The paper presents an innovative approach for the index assessment of the acoustic properties of churches. A new formula for an approximate single number index to assess selected acoustic parameters of church interiors, such as reverberation time (RT), speech intelligibility index (RASTI) and music clarity index (C80), is presented in the paper. The formula is created by means of the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method. An innovative approach for calculating the weights of partial indices is shown by solving the problem of redundant information, i.e., the system of overdetermined linear equations, using a computed pseudoinverse matrix. The new procedures for calculating the values of three partial indices and the single number index to assess selected acoustic parameters are presented. The proposed method was verified by measurements in several selected churches.

A new approach to acoustic quality assessment of churches during simulation tests is proposed in the article. The numerical global index, based on four partial indices: reverberation, speech intelligibility, music sound index and a proposed new one - sound strength index, assesses the acoustic parameters of the model of the tested church in a complex manner.

The global single number index was obtained from 17 simulations of acoustic adaptation options of the investigated church's interior. The equation of the approximate global index has been obtained by means of singular vectors, obtained from Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the Index Observation Matrix of Simulation Variants (IOMSV). The weights of four partial indices and a universal equation of the global index have been calculated using the SVD technique to solve the problem of correlated acoustical parameters. The global index may be a helpful tool during simulation tests of acoustic quality assessment of churches. The proposed final equation of the global index does not require knowledge of the SVD technique and the values of acoustic parameters preferred for churches. Therefore the methodology proposed is easily applicable.

In parallel with research conducted using conventional methods, a uniform index method for assessing the acoustic quality of Roman Catholic churches has been developed. The latest version of the index method has been created using the index observation matrix of 12 churches which have been rated by means of the single number global index.

Assessments of the acoustic quality of any Roman Catholic church, using two calculation models: the Global Acoustic Properties Index (GAP) and the Global Index (GI), are shown in the article. The verification was performed on the example of one church, showing the way of calculating global indices to assess the acoustic quality of a new facility. The next stages in the development of the index method for assessing the acoustic quality of churches were taking into account the audience, using simulation tests and determining the spatial distribution of the single number GAP index in an examined church. An attempt to use the GAP and GI calculation models to assess the acoustic properties of some churches is also shown in the article.

The research described in the article addresses the problem of measurement, prediction and practical use of the acoustic properties of materials determined in an impedance tube. The aim of the research was to develop a simple calculation model for the insertion loss of small machinery enclosures, based on the normal incidence sound transmission loss and the normal incidence sound absorption coefficient of porous and fibrous materials. Both experimental and model tests were carried out on materials such as mineral wool, melamine foam and rebonded polyurethane foam.
Assessing the absorption properties of the tested porous and fibrous materials was performed using selected theoretical models, relating the calculations of the normal incidence sound absorption coefficient to measurements of this parameter conducted using an impedance tube. The application of the modified Allard and Champoux model brought the best results with the smallest discrepancies of the obtained results in relation to the experimental tests.
Assessing the sound-insulating properties of the tested mineral wool was carried out using the proposed calculation model for the normal incidence sound transmission loss, relating the obtained results to measurements conducted using an impedance tube. The assessment of the sound-insulating properties of porous and fibrous materials was performed using the proposed calculation model for insertion loss, which was validated using two prototype test stands for determining the insertion loss of cubic enclosures, in this case with walls made of porous and fibrous materials. Satisfactory results were obtained for engineering applications in the calculation results using the proposed models with respect to measurements. The results may have practical applications in assessing the effectiveness of acoustic enclosures, in which the basic construction material is an appropriate porous or fibrous plate, selected to have both sound-absorbing and sound-insulating properties.