Virtual acoustics applied to the restoration of architectural heritage: the Cathedral of Valencia

Abstract

The Cathedral of Valencia (Spain) is the result of multiple interventions carried out throughout its history. In order to recover the appearance that it had centuries ago, a partial repristination has been made generating a new spatial configuration and variations in the coatings that influence the acoustics of the room. Religious buildings have a characteristic sound that must be the object of special protection, so it is important to determine the variations that, in terms of acoustic quality, may have occurred. To do this, through acoustic simulations, a comparative study of the acoustic behavior before and after the repristination has been performed. This methodology opens the possibility to predict the acoustic result of any intervention before its implementation. With this, architectural acoustics is proposed as a new tool to deal with the restoration of heritage.

Keywords

• conservación
• repristinación
• recintos de culto
• acústica arquitectónica
• sonoridad