Review of commercial software tools for facade acoustics

Environmental noise is an important public health issue in cities worldwide and building facades play an essential role since they occupy a significant amount of vertical surfaces in the urban fabric. Facade acoustics deals with the interaction of sound and the building envelope, and specialists in the field use digital tools to perform calculations and predictive analysis required to fulfil project goals or meet construction regulations. This review aims to give an overview of the different commercial software tools that can be relevant in facade acoustics, pointing out their general information such as their developer, their type of software and license, and the categories within facade acoustics where these tools can be applied. The tools are classified in five categories: Environmental noise modelling, sound insulation, noise mapping, auralization and 3D geometry manipulation. Design tools for acoustics that cannot address any aspect of facades specifically are excluded. A total of 17 software tools are reviewed including 13 standalone programs, three plugins and one online tool.