From design to well-being: the strategic role of acoustics

Simona Damato is an architect and Director of Dieci Decibel, the DVArea department specialising in environmental, building, architectural and industrial acoustics, with an approach that covers the entire project life cycle. She spoke to us about how designers’ and clients’ attitudes towards acoustics have changed, how acoustic quality can affect people’s well-being, the tools required and the importance of involving acoustic specialists from the earliest stages of a project.

Hi Simona, could you tell us about your professional journey and how you came to specialise in acoustics?

My professional journey began during my architectural studies, when I developed a strong interest in the relationship between space, comfort and people’s well-being. From the outset, I saw design not simply as an exercise in composition, but as a tool capable of making a tangible difference to the quality of life of those who will live in and use a space.

This focus on the perceptual and performance-related aspects of architecture led me to explore acoustics in greater depth. I found it to be a particularly stimulating discipline, combining technical rigour with design sensitivity and making a significant contribution to the quality of the user experience. Acoustic comfort profoundly affects the way we perceive and experience spaces and, although it is often invisible, it has a very real impact on people’s everyday well-being.

Specialising in acoustics was therefore a natural evolution of my professional path. Today, I see the discipline as an essential tool for integrating architectural quality with environmental comfort, helping to design buildings that are not only functional and aesthetically successful, but also genuinely responsive to the needs of the people who use them. It is precisely this opportunity to place people at the heart of the design process that continues to make my work so rewarding.

There is often a belief that good acoustic design simply means complying with minimum legal requirements. How limiting is this perspective, and how does acoustics affect the everyday experience of those who live in and use a space?

This is a view we encounter frequently, and it risks reducing acoustics to a mere regulatory requirement. In reality, legal standards are only a starting point: they establish minimum performance levels, but they do not necessarily guarantee the quality perceived by users.

Acoustics has a profound impact on the experience of a space. It affects concentration, sleep quality, privacy, learning and, more broadly, people’s well-being. These are aspects that often go unnoticed when they work properly, but become immediately apparent when they are overlooked.

For this reason, our work is not limited to verifying regulatory compliance. Instead, we aim to integrate acoustic comfort from the earliest stages of the design process. Within an integrated design approach, Dieci Decibel provides specialist expertise that is in constant dialogue with architecture, structural engineering and building services, ensuring that acoustics becomes a defining feature of the building rather than an issue considered only at a later stage.

The aim is to help create spaces that are not merely compliant, but capable of providing a more comfortable, efficient and sustainable user experience over time.

How is acoustic quality connected to people’s well-being in the spaces where they live and work? Could you give us some practical examples?

There are certainly settings in which acoustics plays a particularly strategic role, such as hospitals, schools, offices, hospitality facilities and high-quality residential developments. However, our experience shows that acoustic comfort has now become a cross-cutting issue, relevant to every type of building.

The growing focus on user well-being is leading clients and designers to regard acoustics as a defining element of a project, rather than simply as a technical requirement.

One of our key strengths lies precisely in our ability to adapt solutions to different design contexts, identifying the most critical issues and developing targeted strategies that combine comfort, functionality and cost-effectiveness.

A building that provides high levels of acoustic comfort is also more likely to retain its value over time. For this reason, we see acoustics not as an additional cost, but as an investment in the quality and durability of a project.

The R8 and Balduccio12 residential developments provide a practical example. Dieci Decibel’s involvement from the earliest stages made it possible to develop solutions aimed not only at meeting regulatory requirements, but also at achieving a higher level of acoustic comfort. Through close collaboration with architects and building services engineers, the design choices were optimised and buildings were created in which acoustic quality is a distinctive component of residential well-being.

Dieci Decibel is involved throughout every stage of the design process. Could you describe how your work is structured across the different phases, from pre-construction surveys to final testing and commissioning?

One of the defining features of our approach is the continuity of technical support throughout the entire design and construction process.

Our work begins with preliminary analyses and pre-construction surveys, which are essential for understanding the context, defining performance objectives and identifying any potential critical issues. On this basis, we develop predictive studies and simulations that support the design team in making architectural, building services and construction-related decisions.

During the subsequent phases, we work closely with all the designers involved, contributing to coordination between the different disciplines and verifying that the acoustic comfort and performance objectives remain consistent with the overall design vision.

Our contribution continues throughout construction, through support provided to the construction management team and contractors, ensuring that the proposed solutions are implemented correctly and maintain the expected performance levels. Once the works are complete, we carry out on-site testing and verification to confirm that the design objectives have been achieved.

Rather than a sequence of individual tasks, our work is a process of continuous collaboration. This allows us to support the design team at every stage, helping to translate performance objectives into tangible results and ensuring consistency between the design vision, the construction process and the final quality of the completed building.

At what stages of the design process can acoustic expertise genuinely influence architectural and building services decisions? Can you give us an example of a project in which this contribution was decisive?

When the acoustics team is involved from the earliest stages, it can help guide decisions that will affect the building’s performance throughout its entire service life.

The spatial layout, the location of plant rooms, façade design, the definition of construction build-ups and the integration of building services are all areas in which acoustics can play a decisive role. Addressing these aspects from the outset makes it possible to assess different design options and identify the most effective solutions before the project becomes fully developed.

In our experience, this approach has proved particularly effective in complex projects such as office buildings, healthcare facilities and residential developments, where acoustic comfort results from the interaction between architecture, building services and construction systems. In these contexts, we have supported designers and clients through simulations and predictive analyses that have enabled us to optimise spatial layouts, technological solutions and construction strategies, while avoiding aesthetic and functional conflicts and the need for corrective measures during the more advanced stages of the project.

The value of our contribution lies precisely in our ability to anticipate potential issues and integrate their resolution into the design process. We are not simply brought in to verify performance once the design has been completed, but act as a technical partner contributing to the decisions that determine the overall quality of the project.

What technical expertise and specialist tools are required today to deliver high-quality acoustic design?

Acoustic design today requires a combination of specialist expertise, design experience and the ability to engage effectively with all the disciplines involved in the development of a building.

Our team brings together professionals working across the different fields of acoustics—including building, architectural, environmental and building services acoustics—allowing us to address projects in all their complexity and contribute effectively to integrated design processes.

Alongside technical expertise, we use certified instrumentation for on-site measurements, advanced simulation and three-dimensional modelling software, and BIM platforms that facilitate coordination with architects, building services engineers and structural engineers. These tools allow us to analyse complex scenarios, assess different design solutions and support the team in identifying the most effective choices.

Technology alone, however, is not enough. The real value lies in the ability to interpret data correctly, understand its design implications and translate it into practical, sustainable solutions that are consistent with the objectives of the project.

It is this combination of specialist expertise, design vision and integration capabilities that makes it possible to develop acoustic design genuinely focused on the quality of the completed building and the well-being of the people who will use it.

Innovation is also transforming your sector. What new technologies, software or methodologies are you adopting to improve the accuracy of your analyses and designs?

Today, we have access to increasingly advanced simulation tools that allow us to predict the acoustic behaviour of buildings with a high level of accuracy from the earliest stages of the design process.

Integration with BIM processes is particularly important, as it enables us to collaborate even more effectively with all the disciplines involved in the project. Acoustic design is no longer developed as a separate activity, but becomes part of a shared model that supports coordination and improves the overall quality of the project.

This technological evolution further strengthens our role within integrated design teams. We are not only acoustic specialists, but technical partners capable of supporting complex design decisions and making a tangible contribution to achieving the project’s objectives in terms of quality, comfort and sustainability.

Has the way clients and designers perceive acoustics changed in recent years?

Without a doubt. In recent years, acoustics has ceased to be regarded as an exclusively technical matter and has become an increasingly recognised component of a building’s overall quality.

Today, clients and designers are aware that the value of a space depends not only on its energy, structural or architectural performance, but also on the level of comfort it can provide to those who use it every day. In this context, acoustics plays a central role because it directly affects people’s well-being, productivity, the quality of social interactions and the overall experience of a space.

What distinguishes Dieci Decibel’s approach from traditional acoustic consultancy?

The main difference lies in the role we choose to play within the design process.

Traditionally, acoustic consultants are involved to verify performance requirements or address specific critical issues. Our approach is different: we consider acoustics an integral component of a building’s quality and actively participate throughout the entire design and construction process. We contribute to the choices that determine the quality, functionality and performance of the building, as well as to decisions affecting spatial organisation, the integration of building services and, ultimately, the comfort and well-being of the people who will use it.

Acoustics is not an isolated discipline, but one that extends across the entire project. Our role is to place specialist expertise and analytical capabilities at the service of a shared vision, helping the design team identify the most effective and sustainable solutions.

Rather than simply providing specialist consultancy, we act as a partner in the integrated design process. The aim is not merely to ensure compliance with specific requirements, but to contribute to the creation of buildings that perform better, provide greater comfort and achieve a higher overall level of quality. This ability to combine technical expertise, design vision and multidisciplinary collaboration is what distinguishes Dieci Decibel today.