Identifying acoustical coupling by measurements and prediction models for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome

St. Peter's Basilica is one of the largest buildings in the world, having a huge volume resulting from the addition of different parts. Consequently, sound propagation cannot be interpreted using a conventional approach and requires experimental measures to be compared with statistical-acoustics and geometrical predictions in order to explain the interplay between shape, materials, and sound waves better. In previous research one of the most evident effects, the surprisingly low reverberation time, was believed to result from acoustical coupling phenomena. Taking advantage of more refined measuring techniques available today an acoustic survey was carried out and the results were analyzed using different methods, including Bayesian parameter estimation of multiple slope decays and directional energy plots, which showed that coupling effects actually take place, even though measured reverberation times were longer than those given in previous studies. In addition, experimental results were compared with geometrical- and statistical-acoustic models of the basilica, which showed that careful selection of input data and, in statistical models, the inclusion of phenomena such as direct sound radiation and non-diffuse energy transfer, allow obtaining accurate results. Finally, both models demonstrated that reduced reverberation depends more on increased absorption of decorated surfaces than on coupling effects.