Editorial: Acoustics in the Built Environment: A Challenge for Improving the Quality of Life

The acoustics of the environment in which we live influences our health, comfort, performance, and well-being. In this Research Topic, it is showcased that quality of life can be changed and improved by optimizing the acoustics of the built environment. This is done by addressing the complexity of the interactions between the occupants and the sonic environment. A variety of indoor and outdoor settings, in which either communication or perception are targeted, have been taken into consideration by the contributions in this special issue. In particular, the collected papers focused on four critical aspects: effects of noise in learning environments, communication in noise and reverberation, soundscape optimization for outdoor and indoor applications, and development of perception-based criteria in acoustical design.