Higini Arau PHOTO: Manuel Castells

He is considered one of the world's leading experts in architectural acoustics. Not in vain, among the projects in which the physicist Higini Arau has participated are the Scala in Milan, the Kursaal in San Sebastian, the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, L'Auditori in Barcelona, the Gran Teatro Lírico del Liceu and the Baluarte in the city of Pamplona. The expert, who gives master classes and courses at Master's Degree in various campus and technology centers in Spain, visited Pamplona to offer a session at the Master's Degree in design and management Environmental Building (MDGAE) of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra.

How should the relationship between acousticians and architects be?
The partnership from the beginning is basic because the acoustician cannot go on his own. It has to be imbued within the aesthetics that the architect wants to implement. The architecture is fundamental: if a project is spoiled by the acoustics, even if they are fantastic, it is a failure. On the other hand, architects need the advice of acousticians, because they cannot specialize in all fields. I have spent my whole life studying this field.

They often say that Spain is a very noisy country ...
Here we talk a lot and in very reflective rooms, it is annoying. Acoustics must also be taken care of in the buildings where we spend our day to day lives and, fortunately, there is more and more of a comfort mentality. Many businesses have also realized that this is an essential factor for their smooth operation. For example, I collaborated in a very complicated case of a restaurant: the owner wanted to fix it because customers were leaving due to the noise.

What measures should be taken in cities to prevent noise pollution?
Now, with the crisis, it is difficult to implement measures, but the authorities must realize that noise pollution has an impact on the quality of life, and that it is necessary for people to be able to rest and therefore perform. Above all, it is a question of making a proper urban plan: when spaces die, they have to be reconverted and green areas should be promoted; plan one-way streets where people drive at low speed; at the exit of the ring roads, place screen walls on the buildings, vegetation...

What contributions does the new technical code make?
The law always aims to ensure that things are done right. In fact, the code is stricter and will guarantee more comfort. The problem is that there is a lot of ignorance about sound insulation and absorption. There is an obligation to comply with a rules and regulations, but no elements are given to achieve this. For example, there are problems with the measurements: the calculation method that they force to follow has an error of between 30 and 40%. In Europe, they apply the ISO of Eddy Gerretsen, who proposed theories of sound propagation assuming that the walls were homogeneous and that there was only one layer. But in reality we do not find walls of a single sheet, but of multiple: there are assumptions that the theory does not contemplate.

Will compliance with the new code make the works more expensive?
Yes. Before, there was only roof, floor, floor slab, walls and glazing. What they are asking for now - floating floors, suspended ceilings... - means more cost. Obviously, it will have an impact on the quality of life, but at a higher price, and we must not lose sight of the current difficult economic situation. Perhaps more freedom should be given to lower costs: some constructions were simpler in the past, but they would comply with the current technical code.