Acoustics for a Sustainable Future

Sustainability is now at the core of everything we are do, from our personal daily lives to how we engineer the built environment and treat it in operation. The need for acousticians to consider sustainability is now, more than ever, a critical element in having acoustic interventions included in a design. The wide ranging terminology and acronyms associated with sustainability, abstract concepts of physiology and psychology around Health and Wellbeing, and passing references made in wider policy, standards and guidance, can be difficult to navigate and resolve with technical acoustic performance when applied in practice. Since much of an acousticians work centred on technical acoustic performance, much needed consideration to sustainability can often be overlooked. This paper seeks to provide a review of the current position in relation to sustainability, including references to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Life Cycle Analysis, The Circular Economy, and Whole Life Carbon including Embodied and Operational Carbon impacts that my arise from recommendations made by acoustic designers. Health and wellbeing impacts are also discussed, through reference to the Genius Loci and acoustic design as an integral element in the building design process, demonstrating how carefully considered acoustic design can contribute positively to Sustainable Communities.