Effects of reverberation time and sound source composition on sense of place: Case study in private offices

This study investigates the influence of physical room acoustics parameters on sense of place: place attachment, place identity, and place dependence. The experiments were conducted in the private lecturer offices located in the Faculty of Architecture, Çankaya University. The sense of place of 15 participants was tested in the original offices of each participant and eight additional acoustic auralization, in which reverberation times and sound source compositions were altered. The statistical analysis of the results revealed that there is a direct influence of reverberation time and sound source composition on the sense of place. It was observed that longer reverberation times partially enhanced the sense of place. Additionally, the sound source composition influenced the relation towards the place, and certain sound signals diminished the sense of place in the private offices. Furthermore, this study used a psychophysical scaling method (Absolute Magnitude Estimation scale [AME]) which indicated its validity and importance in investigating the effect of physical stimuli on sense of place. The AME revealed participants' sense of place by directing the influence towards the constructs' indicators rather than investigating their general relation towards the place. It was concluded that reverberation time and sound source compositions could enhance and/or diminish users' sense of place; hence, RT and sound source compositions can affect users' interpretation of and behavior towards a given place.