Perceived auditory environment in historic spaces of anatolian culture : a case study on Hacı Bayram mosque

This article reports the initial finds of a research that is concerned with the perceived auditory environment within an historical mosque and its surroundings. Haci Bayram Mosque and its surrounding area of Hamamönü has been selected as the research site due to being the historical center of Ankara. Although there are studies concerned with the acoustical characteristics of mosques, there isn't enough research focusing on users' expectation and interpretation of the perceived auditory environment within a mosque. This study adopts the user focused of Grounded Theory to capture individuals' auditory sensation and interpretation of the perceived auditory environment within a historical mosque and its surroundings. In depth interviews are held with the congregation of the mosque and with the individuals sitting around the surrounding area. Based on their subjective responses, a theoretical framework is generated to gain an insight on the factors that affect individuals understanding and expectation from mosques. Acoustical characteristics of the mosque are analyzed by computer simulation and in-situ measurements of sound pressure levels. Objective room-acoustic indicators consist of reverberation time (RT) and speech transmission index (STI). The conceptual framework generated through Grounded Theory shows how perceived auditory environment may influence individuals' response to the physical environment of the mosque by showing the associations between the soundscape elements, spatial function and sense of place.