It has been hypothesized that objective assessment for building acoustic conditions\nonly may not always be representative of the usersâ?? perception in occupied\nindoor spaces. This study objectively and subjectively examined indoor\nacoustic condition in rooms within studentsâ?? hostels in Obafemi\nAwolowo University, Nigeria. The objective assessment considered the\nphysical measurement of sound pressure level in the rooms in relation to the\nroomsâ?? physical characteristics like window to external wall area and window\nto floor area ratios. The subjective assessment considered the occupantsâ?? perception\nof the acoustic condition in the rooms in relation to their personal\ncharacteristics like age, gender, body mass index, metabolic rate, and body\nskin area. The sound pressure level was measured in each of the randomly selected\n44 rooms at 15 minute intervals between 7 hours and 19 hours daily\nthrough a period of eight weeks. The measurement was done with High Accuracy\nDigital Sound Noise Level Data Loggers placed at work plane at the\ncentre of the rooms. The geometry of the rooms was documented through\nphysical measurements. All the occupants of the selected rooms as well as the\ntwo adjoining rooms, amounting to 696 respondents, were purposively selected\nto fill a questionnaire regarding activities carried out in the rooms, the\nfrequency of fenestration opening, the personal characteristics of the occupants\nand the roomsâ?? occupancy ratio. This study established a strong correlation\nbetween the objective and subjective assessments of the acoustic condition\nin the spaces. Moreover, out of all the occupantsâ?? personal characteristics\nconsidered, it was the age that has a relationship with the occupantsâ?? perception\nof the acoustic condition that is closest to significant level.The relationship\nbetween their perception and measured sound pressure level was slightly\nmore pronounced among the male gender than the female with correlation\ncoefficients of 0.115 and 0.096 respectively. This study concluded that none of\nthe considered occupantsâ?? personal characteristics can effectively predict their\nresponse to indoor acoustic condition in the spaces.
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