Beautiful Sounds 2023
Firenze, 18 ottobre

After the success of the initiative “NOISE AND THE CITY – L’ANIMA SONORA DELLE CITTTÁ” and “A QUIET PLACE – UN POSTO TRANQUILLO”, expert technicians of acoustics, doctors, designers and philosophers of sound are once again confronted in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence to talk about how an environment can be considered of quality thanks to the presence of “BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS 2023 – SUONI POSITIVI PER LUOGHI FELICI”.

Sound and the quality of life Sound plays an important role in the enjoyment of places and landscapes as well as in all human activities. The initiatives of the International Year of Sound, a global initiative referred to the UNESCO “Charter of Sound” n. 39C/59 concluded at the Forum Acusticum in Turin in September 2023, highlighted the importance of sound and the sciences and technologies related to it, in society and in the world, considering the aspects of the soundscape and noise control in nature, in built environment and workplaces. In Italy the activities were coordinated by the Italian Acoustic Association.

Positive sounds for happy places Natural and man-made soundscapes characterize the identity of living and working places. Sounds are an essential component of communication, in the form of speaking and listening, warning, music and creative sounds. Unwanted and disturbing sounds, perceived as noise, must be controlled to ensure quality living and working environments.

Study days on acoustics Since 1998, the Municipality of Florence has been organizing Study Days on Acoustics, in collaboration with the Italian Association of Acoustics and the Order of Engineers of Florence. The topics covered in the previous “days” concerned all aspects of the assessment and mitigation of noise in urban areas and the acoustic quality of places, highlighting the correlation between exposure to noise and the health of exposed people, presenting the results of national research and international projects within the European projects HUSH, QUADMAP, NEMO, E-VIA, SNEAK, of which the Municipality of Florence was the coordinator and partner.

Beautiful Sounds In the tradition of the “Days” of Palazzo Vecchio, this year’s scientific seminar also brings together contributions from experts from many sectors who at different levels deal with sound and well-being in living environments. The day is made up of speeches dedicated to the sounds of the world and cities, to the identity components of sound as a source of memory, health, pleasure and the compatibility of sounds and noises with the territory. To these is added a structured session on the themes of the important European project Life SNEAK, coordinated by the Municipality of Florence, which deals with acoustic and vibration problems related to urban mobility where multiple sources overlap and special solutions are needed to mitigate the impacts .

Refresher Course

Intrusive noise and its assessment are important skills for the TCA acoustic forensics expert. The course deals with the activity of the court-appointed and party-appointed technical consultant called to carry out assessments and expert reports on issues of noise pollution, damage and disturbance caused by exposure to noise, immissions and their tolerability, also with reference to problems of acoustic non-compliance and building insulation. The assessment of the extent of intrusive noise, in judicial and extrajudicial contexts, and the protection of those suffering from acoustic disturbance will be dealt with in the light of current legislation and regulations and with reference to the recent guidelines of the World Health Organization and the specific UNI/TS 11844:2022 technique dedicated specifically to the measurement and analysis of intrusive noise.

More details will follow

BRONZE