Improving Acoustic Performance While Preserving Visual Connectivity in Small-Scale Industrial Buildings: An Integrated Acoustic Design Methodology

Small-scale industrial buildings commonly accommodate production areas and office units within the same building, where visual connectivity between these spaces is required to facilitate the monitoring and supervision of production processes. However, this functional requirement may increase airborne noise transmission from production areas to adjacent office spaces, thereby adversely affecting acoustic comfort. This study proposes an integrated acoustic design approach to improve the acoustic performance of small-scale industrial buildings while preserving the required visual connectivity. A woodworking workshop and its adjacent office unit in the Design and Application Laboratory Building at Eskişehir Technical University were selected as a case study. Existing acoustic conditions were determined through in-situ noise measurements. The airborne sound insulation performance of individual building elements was evaluated using Prediction Sound Insulation (INSUL 6.2), while room-scale acoustic performance, including flanking sound transmission, was assessed using Kalksandstein (KS 8.03). The results identified the aluminum-framed glazed partition system as the dominant airborne sound transmission path between the workshop and the office. Following the numerical evaluation of the proposed design modifications, the DnT,A values were predicted to increase from approximately 33 dB to 57 dB, thereby exceeding the Class D acoustic performance criterion specified in the Turkish Regulation on the Protection of Buildings Against Noise (BGKKHY) for existing buildings. The results demonstrate that effective acoustic retrofit cannot be achieved by considering individual building elements alone, but requires the integrated evaluation of spatial organization, critical transmission paths, and receiver conditions. The proposed approach provides a practical framework for the acoustic design and retrofit of small-scale industrial buildings where visual supervision must be maintained.