Acoustic criteria to optimize the design of urban uses in a public square

Tecnalia is collaborating with the city of Bilbao to include acoustic comfort criteria in the decision making process on urban interventions. In this paper the results of this strategy in the design of the intervention in the Plaza Rekalde will be discussed. Tecnalia makes proposals to the City Council, to optimize the distribution of uses in the square in order to obtain the greatest acoustic comfort. Thus, a proposal of recommended uses is done for each zone. This approach is based on current levels of acoustic comfort that is analyzed with the Environmental Sound Experience Indicator (ESEI) and, also, considering the possible sound interaction between the proposed uses. In addition, sound challenges to be addressed in the intervention in the plaza will be identified and some practical ideas are proposed for their implementation. Thus, architects and municipal technicians can have this information as a variable that considers the overall citizen satisfaction regarding acoustic comfort with respect to public spaces. Tecnalia has created a brand, Comfort Urban Places (CUP) ® that serves to visualize the integration of environmental comfort criteria in the design of public urban places.