A new approach on the determination of the acoustic performance in the design of rectangular planned mosques in the Eastern Black Sea region

Providing acoustic performance in mosques is considered as an important factor in terms of usage comfort, like other subjects in the field of building physics. The most practical way to provide high acoustic performance in spaces is to foresee the acoustic performance at the design stage and to shape the designs accordingly. Therefore, within the scope of the study, a statistical approach to predict acoustic performance over the objective parameters of the sound has been put forward for the rectangular planned, flat ceilinged mosque type in the Eastern Black Sea Region. One of the methods of predicting the acoustic performance of a building in the design phase is to make inferences from the data and experiences obtained from existing buildings. Statistical analyzes were used to make these inferences systematically. In order to keep the statistical analyzes consistent, the study was limited to rectangular planned mosques with wooden hipped roofs and flat ceilings in order to minimize geometrical differences. Within the scope of the study, first of all, the scientific literature on the subject was researched and the theoretical base of the study was established. Then, as a result of archive researches, literature research and field studies, 16 mosque samples in the Eastern Black Sea Region were selected and examined. Acoustic simulations of mosques were performed with sound absorption coefficients based on physical measurements, and their acoustic performances were determined and evaluated. Statistical correlations were obtained by performing regression analyzes between the geometric parameters of the mosques and the surface areas of the materials forming their inner surfaces, and the objective parameter values of the sound. In addition, with the regression analyzes carried out between the mean values and regional values of the objective parameters, relations that predict the changes of the objective parameter values in the space were obtained. The obtained relations were tested on 3 experimental mosques of different sizes, which were designed on the basis of the common features of the mosques examined in the study. The validity of the correlations was demonstrated by comparing the objective parameter values of the experimental designs, calculated with the proposed equations, with the values obtained as a result of acoustic simulations.