SoundEscape

soundEscape a thesis

Emma Gracyk

soundEscape

author

all work written and designed by Emma Gracyk with assistance from faculty advisor Bryan Shields at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

copyright Š 2019 Emma Gracyk published June 2019 distributed by Blurb California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo Undergraduate Architectural Thesis College of Architecture & Environmental Design June 2019

soundEscape EMMA GRACYK

an exploration in aural architecture

to all those who have supported me along the way.

Table of contents 01 Overture abstract

statement discourse narrative

02 Exposition

research assignment

1 3 5 17 24

abstract

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03 Development

site

concept program

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04 Recapitulation iteration 1 iteration 2 detail show section show iteration 3

05 Coda

lit map annotated bibliography

67 71 77 79 81 100 102

“The basic concept was not to try to destroy or be provocative to the architecture, but to melt in...Mmmmm.�

Kissing Architecture

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overture

experiential | self-awareness | identity 12

abstract

S

ound is all around us, whether it be someone intentionally listening to music or the noises of our surrounding soundscape.

Sound has the power to influence our environment; it can produce emotions and memories based on culture and past experience. It also has power to positively amplify the qualities of a space, but it can ruin the experience if done poorly. Noise pollution is known to cause hearing loss and affect overall health in addition to providing everyday annoyances. However, not all noise is necessarily bad. The noises that make up a soundscape create an identity to a place. What might seem like noise to one person may be music to another’s ears based on personal experience and preference. However, a conscientious awareness of sound is necessary in limiting the harmful affects of noise and alternatively helps in creating healthier environments.

In a society obsessed with image and documentation, we have become an overwhelmingly visual culture. Relying on vision as our primary sense, we have suppressed our other senses as tools to comprehend and engage the built environment. However, people subconsciously see and experience a space aurally just as much as they do visually. Often in architecture, the visual aspect of design is stressed to the point that the overall experience is lost or forgotten.

In order to bring out the experience and create self-awareness in architecture, it is important to keep in mind that space is experienced not only through seeing but by listening as well. Just as some people-typically blind--use echolocation to see, we use a similar sensation of “hearing� space on an everyday basis by feeling vibrations around us. Music also has the power to create a specific ambiance in a space by kissing architecture in a way that amplifies its qualities rather than detracts from them. By correctly using the power of sound in architecture, a self-awareness and identity can be created.

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statement

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his thesis challenges that an aural experience is an essential element of architecture. By tapping into this often ignored sense,

we are able to tune back into our environment and find relief from the noise. SoundEscape is a speculative test of the aural experience of space through interventions in the cisterns in San Francisco. By intervening in one of the many unused cisterns that were once used as an emergency water supply system, sight is subverted by darkness– bringing sound (and touch) to the foreground. The site, located at the intersection of Montgomery Street and Washington Street, becomes a singular prototype in a larger network of interventions around the city.

These interventions challenge and combine the potential of curated light, sound, and people to create an always changing performance.

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discourse

A

rchitecture is often thought of as a visual art. We live in a visual culture that is constantly bombarded with and communicates

through images. We are so fixated on appearances that often substance is overlooked. In school, designers are invited to explore the senses by “seeing, tasting, hearing, smelling, and feeling” a building, but when it comes time to the presentation, often what is asked for is visual representation of an idea. In our obsession to make the ideal graphic, the other senses become lost or forgotten.

Children explore the world through the various senses. The child may put random objects in their mouth to see what it tastes like until an adult notices and deems it as dangerous and tells the child to take the object out of their mouth. Even at a young age, we discourage abnormal exploration and continue to stress a visual culture. However, the world is not only seen through vision, but through our senses as well.

It is important to remember that sound is all around us and it is inescapable. Silence does not exist, unless in a noiseless vacuum.

Whether it be the hum of the air conditioner or the wind outside, there is always some sort of noise. While we may be able to tune in and out of what we hear, sound has the power to affect us whether we are aware of it or not. It is important to keep in mind that sound affects different people differently. This goes along with Jakob von Uexküll’s theory of Umwelt, in that “ different animals in the same

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ecosystem pick up on different environmental signals.”1 While one sound might be pleasing to one, it might trigger bad memories and cause a negative association with another. In addition, people may experience sound differently based on their experience. A trained musician can identify the various layers in a musical piece generally better than a person not trained in music. A blind person relies on sound to be their eyes and learns to use echolocation to sense the objects around them. Sound can go as far as to be defined as something of cultural value. The reason a major chord sounds happy and a minor chord sounds sad is because that is how we have defined it in Western culture.

Space is experienced not only through seeing but through listening as well. While it may not be as strong as someone who is trained to use echolocation, sounds play a large part in how we experience space. Sound has the power to impact us emotionally and affect our 1 David M. Eagleman, The Umwelt, https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11498

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overall experience. An unwanted or unrecognizable sound can be considered noise, affecting us in often a negative way. Organized sound, however, is considered music. Architects over time have been fascinated with sound. The similarities between music and architecture have shown up in countless examples over the years.

Goethe’s expression “I call architecture frozen music” has been seen with architects emulating music and composers being inspired by architecture. Both arts use terms such as “rhythm, composition, harmony, dynamics, and motif” almost interchangeably. While music and architecture can exist separately, they often coexist and make each other stronger.

The overall experience of a space is influenced through sound due to several factors. First, architecture and music have a similar language and are able to coexist while strengthening their weaknesses. Second, acoustic design allows architects to design in a way is able to control the experience for a specific program and audience. Third, sound in a space is able to create and add an identity. Lastly, sound can make or break a space depending on the context and how people react to certain sounds. The role of sound in architecture has been studied through understanding the physics of acoustics, the psychological effects of music on the mind, the relationships between music and architecture, and experimentation with sound and space.

The Relationship Between Music and Architecture There is a fascinating relationship and similarities between architecture and music. They are bonded together by their own nature and their evolution throughout history together. Music has traditionally been performed in concert halls and churches that have been specifically designed with acoustics in mind. Music influenced the proportion and size of churches; while an organ and choir will sound rich in a large reverberant church, a Bach chorale needs a much smaller, less-reverberant space for the audience to be able to hear the individual parts of the music. The acoustics of the church effect the way a choir is asked to sing and how a priest must recite his prayer.

There have been many instances where composers have been

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inspired and motivated by architecture to capture the essence of both space and music. A prime example of this is Steve Reich in his composition City Life, a graphic and fast-paced song portraying the every day sounds and feeling of New York city. The five-movement piece brings in sounds of public transportation, such as car horns stuck in traffic and the whistle of a train pulling into the station, making the listener feel as though they are on the streets of New York simply by listening. There are speech samples in each of the movements that help give the illusion someone is really in New York hearing a passerby’s conversation. The jumbled piano riff and horns honking throughout along with the quick and varying tempos capture the never-resting and anxious feeling New York City is known for. The composition is not necessarily what one would consider a “feelgood, catchy” song, but the piece is successful in creating aural space and giving an identity to New York City. Other composers who have been linked to architecture are Igor Stravinksy, John Cage, and Iannis Xenakis to name a few.

Just as composers have been inspired by architecture, architects have drawn inspiration from music. One famous example is Iannis

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Xenakis’s and Le Corbusier’s sound sculpture known as the Philip’s Pavilion. When Le Corbusier was asked by the Philip’s Electronic Company to design a unique experience for displaying their goods, Corbusier responds “I will not make a pavilion for you but an Electronic Poem and a vessel containing the poem; light, color image, rhythm and sound joined together in an organic synthesis.”

Corbusier designed the interior while Xenakis designed the exterior and transitional music that would guide one into the formal space. The Pavilion was the first electronic-spatial environment that combined architecture, space, film, light, and music all in one.

Another prime example of architecture being inspired by music is Steven Holl’s Stretto House. Inspired by Béla Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, the Stretto House was inspired by the musical style Stretto due to the river feeding three ponds running through the site. Stretto is an italian word that means drawn together. The stretto concept in music is an entry or answer, usually in fugue form, that comes before the subject is complete. The subject is presented in one voice and then imitated in others, creating overlap and excitement.

Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall has bridged the modern day gap between architecture and music. Not only does the form symbolize musical movement and the motion of Los Angeles, but the building has inspired a composition and media installation. In 2004, the internationally acclaimed Finnish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen wrote a 26-minute piece called Wing on Wing to celebrate the opening of the hall. The composition uses Frank Gehry’s voice, repeating ‘it was the process...dream image...dream

A rendering of a scene from Mr. Anadol’s “WDCH Dreams,” Los Angeles, CA

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“Pithoprakta” by Iannis Xenakis graphs temperature and pressure of gas which is then transcribed to musical notation. An example of how music and visual is connected.

image...’ to produce mysterious, oracular sounds as the soprano voices soar above the chorales, playing tribute to the imagery of wings and sails that appear in the building.2 Fourteen years later, Turkish media artist Refik Anado transforms the steel superstructure into a living, dreaming Fantasia moment. The 12-minute performance of swirling light and sound are a collage of photographs, audio and video recordings of the Philharmonic’s own history. Through current technology, Anadol was able to take existing memories of the hall from the past and project that information on the building to “dream” of the future.3 In both cases, the artists found inspiration and showed admiration for the building by creating something for it. They show the potential in how different mediums can bring out the beauty and create an identity for the architecture through the artist’s interpretation.

In the case of Anado’s multi-media project, Gehry’s long-expressed desire to use the outside of the concert hall as a canvas was fulfilled.

The installation relates to this idea of “kissing architecture.” Slyvia Lavin describes the mutual relation between architecture and contemporary art as a basic concept that does not try to “destroy or be provocative to the architecture, but to melt in”.4 The combination 2

John Wheatley, The Sound of Architecture (2007), 15

3 Frank Rose, Frank Gehry’s Disney Hall Is Technodreaming, https://www. nytimes.com/2018/09/14/arts/design/refik-anadol-la-philharmonicdisney-hall.html

4 Sylvia Lavin, Kissing Architecture (Princeton University Press, 2011), 1

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of music and imagery dancing on Gehry’s building highlights the potential of the relationship between architecture and various mediums in order to create something more than simply sheet metal molded to create space. Anado’s gentle kiss for the centennial created a new identity for the concert hall by revisiting past memories and providing a grand gesture for all of Los Angeles to see. The building came alive through sound and video.

Acoustics Acoustic design has the power to transform a space to cater to a particular experience. A movie theatre is designed differently from a classroom, which is designed differently from a concert hall. Choices about material, proportion, and form play a large role in how sound affects the overall experience.

Acoustics is the scientific study of sound that dates back to the late 19th century. Up until 1877 when English physicist Lord Rayleigh recorded the theoretical foundations of acoustics, architects based acoustical design on trial and error and intuition. For example, the Greeks built outdoor theatres that included a sound-reflecting wall that worked for their purposes back in their day. Eighteenth or nineteenth century performances require a different sort of acoustics that relies more on reverberation in order to meet the audience.

Different types of music require different acoustical design--a Mozart symphony requires a much larger reverberant hall than say Bach concerts, which sounds best in small halls with relatively low reverberation times.5 Today, technology can be used to figure out the specific acoustics of a room. Modeling software can figure out the reverberation time of a room based on the form and choice of materials. While technology can check a design, it is important to understand the fundamentals based on physics and analyses of previous concert halls and acoustically designed rooms.

5 Leo L. Beranek, Music, Acoustics, and Architecture, (John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1962)

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Different programs call for different types of acoustics. Ideally, it is important to understand what a space will be used for in order to design for it. For example, a concert hall for wind ensembles and choirs require a live room with a long reverberation time. This can be achieved by having little to no parallel walls, allowing more time for the sound waves to travel before dying off. A longer reverberation time allows for the reflections to reach everyone in the audience to experience a rich and full sound of the orchestral music. A long reverberation time, however, is not considered the best way to experience spoken word or jazz. A dead room is considered best when dealing with spoken word, jazz, or a musical because it is difficult to clearly understand what is being said or played when there are too many reflections. While jazz can be performed in an orchestral hall, it is best to listen to jazz in a small, boxy room where each note of the soloist can be picked out and heard.

It is nearly impossible to design for every type of performance in one space. This becomes an issue when a single performance hall is used for every type of performance. When this is the case, the building must become a transformer and adapt to each performance.

The acoustics of a space can be adjusted using elements such as curtains and reflectors depending on the type of performance and the estimated number of people attending that performance.

Another option for transforming a space is to rely on technology and microphones to create the experience the way it is meant to be heard.

Just as it is important for a building to respond and understand its site, it is important for a hall to understand the performance and its audience.

acoustics in a reverberant space

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discourse

The WSP group at SFU, 1973; left to right: R. M. Schafer, Bruce Davis, Peter Huse, Barry Truax, Howard Broomfield and Hildegard Westerkamp

Sound Creates Identity Sound is all around us. It shapes and forms the world around us.

Solely through sound, an environment complete with memories and emotions is created. Sounds signify and give hints to events taking place: the sound of a baby crying, the rustle of the leaves, machinery, the laughter of children, birds singing. Sound provides context and has the power to influence our emotions. It is able to provide a first impression and create an identity to a place.

The surrounding noises of everyday life make up “soundscapes” all around us, providing a distinct soundtrack that creates an identity to a place. R. Murray Schafer, the author who coined the term ‘soundscape,’ believes our task is to listen, analyze, and make distinctions around us to fully engage in and create healthier environments. Schafer’s World Soundscape Project (WSP) inventoried the acoustic environments across the globe, categorizing them and identifying the imbalances and implications for human and animal health. The project continues through education by raising public awareness of sound and documenting environmental sound and its changing character. Techniques such as the World Soundscape Project help sound ecologists design healthier and more pleasant sonic environments by combining acoustics, music, psychology,

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New York City has some of the worst traffic in the world. The constant hum of the traffic becomes part of the city’s soundscape.

architecture, and urban planning.

One of the activists involved with the WSP, Barry Truax, continues exploration of this project in his book “Acoustic Communication,” where he breaks down the impacts of sound and technology on people and the urban environment. He argues, “Noise has become a political problem, an environmental issue, an economic factor, a health hazard, grounds for legal action...”.6 Noise may obscure the auditory image by lessening the clarity of the acoustic information from the environment. Noise can also cause stress and dissatisfaction to workers by creating an isolating acoustic space and reducing effective contact with others.

Another argument made by Toby Lester in the episode on Mapping from the podcast This American Life episode is that the noises surrounding us can affect our mood based on the harmony they create.7 Appliances resonate a certain pitch. If the heater resonates a pitch against the computer that creates a minor third, that could potentially subconsciously make someone sad due to the fact that we universally assume a minor chord is sad and a major chord is happy.

Appliances produce a steady drone that we hardly notice. “We’re 6 Barry Truax, Acoustic Communication, (Ablex Publising, 2001), 94 7 Jack Hitt, Mapping - Hearing, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/110/ mapping

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the first generation of people to live in an environment in which there are lots of devices buzzing, whirring, humming at us,” states Lester. “And the drone is sort of a symptom of modern life. We’re very acutely aware of own boredom.” These constant mechanical drones have become background noise to us that we hardly notice unless we tune in. Even though we do not notice the noise does not mean it can’t hurt us.

In some instances, noise can be considered good because it creates identity and familiarity. “Listening is an important human activity just because it creates an intimate connection to the dynamic activities of life, both human and natural,” (15, Blesser & Salter). The constant hum of the freeway or the ringing of bells on the hour might be comforting for some and be a reminder of home.

Noise, such as background music, is sometimes used in restaurants to create the “cocktail party effect” to provide a more intimate dining experience. With this effect, the noise is the unwanted sound around the focal point in order to give preference to one sound above the others. Some might find this sort of noise effect to be helpful when eavesdropping or having an intimate conversation, while other times this effect can appear distracting.

Conclusion In many different instances, sound has the ability to impact our mood and environment. While some research argues noise is detrimental to our hearing, others would say noise is necessary in creating our soundscape and is part of the urban identity. Regardless if whether noise is “good” or “bad,” sound has the power to influence our environment. How we experience sound differs for each individual.

It’s important to not completely shut out our environment–life would become very dull–but to learn how to listen. Space is experienced not only through seeing but through listening as well. Close your eyes, listen to your surroundings, and notice what you can hear.

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“Architecture implies sound...it moves.” A song “sounds different in every venue in which we present it….we are engaging in a dynamic interaction with our environment”

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narrative

“IN SEARCH OF” LOST EXPERIENCE When I imagine architecture, sound comes to mind. It is easy to privilege image in such a visual field, yet image can only provide a snapshot of a space. When I close my eyes and imagine a space I have once been, the image of the place becomes fuzzy while the experience and feeling are much clearer in my memory. It is one thing to see an image of a building in a book, but it is another to experience the building in real life. Sound, along with touch and occasionally smell, are key aspects in experiencing a building.

Listening has the power to provide one with physical aspects of a building that an image cannot. By closing your eyes and listening, you can tell how tall or wide a building is. You are able to tell the material of the floor based on the echo of one’s footsteps. Another important aspect of listening to a building is being able to hear the people around you. By hearing voices around me, I get the sense that I am part of some sort of performance that is larger than myself.

I enjoy feeling a sense of community by simply listening. If I am bored, I will occasionally eavesdrop on the people close by. While sight is necessary in showing us where everything is, sound gives us the opportunity to understand the full experience.

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PA R T S O F A W H O L E Music and architecture are often related to one another. Classical composers, such as Mozart or Bach, are often praised and studied for their intricate yet simple compositions. They are able to weave melodic, harmonic, and rhythmical elements together while telling a story through the overall composition. Mozart carefully composed an oboe or flute part to perfectly align harmoniously with the soprano voice while simultaneously using the cello and timpani to add rhythmic elements to the overall piece. “Construction is the art of making a meaningful whole out of many parts.” Just as Mozart was able to synthesize a variety of different elements to provide an overarching feeling, the architect must find a way to balance the variety of elements to create an overall feeling or experience.

ORGANIZED NOISE To contrast classical music’s purity dealing with harmony and perfection, contemporary music and composers challenge these elements by focusing on the antithesis of classical music.

Composers, such as Steve Reich and John Cage, challenge the standard expectation of music by using disharmony, fragmentation, broken rhythms, and non-standard use of musical instruments. Just as these contemporary composers have challenged the standards of classical music, contemporary architecture is challenging the standards of classical architecture. Music is nothing but organized noise. Architecture is able to organize contrasting elements and create physical space.

U M W E LT Noise can be disconcerting to one and comforting for another. We experience sensations differently. Jakob von Uexküll coined the term “umwelt” to explain how the world is experienced subjectively from one organism to the next. Umwelt explains for differences of opinions and allows room for variety and flexibility in design.

There have been studies proving noise in an environment is detrimental to our health. Others argue noise is a good thing, as it provides a unique identity to a city’s soundscape. The roar of freeway

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traffic can at first come off as irritation as one is trying to make a phone call or fall asleep, but over time the roar turns into a steady lull that provides a sense of familiarity and relief. Once the noise is taken away after we grow used to it, we become overwhelmed by the sudden silence and realize the importance of the noise in our soundscape.

PRIVILEGING SOUND In architecture, it is common to have sight overwhelm the four sense.

To truly experience a space, all five senses must work in unison.

Often sound is overlooked as an important way to experience a building. Architects may consider acoustics near the end of design when choosing materials, but rarely are acoustics the main driver of a project. Even an abandoned building creates vibrations that can be surprisingly noisy. During my second year of Architecture school, one teacher challenged our class to walk around campus blindfolded.

This was not only a trust exercise of the members in our group, but it challenged us to fully trust our other senses to see. By taking away sight and privileging sound, you start to notice elements of space that may not be noticed before.

INTO THE DARKNESS I am arguing that sound is an essential element in architecture and is necessary in fully understanding the experience of a space. In order to truly privilege sound, I have chosen to use the underground cisterns in San Francisco to exploit the power of the aural experience in architecture. By intervening in one of the many unused cisterns that were once used as an emergency water supply system, sight is subverted by darkness--bringing sound (and touch) to the foreground.

The site, located at the intersection of Montgomery Street and Washington Street, becomes a singular prototype in a larger network of interventions around the city. These interventions challenge and combine the potential of curated light, sound, and people to create an always-changing performance.

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PROCESSION The current intervention deals with various layers to create a transition to entering the cistern. The first layer starts at the street level, with a semi-hidden entrance to the cistern. Above the street is a hidden glimpse of the underground layer by having a space that can only be accessed by going underground. The street is loud and bustling.

The entrance provides a narrow staircase that takes you into the underground. The second layer is a procession leading up to the actual cistern. The in-between space is penetrated by columns and is accented by skylights to create a procession to the final cistern. The in-between space has hints of sounds from above, such as cars driving over or people having conversations. The final step is reaching the cistern. Once in the cistern, one experiences a sense of tranquility.

All outside noise is gone and instead is replaced with the sounds of water. The cistern has the power to create self-awareness and serenity.

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“If space is derived from experience and memory, whose communication is performed, AND music is derived from experience and memory, whose form of communication is performance, then might we not look at sound and space as similar occurrences, constitutive of each other?

The Aesthetics of Equity

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02 exposition

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ASSIGNMENT | HEARING SPACE

diagram showing how a blind person uses a cane to help with echolocation

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ust as bats and dolphins use echolocation to see, people are able to use auditory cues to inform where they are. While

hearing space is typically associated with blind people as a way to see, everyone subconsciously uses auditory cues to somewhat inform where they are. Blind people are not born with stronger ears; hearing space is a skill they must learn. Through practice, people are able to sharpen their listening abilities to hear space.

Inspired by an activity I did in second year of architecture school, I wanted to challenge students to explore campus blindfolded to see how taking away sight affects one’s experience. I created a short assignment that was then distributed to Humberto’s second year design studio. While only one student completed the assignment along with myself, the creation of the assignment itself was helpful in thinking about space without sight.

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Arch student Kat Seth participates in a blindfold experiment in second year studio.

You will engage in a quick, 30-minute exercise to better understand how blind people or people who must see without light (such as miners) are able to navigate space. In a group of 3-4, you will navigate around campus blindfolded while focusing on listening to the sounds around you.

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1 person is blindfolded (15 min to 30 min)

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1 person maps the path of travel and keeps track of time

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1-2 people act as the eyes and direct the person blindfolded

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After 15 - 30 min, switch roles in your group. Allow each person to be blindfolded at least once. Navigate your blindfolded person to at least one open space (outside) and one enclosed space (inside). Notice the difference between the experiences in a small enclosed versus a wide-open space.

Things to consider: •

are you in an open space? near a wall or local obstacle?

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what sounds do you hear? what is their proximity?

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what sounds are recognizable?

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is there disruptive white noise when listening to a space?

This is as much a trust exercise as anything: you must trust your group as well as your own senses. It is okay to feel nervous at first; trust your eyes that they will keep you safe.

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*click*

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abstract show

Sound is all around us whether we are aware of it or not... the hum of the air conditioner, the cars on the street, or the wind outside.

Noise is considered unwanted or unrecognized sound.

Music is nothing more than organized noise.

Enter the isolation theatre to see how sound effects you.

Stop to L I S T E N.

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soundtrack

1. Rain and Wind 2. Loose Bricks 3. Nighttime Crickets 4. River 5. River 2 6. River 3 7. Airplane 8. Outdoors 9. Cars on Path 10. Goats 11. People Talking 12. Throwing a Rock 13. Dirt 14. White Noise 1 15. White Noise 2 16. White Noise 3 17. White Noise 4

18. White Noise 5 19. Wind 20. Creaky Trees 21. Tacos-To-Go 22. Bells 23. Printer 24. Type Writer 25. Dissonance 26. High Notes 27. Ocean 28. Major 29. Minor 30. Minor Triads 31. Space Chords 32. 7th Chords 33. Chicken 34. Harmony

For Abstract Show, I recorded every day sounds that are around us all the time but perhaps we don’t notice because we tune them out.

For a week I carried around a microphone with me. I recorded white noise such as appliances, nature, people in crowds, and different types of chords. I then created an isolation theatre where people’s vision was taken away and the auditory sense was amplified. People then were able to write what they thought they heard without any sort of preconceived notion. This experiment was to test how people respond when one of their primary senses is taken away and another is amplified. The results were mixed; some people felt isolated and trapped while others felt mesmerized.

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True silence does not exist. We are constantly being bombarded with sounds whether we are aware of it or not. This chair offers a quiet, intimate space where one can find a moment of relief from this noisy society. Sit cross-legged, read a book, talk with a friend, or take a nap in the isolation pod.

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33.8”

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12.8”

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36.0”

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12 24.0” 12.8”

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...noise may function as the obscuring of the auditory image, that is, as an agent that lessens the clarity or definition of the acoustic information gleaned from an environment.

Barry Truax

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development

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PIER 39

NORTHBEACH TELEGRAPH HILL RUSSIAN HILL CITY LIGHT BOOKS

CHINATOWN

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

possible underground path clusters of cisterns

site - 655 Montgomery St bart stations

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site

When choosing a soundscape, the site needed to be in close enough proximity and should have an interesting story. The San Francisco cisterns were the ideal opportunity of exploring a controlled setting in a larger network. The SF cisterns provide a fascinating history with the potential of something greater. site parameters: 1. walkable, or non-reliant by car 2. close enough in proximity to visit over the year 3. quirky and fun city that has multiple personalities

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discovering site I

n order to analyze the potential that acoustics plays in a space, site needs to be in the hustle-bustle of the city. Within the noisy and energetic city are in-between spaces that are often over-looked. Potential lies not in the touristy sites we have saved as our computer desktops, but in the

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grungy hidden alleys between these iconic sites. In the midst of our noisy and busy lives, we don’t think to stop and listen to the sounds around us. We may not realize an abandoned concrete building creates echoes and sound. We have forgotten that “the hills are alive with the sound of music.� The site(s) must be the in-between spaces of an energetic city.

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SF CISTERNS - HISTORY The San Francisco cisterns were built as a response to a series of fires starting in 1849. The cisterns were meant as a last-resort water source for fire fighting. They are totally unconnected from the water system. In the case of an earthquake and the water mains bursts, the cisterns were a reliable source of water. They are typically marked by a brick ring or rectangle. Some are simply marked by a manhole labeled “cistern” or “AWSS.” While they haven’t been used since the fire of 1906, they still exist to this day and are maintained by the San Francisco Fire Department for the purpose of fire preparedness.

Robin Scheswohl/San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

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site background

http://www.waterworks.io/cistern_map

S C O T T K I L D A L L’ S I N T E R A C T I V E M A P Arist and researcher Scott Kildall has built an interactive map of the cisterns around the city. He gathered 18 volunteer bikers to go around the city and map the cisterns.

They were able to map about 127 cisterns, about 75% of them, in one day and created an interactive online map. Before taking a trip to San Francisco, I used Scott Kildall’s interactive map to mark a few of the cisterns on my iPhone so I could be on the lookout for them on my own. What I noticed was most cisterns were not obviously labeled. quick facts:

175 underground cisterns 75,000 - 200,000 gallon capacities last used - fire of 1906

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CHOOSING SITE When choosing a site, I was interested in focusing in and getting really familiar with one cistern. This one cistern then acts as a singular test that could be repeated in a larger network. I was interested in choosing a cistern that was on the border of many different sounds and cultures.

The intersection at 666 Montgomery St is in the center of the noisy financial district, the historical Chinatown, and the touristy Telegraph Hill.

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666 Mongtomery St.

site photos brick cistern

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site context

S a n Fr a n c i s c o , C A

site photos surroundings

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financial district

sit

underground bunker

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understanding site

telegraph hill chinatown

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underground cisterns

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site collage no.1 nature below

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exploring site

site collage no.2 underground club

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concept

Starting with the exploration of the relationship between music and architecture, the concept evolved into focusing on aural architecture and how the soundscape and how the everyday soundscape has an effect on our dairly lives.

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S

ound is all around us, whether we are aware of it or not. Often in architecture the visual aspect is stressed, but the auditory experience isn’t as well versed. Music and sound have the power to impact the overall experience of a space and should be stressed more during design. A space may be beautifully designed, but if that space

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discovering concept is overly noisy or quiet, the beauty of that space will be overlooked by the uncomfortable sound or lack of. Spaces are experienced not only by seeing but by listening as well. By exploring the similarities between music and architecture and tapping into the power of sound, the potential of how space enhances our well-being is brought out.

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harmony

agreement or concord.

motif

a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.

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defining terms

rhythm

an ordered alternation of contrasting elements.

tension/resolution

helps create emphasis by a sense of minor cognitive discomfort followed by relaxation or release.

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exploring concept

MAQUETTE By making a maqeutte at the end of a quarter of research, we were able to think about concept as a tangible object for the first time.

Each student was given a similar candle and was asked to design a candle holder that represents our concept. I decided to use golden rods shooting around the candle to represent how sound is all around us. Additionally, the golden rods make sound when plucked.

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concept

When choosing a soundscape, the site needed to be accessible. San Francisco has a fascinating history...The San Francisco cisterns were the ideal opportunity of exploring a controlled setting in a larger network. The SF cisterns provide a fascinating history with the potential of something greater.

S I T E PA R A M E T E R S : 1. walkable, or non-reliant by car 2. close enough in proximity to visit over the year 3. quirky and fun city that has multiple personalities

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discovering program In the process of being obsessed with providing something pleasing to the eye, often times the sensual experience is lost and pleasure of violence is ignored. In a space where sound is stressed over the visual, program becomes malleable and is informed by people’s own experience. As Bernard Tschumi mentions in Architecture and Disjunction,

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“actions qualify space as much as space qualifies actions.” The program is affected by the relationship between the space and its users. The body disturbs the purity of a space through use. Based on the Umwelt principle, each person’s experience differs based on how they perceive the world. What might seem interesting and comforting to one person may be unpleasant to another. Space attains new meaning through the different interactions with various users. Program must be flexible to suit the needs of different organisms.

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Music is nothing but organized noise.

You can take anything—street sounds, us talking, whatever you want—and make it music by organizing it.

The Aesthetics of Equity

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04 recapitulation

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iteration 1

The first design iteration led to many questions that needed to be solved: how does one get down to the cistern? What does one do once in the cistern? How does this relate back to the soundscape?

The first round of design was used to figure out which questions needed to be answered while also recieving critical feedback on what direction the design should go.

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HOW DOES ONE GET DOWN BELOW?

HOW DOES ONE GET TO THE CISTERN ONCE BELOW?

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iteration 1 | questions

HOW DOES ONE DEAL WITH THE DARK?

W H AT D O E S O N E D O O N C E I N T H E C I S T E R N ?

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iteration 2

Iteration 2 dealt with reflecting on feedback and answering the questions from previous iterations. Iteration 2 creates a sequence from street level to transition to the cistern that sets the user up for the serenity of the cistern. The design draws inspiration from the Crematorium Baumschulenweg in Berlin, Germany as a way to bring light and sound into the underground and create a sacred experience.

Crematorium Baumschulenweg / Shultes Frank Architeckten Berlin, Germany

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TRANSITION

P E R I M E T E R S PA C E

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iteration 2 | perspectives

INSIDE THE CISTERN

ABOVE THE STREET

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N Section 1/16” = 1’-0”

SW Section 1/16” = 1’-0”

NE Section 1/16” = 1’-0”

NW Section 1/16” = 1’-0”

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iteration 2 | site plan + sections

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scale 1” = 1’0”

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detail

Looking closer at a detail gave the opportunity to explore how exactly light would be able to get into the space. Inspired by floating column examples, such as the Burton Barr Central Library, the detail focuses on how light is brought in through a skylight system that is enhanced with LEDs so that the underground space will be glowing even at nighttime.

Burton Barr Central Library bruderDWLarchitects

Lee Hall College of Architecture / Thomas Phifer and Partners Clemson, South Carolina

Phoenix, Arizona

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section

Section show allowed us to cultivate our concept and research into one drawing that may or may not represent an accurate section of the space. I used section show as a way to explore how to get down into the cistern and what people may do once there. I used an analog approach to show the contrast between the grittiness of the noisy city and serenity of the cistern. Through section, I realized the project was less about program and more about the overall experience.

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experiential | self-awareness | identity

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iteration 3

Iteration 3 takes everything–research, precedents, feedback–and turns it into something tangible. The final iteration of the cistern is simply a prototype for a single cistern in a larger network. The light, sound, and physical space may change based on the site above ground.

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iteration 3 | site plan + diagrams actual site

proposed site

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iteration 3 | immersive section

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iteration 3 | diagrammatic sections

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iteration 3 | model

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iteration 3 | phases PHASES The project has three main phases that explores how space impacts one’s surrounding soundscape. Each level then prepares one to experience the serenity of the cistern. A soundtrack was produced for each phase by taking everyday sounds and combining them with ambient guitar and percussion instruments (QR code below).

1. Street Level •

bustling, noisy

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car noises, people talking

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rush hour in SF: rushing from one meeting to the next or trying to get to work on time

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anxious, stressful

2. Transition •

dark, slightly lost and confused

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regaining sight (let eyes adjust to the darkness)

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can slightly hear street noise above

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becomes slightly more calm, searching for inner-peace

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processional, spiritual-like

3. Cistern •

peace and serenity

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quiet and reflective

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find self-awareness

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feels relief and comfort from the outside world listen on Soundcloud

produced by Matt Rice directed by Emma Gracyk 91

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street level 93

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transition 95

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cistern

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Every song has a coda, a final movement. Whether it fades out or crashes away, every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music?

The truth is, there is nothing to be afraid of. It’s just life.

One Tree Hill

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coda

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Beranek, Leo L. Music, Acoustics, and Architecture.

Eargle, John M. Music, Sound, Technology.

Lord, Peter, and Duncan Templeton. The Architecture of Sound.

Thompson, Emily. The Soundscape of Modernity: Architectural Acoustics and the Culture of Listening in America Bandur, Markus. Aesthetics of Total Serialism.

Bennett, Justin, et al.

Site of Sound #2: Of Architecture and the Ear. Grueneisen, Peter.

Soundscape: Architecture for Sound and Vision.

Hughes, Charles W. The Human Side of Music.

Wheatley, John. The Sound of Architecture.

Wilkins, Craig L. The Aesthetics of Equity.

Lavin, Sylvia. Kissing Architecture.

Treib, Marc. Space Calculated in Seconds: The Philips Pavilion, Le Corbusier, Edgard Varèse.

John Cage Iannis Xenakis Steve Reich

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lit map

Muisc & Architecture Sound/Acoustics

Art & Architecture

Serialism

Precedents

Sound vs. Noise

Humans & Music

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annotated bibliography

SOUND/ACOUSTICS the science behind acoustical design and sound Beranek, Leo L. Music, Acoustics, and Architecture. John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1962. Before technology, designers of music halls had to learn about acoustics through observation of other halls and speculation. Music, Acoustics, and Architecture provides information about 50 music halls around the world.

This book is helpful when explaining the physics behind acoustics.

Eargle, John M. Music, Sound, Technology. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995. “Music, Sound, Technology” addresses musical acoustical studies by examining instruments, ensembles, and performance spaces. The book covers the physics of sound, the acoustics of individual instruments, and what is needed for a rehearsal or performance space.

Lord, Peter, and Duncan Templeton. The Architecture of Sound.

The Architectural Press: London, 1986. The Architecture of Sound provides typical acoustics of some building types in addition to multiple case studies of different building types.

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Thompson, Emily. The Soundscape of Modernity: Architectural Acoustics and the Culture of Listening in America, 19001933. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. In “The Soundscape of Modernity,” Emily Thompson charts what people heard and how they listened to it. Thompson takes readers through 1900 to 1933 and addresses how technology has changed our way of listening and designing for sound.

SOUND & ENVIRONMENT research in aural architecture and our soundscape Blesser, Barry, and Linda-Ruth Salter. Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture. MIT Press, 2009.

“Spaces Speak” explores the world of aural architecture and how we experience space by listening.

Truax, Barry. Acoustic Communication. Ablex Publising, 2001.

Traux’s research on sound and the soundscape promotes a deeper understanding of sound and its relationship with the listener and environment.

MUSIC & ARCHITECTURE the relationship between music and architecture Bandur, Markus. Aesthetics of Total Serialism. Birkhäuser Publishers for Architecture, 2001. Moving beyond the twelvetone technique in music composition, the idea of serialism encompasses post-tonal thinking in addition to relating to the human mind and world. Serialism provides a system that allows properties and dimensions to be organized with mass and proportions playing decisive roles. Bandur accounts music and feelings to three techniques in music: meter, dynamics, and synchronization.

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Bennett, Justin, et al. Site of Sound #2: Of Architecture and the Ear. Errant Bodies Press, Berlin, 2011. “Site of Sound” addresses contemporary work being done in the relationship between sound and architecture. Used for inspiration for abstract show.

Grueneisen, Peter. Soundscape: Architecture for Sound and Vision.

Birkhäuser - Publishers for Architecture, 2003. Architecture for Sound and Vision explores the relationship between music and architecture, and how recent technological developments in the music and media industry have given a rise to a new building types. The book provides precedents of modern day examples of music and architecture.

Hughes, Charles W. The Human Side of Music. Philosophical Library, 1948. “The Human Side of Music” explores the philosophical side of music and how it relates to humans as both the listener and performer. It touches on how music is affected by the current society, but also how society is affected by music. While not related to architecture directly, it is important to understand the relationship between music and people in order to be able to design for society.

Wheatley, John. The Sound of Architecture, 2007. Wheatley starts the article with the antithesis that “there is a widespread perception that music and architecture are profoundly dissimilar,” and then goes on to prove this is incorrect by going through a list of similarities and overlaps between the two fields.

Wilkins, Craig L. The Aesthetics of Equity. University of Minnesota Press, 2007. While the main premise of the book argues that architecture has a resistance to African Americans in the field of architecture, Wilkins deconstructs the field of architecture and reveals new possibilities by looking at environmental conflict and hip hop culture.

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ARCHITECTURE AND THE ARTS focusing on the synthesis of the arts and space Lavin, Sylvia. Kissing Architecture. Princeton University Press, 2011.

“Kissing Architecture” explored the mutual attraction between architecture and contemporary art. Lavin defines “kissing” as the intimacy and relationship between architecture and the art, particularly multimedia installations.

Treib, Marc. Space Calculated in Seconds: The Philips Pavilion, Le Corbusier, Edgard Varèse. Princeton University Press, 1996.“Space Calculated in Seconds” explores the design and efforts that went into the Philips Pavilion. With the collaboration of Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis, the Philips Pavilion was a temporary pavilion that bridged the gap between music, architecture, and marketing.

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