The effect of visual and acoustic factors on the sound preference for waterscapes in urban public spaces

•The evaluation of a waterscape is affected by its form, environment, and music.•Light music improves the evaluation of steady-state waterscape more effectively.•A significant positive correlation between the form and choice of waterscape is found.•The effect of the surrounding acoustic environment on overall result is not significant.•The visual environment has a significant impact on the preference for waterscapes. Waterscape has been found to have a positive impact on preference in public space. This study evaluated three fountains in Harbin, China, to explore whether their dynamic visual form and corresponding sound rhythm changes would affect the waterscapes’ sound preference evaluation. In total, 150 visitors were selected to answer a questionnaire on-site regarding the fountain’s perception, including its visual and acoustic environment. This field experiment revealed that people have different preferences for the sound of waterscapes. Each waterscape was then classified and subjectively rated for its visual and auditory aspects in a laboratory experiment. The results showed that there was little difference in the rating of water rhythm when there was no visual stimulus. However, participants preferred a dynamic visual form with distinct rhythm changes to a continuous steady-state form. The higher the score of the visual form, the better the rating of the waterscape. In this study, a significant positive correlation was found between the dynamic visual form of fountains and the preference for waterscapes. When adding music to a fountain, combining the continuous steady-state fountain with light music improved the evaluation of the waterscape; furthermore, the combination of the dynamic fountain and strong rhythm music was more popular among the participants. In general, the evaluation of a waterscape is affected by its form, environment, and music.