applied sciences Concept Paper Acoustic Design Criteria in Naturally Ventilated Residential Buildings: New Research Perspectives by Applying the Indoor Soundscape Approach Simone Torresin 1,2,* , Rossano Albatici 1 , Francesco Aletta 3 , Francesco Babich 2 , Tin Oberman 3 and Jian Kang 3,* 1 Department of Civil Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
[email protected] 2 Institute for Renewable Energy, Eurac Research, A. Volta Straße/Via A. Volta 13/A, 39100 Bolzano, Italy;
[email protected] 3 UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, The Bartlett, University College London (UCL), Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UK;
[email protected] (F.A.);
[email protected] (T.O.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] (S.T.);
[email protected] (J.K.); Tel.: +39-0471055692 (S.T.) Received: 9 October 2019; Accepted: 6 December 2019; Published: 10 December 2019 Featured Application: Providing a new research perspective for the development of acoustic requirements in naturally ventilated buildings and of façade control strategies enabling NV. Abstract: The indoor-outdoor connection provided by ventilation openings has been so far a limiting factor in the use of natural ventilation (NV), due to the apparent conflict between ventilation needs and the intrusion of external noise. This limiting factor impedes naturally ventilated buildings meeting the acoustic criteria set by standards and rating protocols, which are reviewed in this paper for residential buildings. The criteria reflect a general effort to minimize noise annoyance by reducing indoor sound levels, typically without a distinction based on a ventilation strategy.