Design strategies for sustainable buildings, that improve building performance and avoid extensive resource utilization, should also promote healthy indoor environments. The following paper contains a review of the couplings between (1) building design, (2) indoor environmental quality and (3) occupant behavior. The paper focuses on defining the limits of adaptation on the three aforementioned levels to ensure the energy efficiency of the whole system and healthy environments. The adaptation limits are described for measurable physical parameters and the relevant responsible human sensory systems, evaluating thermal comfort, visual comfort, indoor air quality and acoustical quality. The goal is to describe the interactions between the three levels where none is a passive participant, but rather an active agent of a wider human-built environment system. The conclusions are drawn in regard to the comfort of the occupant. The study reviews more than 300 sources, ranging from journals, books, conference proceedings, and reports complemented by a review of standards and directives.

Acoustic scattering audibility thresholds are needed for the efficient design of performance spaces and to increase the accuracy of geometric room acoustic models. This paper focuses on the evaluation of the perceptual thresholds of the scattering coefficient through listening tests in simulated concert halls. It also deals with an investigation on the sensitivity of room acoustic parameters to scattering coefficients. A rectangular concert hall has been simulated with three prediction models, in which scattering coefficients of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.9 were applied to the ceiling and walls in six different configurations. The analysis was performed comparing the results of the three-alternative forced choice listening tests and considering the objective parameters T30, early decay time (EDT), C80, and G. An increase in EDT and a decrease in C80 have been observed for increasing scattering coefficient values for all three types of software, while no similar trend was observed for the other parameters. The perceptual evaluation has shown that differences of ∼0.4, relative to an anchor value of 0.9 of the scattering coefficient, were perceived in the listening test conducted with one of the three kinds of software, while no clear differences in auralizations were perceived with the other two kinds.

The soundscapes of those places where we eat and drink can influence our perception of taste. Here, we investigated whether contextual sound would enhance the subjective value of a tasting experience. The customers in a chocolate shop were invited to take part in an experiment in which they had to evaluate a chocolate’s taste while listening to an auditory stimulus. Four different conditions were presented in a between-participants design. Envisioning a more ecological approach, a pre-recorded piece of popular music and the shop’s own soundscape were used as the sonic stimuli. The results revealed that not only did the customers report having a significantly better tasting experience when the sounds were presented as part of the food’s identity, but they were also willing to pay significantly more for the experience. The method outlined here paves a new approach to dealing with the design of multisensory tasting experiences, and gastronomic situations.