Evaluation of soundscape and audio-visual factors in VR environment for quiet urban park

Abstract

The soundscape was evaluated in the VR environment and audio-visual influences were investigated for quiet urban park design. First, three urban parks in Paris were selected, and the sound environment was measured using a 360 camera and a sound-field microphone. Based on the measurement data, the VR evaluation environment was simulated by applying the HMD device and the 3D sound, and HRTF and head movement were applied to reflect the user’s movement. We evaluated the dominant sound and visual factors, and examined the perception of soundscape through semantic expression test. The analysis of the objective landscape factors and human behaviour in the space and the relationship with the overall sound environment satisfaction were examined. As a result, it was found that the satisfaction increased when the visually natural factor increased in the VR environment.