Understanding the effect of restorativeness in indoor soundscapes through a conceptual model

Abstract

The soundscape is defined as the acoustic environment perceived or experienced by a person or people. Soundscape research, where human perception is at the center, has generally been conducted on unwanted sound sources to identify sounds' negative health effects. Therefore, wanted sound sources and their impact on being exposed to soundscapes that may induce positive outputs on health has been neglected. People tend to be in places that reduce stress and increase restoration. However, many indoor places cause stress in our daily lives and decrease the quality of living. This study aims to generate the conceptual model that would be used to identify what causes stress indoors and what can be done to transfer these spaces into restorative ones from the soundscape perspective. To generate a comprehensive model, by centering the soundscape framework of ISO, its constructs were combined with Attention Restorative Theory (ART), Stress Recovery Theory (SRT), and Biophilic Design approach into positive and negative relations based on their effects on health.