreboards (CF) such as an alternative of synthetic insulator, referred to 10 different green roofs scenarios. The results show that coconut fibre insulations are equally comparable to natural and synthetic materials, and the doubts for their applications, including the green roofs, are related to technological solutions for the implementation in the market and their diffusion between the buildings materials, rather than their hygrothermal features.

The Eszterh&aacute, za Opera House was a theatre built by the will of the Hungarian Prince Nikolaus Esterh&aacute, zy in the second half of the 18th century that had to compete in greatness and grandeur against Austrian Empire. The composer that inextricably linked his name to this theatre was Haydn that served the prince and composed pieces for him for many years. The Opera House disappeared from the palace complex maps around 1865 and was destroyed permanently during the Second World War. This study aims to reconstruct the original shape and materials of the theatre, thanks to the documents founded by researchers in the library of the Esterh&aacute, zy family at Forchtenstein, the Hungarian National Library, and analyze its acoustic behavior. With the 3D model of the theatre, acoustic simulations were performed using the architectural acoustic software Ramsete to understand its acoustical characteristics and if the architecture of the Eszterh&aacute, za Opera House could favor the Prince&rsquo, s listening. The obtained results show that the union between the large volume of the theatre and the reflective materials makes the Opera House a reverberant space. The acoustic parameters are considered acoustically favorable both for the music and for the speech transmission too. Moreover, the results confirm that the geometry and the shape of the Eszterh&aacute, za Opera House favored the Prince&rsquo, s view and listening, amplifying onstage voices and focusing the sound into his box.

The identification of techno-economically feasible decarbonisation paths and sustainability transitions for the built environment is a necessary task for research today and building stock renovation processes can act in synergy with innovative economic and technological development paradigms to achieve different types of benefits such as economic growth and employment, together with resource efficiency and sustainability for the whole sector. The research presented aims at selecting the most relevant data analysis processes and techniques to respond to practical technical questions and to support decision-making in the built environment, at multiple scales of analysis, from individual buildings, to building stock and urban environment. The research aims to indicate in this way the possibility to join the micro-scale view, involving technological and behavioral issues in buildings, and the macro-scale view, involving strategic problems at market and policy levels for energy and sustainability planning. Further, the combined use of modelling techniques with large scale data acquisition and processing could guarantee multiple feed-backs from measured data, useful for the evolution, first of all, of design and operation practices in building but also, more in general, of the whole value chain of the sector. A synthesis and integration of modelling methodologies is presented through case studies, showing a path to improve transparency of performance assessment across building life cycle phases. Finally, multivariate data visualization techniques are presented to ease wider applicability of the described numerical techniques.

Among the studies of musical instruments, one important, sometime underestimated discipline, is represented by ethnomusicology. The acoustic analyses on ethnic musical instruments (M.I.) are much more infrequent if compared to those on classical M.I. This article deals with the vibro-acoustic analysis on one of the most unknown ethnic, Italian M.I., i.e., the carabattola (also called battola), which used to be played in Italy until the late 1960s during the Holy Thursday before Easter. The study includes modal analysis and Intensity of Acoustic Radiation measured on an original carabattola, which was played in the Romagna area until the early twentieth century. After a brief overview about the theory of acoustic and vibrational analysis on musical instruments, the Intensity of acoustic radiation and its correlation with modal analysis are recalled, based on previous studies. In the experimental part of the article, the measurements conducted on the carabattola are described. Afterwards, the results obtained both from modal analysis and IAR measurements are analyzed and compared with other measurements previously conducted on musical (particularly percussion) instruments and commented.

The physics of musical instruments often uses modal analysis as one of the most important methods for describing the behavior of sound chests and their acoustic radiation. However, some studies conducted in Europe (Wogram), Japan (Suzuki) and the United States (Giordano) underlined a very weak correlation between sound radiation and modal analysis. This mismatch required further research. The acoustic parameter intensity of acoustic radiation (IAR) is highly related to the mechanical vibration of the sound source. IAR was able to quantify the sound efficiency of musical instruments, and to relate sound radiation with modal analysis. This paper investigates IAR measured on three Persian stringed musical Instruments, namely the thar, si-thar and santoor. The analysis contributes to the knowledge of stringed musical instruments and sound propagation, since IAR is capable of linking the mechanical vibrations of soundboards with the sound generation of the musical instruments. The IAR results coming from the modal analysis carried out during the study of the instruments are reported herein.

The sound characteristics of musical instruments have been constantly growing in importance. Consequently, several congresses, workshops, and conferences have been organized in the last ten years. The studies on musical instruments, their mechanical behavior, sound emission, and characteristics started thousands of years ago, and among the physicists and mathematicians that addressed this matter, we should at least remember Leonardo da Vinci, with his experimental water organ, and Ernst Chladni, who discovered the nodal patterns on rigid surfaces, such as soundboards. The growing awareness of our intangible cultural heritage and the need to better understand our roots in the field of music have contributed to increasing the efforts to extend our knowledge in this field, defining new physical parameters, extending the analysis to other musical instruments, and developing new methods to synthesize sound from musical instruments using a simple keyboard. These motivations led us to the proposal of a special issue called “Musical Instruments: Acoustics and Vibration” since we believe in the importance of musical acoustics within modern acoustics studies. In total, 13 papers were submitted and 8 of them were published, with an acceptance rate of 61.5%. Among all the papers published, one of them was classified as a review paper, while the rest were classified as research papers. According to the number of papers submitted, and the specificity of the musical acoustics branch within acoustics, it can be affirmed that this is a trendy topic in the scientific and academic community and this special issue on “Musical Instruments: Acoustics and Vibration“ aims to be a future reference for the research that is to be developed in the next few years.

Simple and robust data analysis methodologies are crucial to learn insights from measured data and reduce the performance gap in building stock. For this reason, continuous performance monitoring should become a more diffuse practice in order to improve our design and operation strategies for the future. The research presented aims to highlight potential links between experimental approaches for test-facilities and methods and tools used for continuous performance monitoring, at the state of the art. In particular, we explore the relation between ISO 9869:2014 method for in-situ measurement of thermal transmittance (U) and regression-based monitoring approaches, such as co-heating test and energy signature, for heat load coefficient (HLC) and solar aperture (gA) estimation. In particular, we highlight the robustness and scalability of these monitoring techniques, considering relevant issues in current integrated engineer design perspective. These issues include, among others, the necessity of limiting the number of a sensors to be installed in buildings, the possibility of employing both experimental and real operation data and, finally, the possibility to automate and perform monitoring at multiple scales, from single components, to individual buildings, to building stock and cities.

The acoustic design auditoria is founded on objective acoustic parameters determined on the basis of the computed or measured impulse response. Such objective parameters are related on the average response of the human ear to transient sounds, without considering the subjective perception of the individual, which, in turn, is related also to social and education aspects. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between individual sound perceptions and energy parameters. In detail, a questionnaire has been submitted to a sample of people listening to tracks of different musical genres. The questionnaire has been conceived to come up with a classification model for the audience allowing to express the listener's experience according to different indicators, such as overall acoustic quality and overall acoustic experience. Results of this experiment are analyzed by means of Random Forest non-parametric model belonging to the data mining algorithms. The final purpose of the study is to define which physical and acoustical characteristics are the most suitable to represent the subjective perceptions of the listeners

This paper investigates the relationship between Indoor Environmental Quality index (IEQ): thermal comfort index and indoor temperature trend in moderate thermal environments, in buildings that belong to the Class A with reference to the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD). The work consists of the measurement of IAQ and energy efficiency in a residential building located in centre-north of Italy, namely Ravenna. The results of the measurements, as well as the PMV-PPD indexes, are presented and commented. These indexes could be a criteria to test if EPBD labelling building could be coherent with EN 15251 requirements.

The town of Rimini, North East of Italy, will complete within 2018 the realization of the new Teatro “Amintore Galli”, which was partially damaged in 1944 during the Second World War and demolished. The new theatre recalls the original architectural idea of the existing theatre (designed by Luigi Poletti), but improves the technological equipment, including noise insulation and acoustic quality. However, some constraints have conditioned the original acoustic design, especially the new archaeological area that was inserted underneath the ground floor, which required to change the original wooden structure into a concrete-based one. The acoustic design of sound quality included the study of the orchestra pit, the acoustic absorptions of tissues in the main hall, the measurements sound absorption of seats. Since the shape and the characteristics of the material (marmorino, stucco), might cause focalization, a special care was reserved design diffusing panels located in the main hall. The paper focuses on the acoustic design in the theatre, especially considering the diffusing acoustic panels inserted in the main hall. Starting from the drawings, the paper will examine the results of the scattering and diffusion measurements on the panels, as well as the overall sound quality of the theatre after the opening (scheduled for October 28th, 2018).

Energy dynamics in buildings can be described by means of different modelling approaches, depending of the specific purpose of the analysis, ranging from design phase simulation to energy management, optimal control, fault detection and diagnosis, etc. Network modelling formalism can help addressing energy related issues by simplifying physical representation. Further, the integrated use of robust computational techniques such as state-space models, transfer functions and time series models is crucial for the introduction of smart building technologies, conceived within the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. This technological paradigm can become a key enabler for the development of innovative and cost-effective solutions in building energy management and automation systems, aimed at high energy efficiency, low cost, flexibility and optimal interaction with infrastructures. However, the problem of modelling integration should be necessarily addressed to ensure the consistency of the proposed solutions. The research aims to present an analysis of the motivations to pursue a research in this direction, highlighting relevant features, opportunities and limitations.

Modelling and simulation in acoustics is gathering more and more importance nowadays. In fact, with the development and improvement of innovative computational techniques and with the growing need of predictive models, an impressive boost has been observed in this domain. The design of a model needs a proper conversion of reality to functions and parameters. On the other hand, once the model has been designed, an adequate simulation must be run, in terms of modelling and computational parameters. Keeping in mind the limitation and the approximations of any model, the data analysis, both online and offline, is the last step of this process and can be extremely important to extract the required output from the process. These basic and general concepts can be applied in many acoustical problems. In acoustics, in fact, there is a large demand for modelling and simulation, in several research and application areas, such as noise control, indoor acoustics, industrial applications, etc. These motivations led us to the proposal of a Special Issue about “Modelling, Simulation and Data Analysis in Acoustical Problems”, since we definitely believe in the importance of these topics in modern acoustics studies. In total, 81 papers were submitted and 33 were published, with an acceptance rate of 37.5%. Among the 33 papers published, two of them were classified as review papers, while the rest were classified as research papers. According to the number of papers submitted, it can be affirmed that this is a trendy topic in the scientific and academic community and this special issue will try to be a future reference for research to be developed in the next years

The Directive 2002/91/CE introduced the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), an energy policy tool. The aim of the EPC is to inform building buyers about the energy performance and energy costs of buildings. The EPCs represent a specific energy policy tool to orient the building sector and real-estate markets toward higher energy efficiency buildings. The effectiveness of the EPC depends on two factors: • The accuracy of energy performance evaluation made by independent experts. • The capability of the energy classification and of the scale of energy performance to control the energy index fluctuations. In this paper, the results of a case study located in Italy are shown. In this example, 162 independent technicians on energy performance of building evaluation have studied the same building. The results reveal which part of confidence intervals is dependent on software misunderstanding and that the energy classification ranges are able to tolerate the fluctuation of energy indices. The example was chosen in accordance with the legislation of the Emilia-Romagna Region on Energy Efficiency of Buildings. Following these results, some thermo-economic evaluation related to building and energy labelling are illustrated, as the EPC, which is an energy policy tool for the real-estate market and building sector to find a way to build or retrofit an energy efficiency building.

The Directive EPBD introduced Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) an energy policy tool. The aim of EPC is to inform building buyer about energy performance (and energy cost) of buildings. They represent a specific energy policy tool to orientate building sector and retail market toward higher energy efficiency building. The Real Estate market was built in different periods, and in each of these periods the building envelope or the heating plant had different kinds of energy performance. Therefore, in real estate, each building-period has a determinate incidence respect total existing buildings, and they have different energy consumption incidence respect total energy national consumption. The EPBD recast highlight the relation between building elements or technical building system, energy rating and cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements. In present paper a discussion about Directive's news, Italian EPC and real estate market prospective is presented. Furthermore we proposed a reflection about link between energy cost, energy rating and building property value.

The energy policy in Europe regarding buildings and the energy efficiency sector are regulated by two directives: 2002/91/CE – EPBD and 2006/32/CE – EEESD [1] , [2] . The CEN has elaborated a standard to revise all European normatives about building energy performance and HVAC plants. The “CEN Umbrella” CEN/TR 15615 [3] includes a new version of EN ISO 13790:2008 [4] and a new standard about heating plant, use and contributions of renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the CEN Standard provides a software version for technicians. In this paper we present a Round Robin Test between a selection of softwares applied to an Italian case study. The selected calculation methodologies, range from research packages to extra-simplified software. Furthermore, the Italian procedure described in UNI TS 11300 [5] has been analyzed and considered as the reference for all other calculation methodologies. The results of the Round Robin Test show the relationship between thoroughness of data input and energy evaluation accurancy. The more the input data is affected by uncertainty, the less precise is the energy efficiency calculation. On the other hand the energy performance of building evaluation accurancy depends on the aim of the simulation: the energy audit, the energy design or the energy labeling (certification).

The European Community introduced the energy certificate of buildings to reduce the energy consumption in buildings and emanated some standards in order to publicize the energy buildings certificate procedure. Consequently, to calculate energy performance of buildings (EPB), many numerical codes have been developed, which take into account several parameters in static or dynamic conditions. In this article three different models for EPB software calculations have been analysed and compared, in order to quantify their gap with the real energy consumptions. The study has been conducted considering a single-family house in Italy, and focused the differences among numerical codes and real consumption in relation with flexible architectural solutions, that are widely utilised especially in rural areas in Mediterranean countries.

The acoustical features of kettledrums have been analyzed by means of modal analysis and acoustic radiation (p/v ratio) measurements. Modal analysis of two different kettledrums was undertaken, exciting the system both by a hammer and a shaker. Up to 15 vibrational modes were clearly identified. Acoustic radiation was studied using two ways. Based on previous experiments of other researchers, a new parameter, called intensity of acoustic radiation (IAR), has been defined and measured. Results show a strict relationship between IAR and the frequency response function (FRF, which is the v/F ratio), and IAR also strongly relates the modal pattern to acoustic radiation. Finally, IAR is proposed for vibro-acoustical characterization of kettledrums and other musical instruments such as strings, pianos, and harpsichords.

The evaluation of room acoustics characteristics in rooms has been thoroughly described in several papers since 60-ies. Moreover, the ISO 3382 standard describes several acoustic parameters and their measurements. However, there is only a few information about the methods of pre-processing the impulse responses that are required before calculating those acoustic parameters. If the final goal of measuring the acoustical behaviour of a room is to compare it to others, or to create databases, reliable and comparable data must be obtained, no matter the way they have been measured. At the Engineering Department of the University of Bologna, several tests, with the same starting data set, have been performed to compare the results given by the most commonly used PC applications, in order to identify and quantify any possible incongruity. In this paper, the main processing methods (based on Lundeby, Chu) are analyzed. Moreover, they are compared with the Schroeder (backward integration) methods. In a further step, these methods are applied in some acoustic measurements employed in some opera houses in Italy.

The analysis of the sound field’s 3D properties has been strongly improved in recent years, after spatial properties of sound propagation have been acknowledged to be important during the design or correction of theatres and auditoriums. Besides, a proper assessment of spatial accuracy is requested for 3D sound reproduction systems, initially designed for acoustical virtual reality and now also employed in the entertainment/cinema industry (Immsound, Auro-3D, NHK 22.2). Often only monoaural or binaural measurements are performed by means of omni-directional microphones and dummy heads, although international standards like ISO 3382/1:2009 also define some “truly spatial” parameters such as JLF and JLFC. The two latter parameters are derived from measurements made with a pressure velocity (p/v) microphone, but this is still a 2-channel measurement. 3D Impulse Responses (4-channel B-format) have for many years been measured and employed for sound reproduction. Recently, higher-order 3D Impulse Responses have been measurable thanks to the availability of compact microphone arrays employing a much larger number of transducers. In this paper, two procedures for measuring and analysing the complete spatial sound information are presented, which are aimed to create easy-to-understand images and videos showing the direction-of-arrival of the room reflections. The description of these techniques is emphasised. Furthermore, results are illustrated of experiments conducted with the novel methodologies in different rooms, including some ancient theatres.

The analysis of the sound field’s 3D properties has been strongly improved in recent years, after spatial properties of sound propagation have been acknowledged to be important during the design or correction of theatres and auditoriums. Besides, a proper assessment of spatial accuracy is requested for 3D sound reproduction systems, initially designed for acoustical virtual reality and now also employed in the entertainment/cinema industry. Often only monoaural or binaural measurements are performed by means of omni-directional microphones and dummy heads, although international standards like ISO 3382/1:2009 also define some “truly spatial” parameters such as JLF and JLFC. The two latter parameters are derived from measurements made with a pressure velocity (p/v) microphone, but this is still a 2-channel measurement. 3D Impulse Responses (4-channel B-format) have for many years been measured and employed for sound reproduction. Recently, higher-order 3D Impulse Responses have been measurable thanks to the availability of compact microphone arrays employing a much larger number of transducers. In this paper, a procedure for measuring and analysing the complete spatial sound information is presented, which is aimed to create easy-to-understand images and videos showing the direction-of-arrival of the room reflections. The description of this technique is emphasised and applied in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

During the 18th Century several French scientists prior to Pierre Patte proposed a new concept of theatre architecture based on a democratic vision of the theatre, which was founded on Neoclassical architecture. The French vision of theatre architecture re-called the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio, and reintroduced many neoclassical (i.e. Greek/Roman) elements such as columns, semi-circular shapes and a large balcony in place of box stalls. The new French ideas of theatre architecture did not find many followers in Italy. The only scientists that accepted this new concept of a “democratic theatre” were the ar-chitects Earl Enea Arnaldi (Vicenza, 1716-1794) who wrote Idea di un teatro nelle principali sue parti simile a' teatri antichi all’uso moderno accomodato del conte Enea Arnald” (Vicenza, 1762), and Francesco Milizia (Oria, 1725-1798), author of Del Teatro (Rome, 1773 and Venice, 1794) [1]. Milizia wrote his book after having read the Arnaldi’s work and followed the idea of a semi-circular plan for the theatre with columns and other antiquarian elements. He was therefore influenced by the Teatro Olimpico architecture in Vicenza and introduced many Neoclassical elements into his conception of theatre architecture. He proposed the Teatro Ideale would solve several problems that existed in contemporary theatre archi-tecture, including acoustic difficulties. In this paper, the Teatro Ideale proposed by Francesco Milizia has been acoustically analysed. Using his sketches as a starting point, a numerical model was created in order to simulate the acoustic behavior of the theatre, as is done today when a modern theatre is acoustically analysed. The results from the simulation are presented and commented on, with comparisons of the acoustic data measured in the Teatro Olimpico, and afterwards rendered by means of 3D auralisation.

The energy performance of buildings (EPB) is usually calculated by reference to winter conditions. All standards, technical, normative and national laws consider building calculation of costs and energy performance during winter months. The energy performance of a building is related to outside temperature and comfortable inside temperature, therefore EPB depends on external weather trends. The “measure unit” of weather trends, used in some calculation models, is the Day Degree which represents the hours when the outside temperature is below the inside temperature standard. However, world climate changes and the diffusion of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems, especially single-unit systems (split system), introduced the concept of comfort in the summer months and weather derivates - Hot Day Degree (HDD) and Cool Day Degree (CDD) used to establish weather risks for insurance purposes. HDD and CDD can be used to plan, check and evaluate energy performance before and after an energy project. To evaluate energy performance in a building in summer conditions we can use the studies on comfort perceptions to translate a Day Degree concept in “measured units” to evaluate with respect to a normalised cooling regime. In this article the outside temperature Summer Day Degree trend is proposed, within fixed temperature values (comfort range), humidity, wind velocity, and radiation incidence. Moreover, an example of how the Summer Day Degree can be applied is presented.

The measurements of wave propagation in linear and non-systems represent an important research topic. The study of wave propagation becomes very important especially when related with sound propagation in enclosures, as pipes, theatres, and other electro-acoustic systems, that are normally considered non linear. In this article, a new method for recording the spatial properties of the wave propagation is described. The spatial distribution of air-pressure waves passing at a point in space is sampled by means of a number of virtual directive microphones, covering the surface of a sphere. This represents a discretization of the spatial information, which corresponds to the spatial equivalent of the PCM sampling of a waveform. In this article the measurements of air-pressure wave propagation in enclosures is analysed starting from a traditional b-format microphone , and compared with a 32-channels probe. The method is applied to a historical Italian theatre, located in Bologna, i.e. the 1763 theatre in Villa Mazzacorati. In order to properly evaluate the early components of the multichannel Impulse Response, a panoramic picture of the theatre was considered. On this picture, the early reflections were plotted into different circles on the figure, where the dimension and the intensity are related with the characteristics of the early components. Furthermore, also the influence of the height of the microphone in the calculation of the physical parameters was analysed. The measurements were repeated at different height and different position on a transversal line in the theatre, and statistically analysed.

Generally acoustical qualities of concert halls and opera houses are evaluated in base of BIRs (binaural impulse responses) measured in them, and the anechoic music convoluted with BIR realizes the virtual sound as it were played in the sound field. Interaural Cross Correlation Coefficient (IACC) calculated from BIR is one of parameter to evaluate the spaciousness of hall. However the value of IACC is changed by the convolution technique in accordance with the kind of musical motif. For example, one binaural impulse response measured in the concert hall in Tsuyama (Japan) presents 0.16 for the value of IACC, while the IACC of the symphony ”Royal Pavane” (Orlando Gibbons) convoluted with it is 0.39, and the IACC of the symphony “Symphonietta n14 the forth movement” (Malcolm Arnold) convoluted with it is 0.32. The aim of this study is to predict the value of IACC after convolution using the acoustical characteristic extracted from the musical motif

Lo studio si propone di documentare le reazioni che suscitarono il Italia le proposte di rinnovamento dell’architettura teatrale formulate dal neoclassicismo francese. Formalmente basato sul ritorno all’impianto palladiano, detto rinnovamento principalmente si ispirava a motivazioni di egualitarismo sociale, coinvolgenti sia la visuale che l’acustica. Nei §§ 1-2 vedremo che in Italia tali proposte furono parzialmente accolte solo da teorici dell’architettura quali Enea Arnaldi (1762) e Francesco Milizia (1772-94); furono invece respinte da tutti gli altri, Giordano Riccati compreso (1790). Le loro proposte verranno analizzate e confrontate con le valutazioni che vengono oggigiorno formulate in relazione alla progettazione acustica dei teatri ’opera. A differenza della Francia, nessuna sala fu inoltre realizzata sulla base di tali principi. Con la motivazione di svariate ragioni principalmente sociali, economiche, e acustiche) non trovarono quindi accoglienza la pianta circolare tronca della platea, le ‘democratiche’ balconate senza divisori (al posto degli aristocratici palchi), il recinto orchestrale incassato sotto il palcoscenico, i soffitti cupuliformi. Lo studio verra` inoltre corredato di una sintesi comparativa dei rilevamenti sperimentali effettuati in tempi recenti su teatri italiani del periodo in oggetto (§ 3) e di una ricostruzione digitale del ‘teatro ideale’ di Milizia, con relative simulazioni acustiche (§ 4).

In this paper, the improvement of nonlinear convolution is shown and applied in 3D auralisation of rooms. The most-used methods to recreate the acoustics of a room are based on measuring or simulating its impulse responses (3D or binaural). Once the IRs have been obtained, it is possible to recreate, by using linear convolution, the output signal that the system will generate when it is physically driven by any input signal. This method gives great results if the system is linear and time-invariant but it is not satisfactory in other cases, when it cannot be considered completely linear, such as during the emulation of musical instruments, which could be used in the 3D auralisation of rooms. The Arlecchino listening room at University of Bologna, based on stereo-dipole and Ambisonic systems, has been upgraded to nonlinear convolution, by means of a new numerical tool which uses the Volterra series. This new technique has been utilised during the acoustic design of the new Teatro Galli in Rimini, which is going to be reconstructed after its destruction during II World War. The acoustics of the new theatre, which follows the rule “where it was, how it was”, has been studied and virtually presented in the listening room by means of binaural IRs, considering the linear and nonlinear convolution with IRs of musical instruments previously measured at CIARM. A special VST plug-in has been realised for real-time calculation and is presented in the paper.

Barriers employed for road traffic noise reduction can be characterized by two indices: reflection index for sound reflection and insulation index for airborne sound insulation. They can be measured following the method described in CEN/TS 1793-5 standard, based on impulse response measurements employing a pressure microphone. The method mandates for averaging results of measurements taken in different points in front of the device under test and/or for specific angles of incidence, employing the obsolete MLS signal for performing the measurements, which can cause severe artefacts due to nonlinearity and time-variance of the system. Furthermore, the CEN/TS 1793-5 standard presents some geometric problems, which could arise if the barrier does not reach a minimum height or if it has a very rough (scattering) surface. During the reflection index measurement on a barrier of limited height, the reflected sound can be contaminated by the ground reflection, compromising the fairness of the whole result. Also the insulation index can be affected by the height of the noise barrier, since the sound passing above the device under test can become mixed with the sound passing through it. It has been noticed how these practical problems, jointly with the assumption of a surface reflecting specularly in the final formula, can significantly over/under estimate the laboratory values of both the indices. Results of in situ tests based on CEN/TS 1793-5 will be shown in comparison with results obtained through a different approach, based on sound intensity measurements, and with the traditional tests performed in the lab.

Among the objectives of the Directive 2002/91/EC, the building wrapper represents a very important building subsystem to control energy dispersion and consumption. The Architect should be able to change the wrapper energy performance in order to control energy consumption. How to value and compare this energy dispersion with exergy analysis? Building wrapper should satisfy two tasks: - to reduce energy dispersion during winter time (especially in northern European buildings), - to guarantee thermal phase displacement during summer time (especially in southern European buildings). In Mediterranean area both task must be satisfied all over the year. The project calculates thermic isolation and phase displacement (of walls or windows or other building wrapped subsystems) in relation with energy transfer. In this paper we propose to calculate an energy valuation of building wrapper energy transfer. Heat exergy through wrapper transfer depends on temperature gap and heat transfer. Heat flow through walls depends on thermo-physics characteristics of the material. Heat exergy transfer could be used to evaluate an exergy flow through walls, and we can settle an exergy index to compare different walls. We could correlate thermo-physics parameters with heat exergy transfer and isolation heat flow through wrapper.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Indoor Environmental Quality index (IEQ): thermal comfort index and indoor temperature trend in moderate thermal environments, in buildings that belong to the Class A with reference to the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD). The work consists of the measurement of IAQ and energy efficiency in a residential building located in centre-north of Italy. The results of the measurements, as well as the PMV-PPD indexes, are presented and commented. These indexes could be a criteria to test if EPBD labelling building could be coherent with EN 15251 requirements.

The acoustic evaluation of auditorium or concert halls could be retrieved by mean of auralisation. In the last 10 years, a few of 3D auralisation technique have been developed and utilised in order to evaluate the spatial sound characterisation of theatres. These techniques are: the Ambisonics method, the Stereo-Dipole method and the Wave Field Synthesis method. On the basis of all these techniques there is the convolution between a dry, not-encoded signal, and a set of properly defined (or measured) impulse responses. The convolution between the dry signal and the set of properly defined impulse responses represent the virtual spatial sound description of the room. Although the convolution method is rather old, and the spatial sound representation of the sound field goes back to early 2000’s, the convolution technique could be enhanced if the non-linear behaviour of sound sources (i.e. musical instruments) could be properly measured and emulated. In this paper, a new method of performing the convolution is presented. It is based on the Wiener- Hammerstein model and realised by means of a new numerical algorithm that utilises the Volterra series description of non-linear system. A special VST plug-in has been realised for real-time calculation and is presented in the paper.

The nonlinear convolution could be applied to enhance the linear convolution on acoustic musical instruments and audio devices. In this paper a novel technology, based on exponential sine sweeps measurements, is presented. The nonlinear convolution is based on the Volterra series approach and enables real time nonlinear emulation of acoustic devices (as valve amplifiers and musical instruments). The new developed tool (a VST plugin developed in C++ in JUCE framework) will be presented. The emulation of musical instruments will be compared with real recordings. The results will be finally analyzed and commented.

For almost 100 years, it has been theoretically possible to model linear time-invariant (LTI) systems with memory [3]. The model is based on the convolution between the input signal and the impulse response (IR) of a system. This approach fails when we try to predict the behavior of a non-linear time-invariant system with memory. The objective of this article is to show how the emulation of a non-linear time-invariant system with memory based on a Volterra series is possible. There currently exists a measurement technique that is able to provide, under certain conditions, the data required to calculate kernels [4]. These conditions require a special phase equalization of the signal and the correct value of its amplitude.

Among the objectives of the Directive 2002/91/EC, Building wrapper is a very important building subsystem to control energy dispersion and consumption. The Architect should be able to change the wrapper energy performance in order to control energy consumption. How to value and compare this energy dispersion with exergy analysis? Building wrapper must satisfy two tasks: - to reduce energy dispersion during winter time (especially in northern European buildings), - to guarantee thermal phase displacement during summer time (especially in southern European buildings). In Mediterranean area both task must be satisfied all over the year. The project calculates thermic isolation and phase displacement (of walls or windows or other building wrapped subsystems) in relation with energy transfer. In this paper we propose to calculate an energy valuation of building wrapper energy transfer. Heat exergy through wrapper transfer depends on temperature gap and heat transfer. Heat flow through walls depends on thermo-physics characteristics of the material. Heat exergy transfer could be used to evaluate an exergy flow through walls, and we can settle an exergy index to compare different walls. We could correlate thermo-physics parameters with heat exergy transfer and isolation heat flow through wrapper.