ABSTRACT
A field study has been carried out in urban Assiut city, Egypt. The goals of this study are: (1) to carry out measurements to evaluate indoor noise levels, (2) to determine if these levels exceeds permissible levels, (3) to examine people's attitudes towards indoor noise, (4) to ascertain the relationship between indoor noise levels and degree of annoyance. 24 hour equivalent continuous noise levels (LAeq) were measured for indoor-domestic noise and comparison with current western standards show that the levels measured exceeded the limits of dissatisfaction given by those standards. Overall sound pressure levels measured inside typical university offices indicate that the presence of individual room-units of air-conditioning impairs the acoustic quality in those environments. The attitude survey showed that 29.4% of the respondents reported felling highly annoyed from indoor noise. By increasing the noise level, the percentage of respondents who reported felling highly annoyed is also increased. The results of this research demonstrate the need for attention to be paid to the indoor-acoustic quality of homes and offices.
