Developing Aural Awareness in Acoustic Design of Everyday Spaces.
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This thesis presents research on the relationship between architectural design and
acoustics, covering both theoretical approaches and professional practice. The primary
aim of this work is to investigate how we can encourage an increased aural
awareness in those who are designing the built environment.
To begin this investigation we conducted three studies where participants’ observations
of acoustic environments were guided by novel graphical templates and
questionnaires designed to capture and model perceptual schemata. We then created
a system of dependencies based on our observations. When attributing value
to a sonic experience, participants’ subjective states were influenced by how acoustic
energy was diffused in the space and their functional and social expectations
of the site. Using a bottom-up model of perception for analysis, this process highlighted
the wide impact of acoustic communication and comfort on our everyday
experience of architectural spaces.
The results from one of the field studies were tested with other participants
through a multimodal map fostering aural and tangible interaction, called the Aural
Fabric. This interface served as a communication medium to elicit reasoning on
the soundscape of the built environment and link the studies through a common
situated reference. In a follow-up study we researched how the observational procedures
we adopted could be integrated in an applied creativity process, typical
of the design phase during an architectural project. Through a series of online surveys
and interviews with researchers and professionals we defined an ecosystem
of interactions between social and technical design systems, which give shape to
the network of dependencies between acoustics and architectural design practices.
During a final validation stage further themes were investigated, covering technical
and educational aspects of acoustic design. This work concludes by providing
directions for future research aimed at bridging the identified gaps between
architectural design and acoustics.
Authors
Milo, AlessiaCollections
- Theses [4223]