The acoustic comfort inside tensile membrane structures: experimental investigations and corrective proposals of a lecture room

The tensile membrane structures offer a considerable weight saving, becoming attractive for designers in several technological areas. The membrane structures have the merit of realizing an enormous space without columns and beams. Furthermore, the membrane structures can bring about an unique atmosphere and saves on electricity for illumination owing to the light transmission proprieties of the membrane. Unfortunately, the membrane structures have seri-ous deficit on the sound-insulation performance, rain-noise problems and thermal insulation. Consequently, to ensure acoustic comfort in the environment inside tensile membrane struc-tures is not easy because the techniques that normally are applied to traditional buildings are not suitable in lightweight structures. For these reasons, it was investigated the acoustic be-havior of a tensile membrane structure used as a lecture room through instrumental tech-niques and acoustic models in order to propose possible solutions applicable to similar struc-tures.