Application of a multi-criteria decision technique to assignation of acoustic classes

Acoustic performance evaluation of buildings prior to the acoustic classification, requires consideration of a number of factors with the corresponding quantitative criteria to be satisfied. It is of question how much the deviations can be compensated and whether all performance factors are equally important. This paper presents the results of a study on assigning priorities for each acoustic factor by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) - a multi-criteria decision technique - based on the expert evaluations. Eleven acoustic consultants rated seven acoustic factors, i.e. regulatory criteria of sound insulation, sound level and reverberation time, in pairwise comparisons. The data were aggregated after a consistency check and weights of each acoustic factor were calculated as well as weights of six acoustic performance classes ranging from A to F. The outcomes of this study resulted in a decision matrix, named as "acoustic scorecard" which can be used to obtain a single-number rating index for acoustic quality of buildings.