The relevance of acoustic quality for the interpretation of art in São Paulo museums: systematic literature review and first field investigations

• Grant number: 24/13392-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ranny Loureiro Xavier Nascimento Michalski
• Grantee: Juliana Alves Miyazaki
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Acoustic quality deals with subjectivity of human perception, choices, and evaluation. Acoustics is a field of environmental comfort that studies not only the right here, but also its relationships with social, psychological, and psychological issues. Thus, one of the areas of study of acoustics encompasses its presence in museums, which makes it clear how important it is to provide acoustically adequate spaces for users and their usage purposes. This is a relationship between acoustics and the interpretation of art, so this area of study must be at the architectural base of the museum project, and is already a crucial pillar for achieving the proper artistic interpretation, as well as for preserving the works and exhibitions for the purposes for which they are proposed. The idea of building with the ear, as well as with the eye, is essential and timeless in museum planning and must be present in the vision and training of architects, urban planners and designers. Furthermore, the theme of acoustic quality in museums presents a demand for new research that provides not only a change in the architectural vision focused on museology, but also the conception of new technical standards that can leverage the study for the museum environment with greater specificity. In this context, the present research aims to analyze the soundscape of São Paulo museums and promote knowledge about acoustic quality in these environments, as a fundamental element of architecture and the interpretation of museological art in São Paulo. The importance of this study for professionals in areas of architecture, urbanism, design, engineering, and the development of technical standards is emphasized, so that acoustic quality is present in the development of building projects and recognized for the artistic industry in museums.