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Many studies have highlighted the relationship between exposure to high noise levels and adverse health effects. Noise pollution is, for example, responsible for some detrimental psychological and physiological effects. WHO estimated that, in Western Europe, due to environmental noise the DALYs (Disability-adjusted life years) lost, and directly connected only to noise annoyance, are about 654.000 years. With this premise, urban sound planning should take into account the restoring capacities for the population that quite areas, such as urban green parks, can perform. Unfortunately, within historical city centers, these areas are generally missing and it is quite impossible to consider the design of new parks. A previous research showed that, potentially, a capillary presence inside the urban context of cloisters and courts could represent a valid alternative. The aim of this research is to analyze, with a multisensory approach, how spending time inside cloisters, courts and in general other spaces of historical and cultural value can influence the well-being of the population and compensate the noise stress in urban areas. Subjective Questionnaires, Physical Measurements and the evaluation of the Qualitative Aspects (QualiAs) of sites were carried out and statistically analyzed.

La nascita di tecniche di simulazione e rappresentazione digitale ha portato allo sviluppo di numerose applicazioni di Realtà Virtuale nel settore dei beni culturali e della progettazione. Molte utilizzano game engine, software in grado di riprodurre dinamicamente ed in modo realistico numerosi effetti caratteristici della visione e del suono. Una verifica preliminare delle funzioni utilizzate per la simulazione degli effetti acustici ha mostrato come molti di questi possano essere migliorati.

In this paper 5 different case studies of solar hybrid heating and cooling networks serving 5 different school buildings assumed as representative of the 5 provinces of the Campania region (southern Italy) have been modelled, dynamically simulated and analyzed by means of the software TRNSYS over a 5-year period. The plants are based on the operation of solar thermal collectors coupled with a seasonal borehole thermal energy storage; the solar field is also integrated with photovoltaic panels coupled with an electric energy storage; a solar-powered adsorption system is used for covering the cooling requirements. Specific weather data files have been developed for each city based on 1-year in-situ hourly measurements to accurately take into account the influence of climatic conditions on systems’ performance; the effects of thermo-physical properties of underground associated to the different locations have also been taken into consideration according to measured data available in the literature. The proposed systems have been compared with conventional Italian heating and cooling plants from energy, environmental and economic points of view in order to assess the potential benefits, highlight the effects of both weather data and characteristics of underground as well as promote the diffusion of solar systems for Italian applications.

Growing tourist flows, which crowd ancient city centres, have modified their liveability and threatened conservation. They have increased the need for quiet places, primarily where green parks are missing. While previous studies have highlighted the possibility of reusing hidden sites of historical buildings, it is not clear if this scheme can also be applied in other contexts, and which physical or perceptual dimensions are mainly related to the restoration of these sites. If greenery and water elements induce positive effects on people’s well-being, we want to understand if the historical–artistic component can be just as important for people’s restorativeness. To this end, the physical and perceptual characteristics of 20 different sites in Naples and Istanbul were investigated through objective and subjective surveys. The results show that the sound levels inside sites cannot consistently account for the perception of the restorativeness in Italy and Turkey, while some sound level differences caused by outside noise could. Moreover, soundscape, appreciation, maintenance/management, and importance/relevance were the main perceptual dimensions describing these places. The importance/relevance dimension was strongly correlated with all the components of the restorativeness, especially with the fascination. These findings are consistent between the Italian and Turkish groups.

Cultural heritage is one of the most important aspect of our historical memory which must be protected and valued. This can be done through the architectural conservation of historical buildings or through the valorisation of their cultural function. The sound can play a key role for these sites and for their reuse, implementing urban revitalization strategies and providing them new functions for the needs of society. Today many cultural sites already host temporary spectacles, such as: live music events, artistic exhibitions, musicals and theatrical performances; on the other side they could be used for the restoration of citizens and tourists. This paper shows the different uses of historical sites where the sound is used for human well-being and for conservative and regenerative purposes.