Analyzing the impact of aircraft noise on urban areas requires specific consideration of sound propagation over long distances, which is not typically covered by tools designed for indoor acoustics. Although it is unclear to what extent existing parametric tools that combine 3D modeling and acoustic simulation can accurately replicate these spatial scales, they provide a valuable means of exploring design options and optimizing performance. One such tool, Pachyderm, a numerical model based on geometrical acoustics, was used to simulate a field lab near Schiphol Airport to assess its applicability for urban acoustics simulation. The simulation results were compared to in-situ measurements, with a focus on differentiating the effect of air noise attenuation based on varying building shapes and the accuracy of the resulting sound pressure level values. The most decisive factors in reducing noise in the courtyard were found to be the building’s orientation and slope relative to the sound source. However, as the design complexity increased with the addition of features such as shielding, the accuracy of the simulation results decreased.@en

Aircraft noise is a major stressor for communities in the vicinity of airports. Aircraft noise prediction models omit the built environment, based on an implicit assumption that the impact of buildings on the propagation of aircraft noise is neglectable. In this article a study is presented in which aircraft noise levels were measured near walls facing towards and away from aircraft flyovers in an urban test environment near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The test environment comprises three adjacent courtyards, each enclosed by stacked shipping containers. To examine the influence of street geometry on aircraft noise, specifically for slanted roofs and building insets, the shipping containers were stacked in a different pattern around each courtyard. In total, sound levels for 2383 aircraft flyovers were analysed across five months at ten microphone positions within the courtyards, for both arrivals and departures. Depending on the geometry of the courtyards, mean differences (L_A,max) between facades with- and without a line of sight towards the aircraft ranged between −1,3dBA and 5,0dBA for arrivals, and 8,7dBA and 13,6dBA for departures. SEL values ranged between between −0,8dBA and 4,3dBA for arrivals, and 8,1dBA and 11,6dBA for departures. The results suggest that slanted roofs perpendicular to the flight direction deflect incident sound, substantially reducing the sounds levels inside courtyards. Contrarily, building insets at building sides facing away from the flight paths did not reduce sound levels underneath the overhangs significantly. The findings stress the importance of architectural and urban design to mitigate aircraft noise.

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The design of residential care facilities for individuals with dementia profoundly impacts their quality of life and wellbeing. Dementia-friendly architecture, thoroughly reviewed in literature, provides guidelines and assessment tools to evaluate residential spaces and enhance living conditions. Key to residents' wellbeing is their autonomy and control over their environment, which can be facilitated by optimizing wayfinding within indoor spaces. Effective spatial layouts, particularly those offering good visual access, not only promote autonomy but also improves social integration by enabling residents to see and be seen by others.

This MSc thesis investigates the feasibility of artificial intelligence (AI) to support the design of dementia-friendly architecture, focusing particularly on wayfinding—a critical element of environmental design for individuals with dementia. The study quantitatively assesses the relationship between floor plan layouts and wayfinding ease using the isovist method, linking floor plan geometry with the navigational experiences of dementia patients. The assessment was done in accordance with an established Dementia Design Principles (DDP) environmental assessment tool recognized within universal design guidelines.

A computational framework was developed to evaluate wayfinding quality using visual access analysis, which were integrated into a machine learning model. This model was trained on a dataset of 256 floor plans, employing features derived from two distinct sources: spatial metrics such as distances and centrality from the Swiss Dwellings dataset, and compactness and distance-based features extracted via Grasshopper, a visual scripting tool in Rhino 3D. The model was tested using two supervised machine learning algorithms—Random Forest (RF) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)—and achieved consistent accuracy rates between 70-80% using 14 features and 2 multiclass outputs describing the visual access quality. This demonstrates AI's potential as a decision-support tool in the early stages of architectural design, offering architects insights into the wayfinding quality of their designs.

The goal of this research is to develop a digital framework that can be leveraged by architects to link early-stage concept design ideation to the specialist validation of final designs to help guide the design of layouts towards DDP-compliance and reduce risk of design changes, ultimately designs that are easier to navigate by people living with dementia and enhance the quality of living.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of different urban building geometries (six courtyards, two canyons, two slabs) on heat mitigation and aircraft noise attenuation, in order to support an evidence-based retrofit plan for future airport neighborhoods. Using ’Pachyderm + ENVI-met simulations + field measurements’, we found that the slanted-roof, low-rise courtyard exhibited optimal acoustic-thermal performance (SPLmin = 71.1 dB(A), σU T CI < 5 ◦C), while the mid-rise canyon demonstrated limited performance (SPLmin = 93.4 dB(A), σU T CI > 10 ◦C). These findings were observed under averaged boundary conditions of a 140 dB(A) aircraft sound source and a diurnal MRT range of 60 ◦C on a heatwave day in July 2022.@en

Aircraft are a source of noise pollution in areas surrounding airports. Buildings shield or amplify local sound levels, albeit that the level of shielding varies considerably. The sound pressure levels reaching ground receivers in the built environment depend on flight position relative to the receiver, atmospheric and weather effects, and the composition of the surrounding buildings. Their combined effect on local ground sound levels and noise shielding remains unclear however. The impact of urban and architectural design on the local attenuation of aircraft noise is studied in a full-scale field lab near Amsterdam Schiphol airport. In the experiment, two microphones and a weather station collected sound and meteorological data. The measurements are combined with spatial aircraft radar data for a period of one month. Statistical analyses are conducted to gain insights into the causes of variance in shielding effects. This paper presents a method to combine and analyse sound, flight and meteorological data, for one-second time intervals. Aircraft orientation, obstruction from buildings between source and receiver, operation type and propulsion type influence the building shielding for this case study. The orientation of airplanes relative to the field lab records the highest effect on the shielding of the analysed variables (R^2=0.58).@en

Vertical greening can be used to absorb and scatter sound, which may reduce noise levels in street canyons. In this paper, a literature review is presented, which combines results and methods from over 40 individual studies. The article describes the guiding principles behind the acoustic effects of vertical greening and provides an overview of the prevalent research methods. The article shows that vertical greenery is effective for the reduction of mid and high frequency noise, unless air cavities or resonators are introduced inside, or behind, the systems. The review also reflects on studies with an emphasis on the application of vertical greenery in streets and urban blocks. The aim of the article is to set out the key design parameters for noise reduction that can be achieved by vertical greening, focusing on designers and engineers.

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Aircraft noise is a major source of noise pollution in areas close to airports. Previous studies showed that the design of the urban and architectural context affects local sound levels. Due to surface reflections and edge diffraction, sound levels are reduced or amplified, depending on building geometry and surface materials. Compared to other traffic sources in cities, aircraft noise is currently neither integrated in sound prediction models, nor validated for such purposes. To validate the results from previous computational studies, a full scale experiment was set up. In the experiment, sound and weather data is collected which is used to identify the influence of building geometry and cladding on the propagation of aircraft noise. A subset of the measurements collected on days without wind was used to validate a method for measurements with scale models in an an-echoic room. Based on a series of discrete mono-pole source positions, three flight paths were simulated. Measurements in the an-echoic room were compared with the measurements in the full-scale field lab. This paper presents the results of the experiment and sets out a method for scale model experiments focusing on the prediction of sound in urban canyons for overhead sound sources.@en

Flying has become increasingly accessible in the last few decades, leading to enormous growth in aircraft traffic worldwide. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is the fourth-busiest airport in Europe based on passenger traffic, and noise pollution from the airport affects over 63,000 individuals daily. This study aims to determine if the presence of trees has the potential to significantly mitigate noise pollution from aircraft across seasonal leaf patterns and across different configurations in a simulated street canyon near a major airport. Thirty-six adolescent Common Linden trees were placed in a simulated street canyon near Schiphol Airport’s Kaagbaan runway, where sound, weather, and flight data were collected between February through May. Two additional configurations of the trees were also tested to evaluate the effect of planting density and patterns on scattering and reflecting noise. Trends in sound pressure levels measured inside the street canyon were compared to levels measured by a reference microphone, and a linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of weather and trajectory variables on the differences in sound pressure levels between these two environments. Between 0.68 and 3.3 dB of noise attenuation were observed in the experimental courtyard for arriv- ing flights, versus between -2.65 and 0.5 dB of noise attenuation for departing flights. Furthermore, while around 10 percent (R2 =0.099) of variation in the noise attenuation
of arriving flights could be explained by flight trajectory and weather variables alone, this percentage was significantly higher for departing flights (R2 =0.46). These results are in line with previous research which found that the interaction of building properties with meteorological variables and flight trajectory have the most influence on sound propaga- tion of aircraft noise within a street canyon environment, but also suggest that vegetation can play a role in mitigating noise pollution. Further research is required to determine if the presence of adult leaves or the psychological effects of greenery on the human per- ception of aircraft noise pollution could augment the modest noise pollution attenuation effects of trees seen in this experiment.

Aircraft noise prediction models traditionally omit buildings to optimize speed. Buildings and vertical surfaces scatter and reflect incident sound, affecting sound levels around buildings and within streets. Previous studies showed the impact of buildings on aircraft noise, based on a small number of measurements. Based on additional numerical models, it was found that the shape of buildings, i.e. a slanted or overhanging roof, lead to lower sound levels compared to streets comprised of vertical and flat surfaces. To examine these findings, a full-scale field lab was built near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, comprised of shipping containers. The experiment consists of three courtyards, in which ten microphones measure sound levels from aircraft flyovers, near facades facing towards and away from the sound source (airplanes). Measurements are matched with meteorological and radar data, which gives information about the position of aircraft and the local weather conditions. The measurements show substantial differences depending on the position, ranging between 8/9dB(A) for a courtyard with straight facades, up to 14dB(A) for facades in a courtyard with a slanted facade and a building inset. Results can be used to rethink the way areas near airports are designed.

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Environmental noise has become a large health concern in Europe with at least one in five people exposed to levels considered harmful to health. Additionally, prolonged exposure to excessive levels of noise has a negative economic impact.
The rapid development of urban areas makes the effect of noise pollution even worse. However, architects and urban designers who define the shape of a neighbourhood rarely give attention to this aspect. Decisions regarding the sound environment are often taken in the latter stages of design when the least design exploration is possible. Moreover, environmental acoustic involves complex urban physics which makes it more difficult for designers.

Therefore, in this master thesis, a parametric simulation workflow is developed which can predict the traffic noise in the early phases of design. The approach would be easy to use for architects and urban designers to overcome some of the main drawbacks of traditional practices.

The project followed five-step processes of research, development, validation, testing and optimization. To better understand urban noise, atmospheric acoustics, and how buildings affect sound propagation, a literature review was conducted. The parametric workflow was then created using Grasshopper, the visual scripting plugin for Rhino3D, in conjunction with other plugins such as Pachyderm and Ladybug.

After development stage, the parametric workflow is validated against on-site measurements and Geomilieu (environmental noise calculation software). Further, the simulation results from the design stage demonstrate that the tool can include urban microscale features like building shape, façade extrusions and materiality which can have an impact on reducing the traffic noise levels. It is found that the building shape of the lower levels may amplify or quieten the sound on upper levels. Façade extrusions have the least impact but variations in their positions and sizes may influence the results. It was further predicted that the green façade has a great potential to reduce reflected noise and lower the values inside the courtyard.

In addition, the findings of the optimization study show that the workflow may be used with other performance criteria and help to explore design solutions. Overall, the workflow can help identify the relationships between design aspects and acoustic performance in the early stages of design by taking into account simplifications and restrictions such as edge diffraction.

The rapid development of Dutch DC’s near airports pressures the environment. VGS are considered a promising measure toward a more nature-inclusive development of Dutch distribution centers. However, an integral quantitative impact assessment model is needed to retrieve funding and facilitate an evidence-based decision-making process for the implementation of VGS. This research therefore aims to develop a multi-criteria decision model to assess the impact of VGS in Dutch DC’s near airports to enhance the decision-making process for the implementation of VGS. The main research question was formulated as follows: ‘How can a MCDM tool on the quantitative performance of VGS in delivering ecosystem services be developed and applied, in order to facilitate the impact assessment and evidence-based decision-making in the context of Dutch DC’s near airports?’
The research question was answered through a mixed-methods approach including literature research and expert interviews. A case study was used to apply and validate the MCDM model. VGS were found to offer a range of supporting, regulating, provisioning and cultural ecosystem services. The performance of VGS in delivering these services was mainly determined by the plants, substrate and support system. In general, living walls have a higher performance than green façades, among which modular living walls perform best. However, context-specific valuation was considered key. Evaluating VGS on the interaction effects between the main system components and the ecosystem services is an effective approach for developing a MCDM model that enhances decision-making and creates support base for implementation. A context-specific impact assessment can be achieved by weighing the relevance of the ecosystem services. Further research that compares the impact of distinct types of VGS is needed to further develop and validate the model, specifically with regard to grey water treatment, education, and wellbeing.

Exposure to excessive community noise has become a large environmental health concern. Noise pollution continues to increase while it is accompanied by direct, as well as cumulative adverse health effects. In addition, prolonged exposure to excessive noise levels also has a negative economic impact. The incorporation of numerical tools in the design process could counter this problem. However, traditional models are not widely available or often simplified. This illustrates the complexity of the matter, as noise is influenced by a variety of acoustic propagation effects. Moreover, the focus is predominantly on noise from railways and roads or for indoor settings. Little information is available about the dispersion of sound around buildings emitted by overhead sound sources, i.e. aircraft. This means that most numerical models neglect or simplify meteorological effects, which may result in misinterpretation of the urban noise situation. This graduation thesis addresses the question whether the design of the build environment can yield a reduction in aircraft induced noise, including the presence of a downward refracting atmosphere. The outcome may assist architects and urban designers to improve the soundscape quality in areas affected by aircraft noise. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the application of a self-made low turbulence wind tunnel is explored to perform scale model measurements that could be extended towards a full-size experiment in future studies. The wind tunnel was able to generate a uniform velocity profile which was suited to be used in this experiment. However, limitations were observed considering higher order wind tunnel reflections and masking of sound by the fan. In addition, a CFD study was performed to get insights into the interference between geometric configurations and flow patterns inside the wind tunnel. The building geometry influences the sound pressure level near the façade without a line of sight towards the sound source. The differences between the geometries studied in this thesis increased for decreasing grazing angles. The results also suggest the independency of canyon width on the shielding performance in case of treated canyon facades (covered with sound absorbing material), obstructed sound paths and absence of wind. In the presence of wind, sound pressure levels were further reduced for smaller treated canyons. Moreover, the results demonstrate a strong downward refracting atmospheric effect which increases the sound pressure levels inside shielded canyons. Flat roofs reduce wind effects which means that the effects of a downward refracting atmosphere are less intense compared more common typologies containing e.g. gabled roof tops.