Acoustics design associated with natural ventilation

Increased effort on building sustainability has caused a revolution in building acoustic design regarding savings in resources and energy. Sustainable design strategies such as natural ventilation, on the other hand, challenged the common practice in acoustic design. Case studies on building acoustic solutions associated with natural ventilation have been conducted and reviewed with multi-facet design concerns. Issues addressed included noise insulation of building facade that allows natural ventilation, abatement of noise from urban sub-stations that generated heat, replacing mechanical ventilation system by stack ventilation for parking garages to decrease both power consumption and mechanical noise, and noise suppression of ceiling fan to prevent from overuse of PA system in classrooms that may consequently cause further problems. Discussions were also made about degradation of absorbent materials caused by increased humidity due to natural ventilation.