Thinking with my ears

Winner of the Landscape Institute Innovation Award, this guide was described by the judges as: ‘A compelling, timely and immersive study that breaks new ground exploring an area of landscape practice not commonly known or understood.’

This guide borrows its title from an article by composers and sound artists Bruce Odland and S am Auinger: “Hearing Perspective (Think with your Ears)”.(1) In the article, Odland and Auinger questioned why the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) sculpture garden sounded like any taxi stand in NYC, or why quiet cars were quiet only on the inside. The answer to those questions, they proposed, is that we live in a culture that privileges the eye in decision making and budget allocation, while the solution is to think with our ears.

Many professions think with their ears. Doctors for example, train their listening to detect abnormal sounds in the internal organs of patients; similarly, plant engineers and car mechanics attune their ears to detect sound changes in motors. Despite the crucial role that landscape architects play in shaping the soundscapes that surround us, listening does not play a primary role in their training and practice. Landscape architects mainly consider sound as noise to be mitigated. Sound as a positive feature is less frequently thought of, except in the creation of sensorial landscapes that seek to include features that target all the senses.

In the last twenty years, considerable research has been carried out on soundscapes from a variety of perspectives. In urban planning, this wave of research was triggered by the Environmental Noise Directive (END, Directive 2002/49/EC) that recognised the detrimental effect that noise has on human health and wellbeing, and required the identification and management of noise pollution and the protection of good environmental soundscapes in the form of quiet areas. A subsequent technical guide to identify quiet areas was produced that included the soundscape approach as a suitable methodology to that end.(2) This approach researches the soundscape first through human perception, and afterwards by acoustic measurements, and is guided by the following publications: (3) with further parts to be developed.

This article introduces the reader to key aspects of a guide that builds on this research and expands beyond it to incorporate findings from acoustic ecology, ecoacoustics, bioacoustics, sound studies and sound art to demonstrate the many advantages of incorporating attentive listening and sound into landscape architecture practice. The guide starts with general recommendations, followed by practical advice applicable to each stage of the life of a project.

Tuning in Classifying and assessing a soundscape is a complex task, as research demonstrates that judgments on sound are ultimately individual and vary according to context. Despite this complexity, we must train our listening to develop an understanding of how we alter soundscapes.

The first step towards training our listening is to tune in to the soundscape, a process that Canadian composer and educator Raymond Murray Schafer, termed ‘ear cleaning’ in the late 60s. Schafer carried out several exercises with his students at the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver to “clean” their ears, including being silent for a day to focus on the sounds of others or keeping a diary of sounds encountered.

Participating in or organising soundwalks is another useful exercise for tuning in. In a guided soundwalk, participants are taken through varied soundscapes in silence, perhaps stopping at specific points to come together and gather their experiences. Soundwalks bring attention to the acoustic properties of different spaces and to the background, foreground and unique sounds of a place.

We can easily incorporate similar exercises to the ones described above into our daily routine. For example, a recent exercise carried out with MLA students at Newcastle University included going on a soundwalk for five consecutive days. Through the exercise, students unfolded how their immediate soundscapes changed throughout the day and in time, and recorded their emotional responses in a sound diary.

Strategic definition, preparation and brief In the initial stages of a project, a soundscape assessment can be carried out through a combination of methods including soundwalks, sound recordings (to extract sound measurements if required), and review of noise and quiet area maps.

The purpose of the soundwalk is to collect information on the environment, sound sources and user perceptions. With regards to the environment, information should be collected on the geometry of spaces, materiality and weather conditions as they affect the experience of sound.

Soundscape assessment: effect of geometry and materiality of spaces in sound perception

© Edwin Yeung, Newcastle University

With regards to sound sources, sound is an expression of the activities and events that happen within the space and in the vicinity (4), and can, therefore, give us a lot of information about the character of the site and what is happening around it. Sound sources can be classified into background, foreground and unique sounds, and then according to their origin, as described in ISO 12913. When recording non-human sources, it is important to note that an animal orchestra in tune is the sign of a healthy ecosystem.(5) Finally, with regards to user perception, descriptors can be employed to record the affective response to a soundscape or sound. Descriptor examples from ISO 12913 include pleasant, chaotic, vibrant, uneventful, calm, annoying, eventful and monotonous.

The soundscape assessment can be illustrated through a map to capture the above information, supported by recordings and images.

uning in exercises: Sound diary, Changqing Park, Wuhan

© Mian Han, Newcastle University

Concept design At this stage, a positive soundscape concept can be developed to strengthen the overall concept for the site, increase positive sounds and reduce negative sounds identified through the soundscape analysis.

Soundscape moods can be the starting point for strengthening the overall concept for the site. For example, a suitable mood for an urban square would be a vibrant soundscape. To develop a vibrant soundscape, we can look at theoretical models of soundscape perception, such as the one developed as part of the Positive Soundscape Project. 6 According to this model, a vibrant soundscape would include a suitable number of sound events, perceived to harmonise with one another, and with a degree of variation over time.

Sound events need to be considered carefully during this stage. Sound events result from the proposed activities and users of a space, as described earlier. Sound emanating from them is altered by the environment before it reaches our ears. The resulting sound events can affect the behaviour and activities of the people experiencing that space. Accordingly, some sound sources might be able to share an acoustic space, and it might be beneficial to do so, for example, to create vibrancy, as detailed above. Others, however, might need isolating.

The soundscape concept can once again be illustrated through mapping.

Developed and technical design During this stage, we can make use of the direct and emotional connection that listening offers for the detailing of materials, presentation of proposals, and developed design. Listening provides a direct engagement with the landscape, which triggers an emotional response to it in a way that sight does not.

When it comes to detailing of materials, soft and hard materials will alter the acoustic properties of spaces and their perception. An example of this is how different footsteps sound according to the pavement material walked on. When it comes to presentation of proposals, auralisations can be used in conjunction with visualisations, or on their own, to sell our schemes through the ears. Finally, with regards to developed design, sound or sound strategies can be actively used. To that end, sound artists can be the source of advice and inspiration. Sound strategies can be linked to the arrangement of spaces. For example, a sudden change from a loud environment to a quiet one can have a sound amplification effect, a principle used by sound artists Will Schrimshaw and Jamie Allen for their Acoustic Subtraction installations that can be incorporated into the design of a site.

Construction, handover and in use During the construction and postconstruction stages of a project, sound can be used to monitor the health and changes in a habitat, but also as part of the training of our listening. Monitoring how the soundscape of a site and of our designs evolve throughout the day, and in time, will help us to predict what future soundscapes will sound like, with applications at all stages of a project.

Going forwards The journey towards thinking with our ears will require time, collaboration with other professionals, and the development of a new set of design tools, skills, and knowledge. Those skills should be an essential part of the training and development of all landscape architects engaged in the management and development of meaningful landscapes. To that end, a standard approach that relates to existing working practices, such as that introduced in the foregoing guide, is required to accompany landscape architects on their journey.

Usue is a landscape architect and lecturer at Newcastle University. She leads the Master of Landscape Architecture, and teaches across design studios, design thesis and construction modules. In her research, Usue investigates the role of listening in the affective engagement with the landscape, and the active use of sound in landscape architecture practice.

Detailing of materials based on sound: footsteps on gravel

© Usue Ruiz Arana

Soundscape assessment: effect of geometry and materiality of spaces in sound perception

© Edwin Yeung, Newcastle University

References

1) Odland, B. and Auinger, S. (2010) Hearing Perspective (Think with Your Ears), O + A.

2) European Environment Agency (2014) Good practice guide on quiet areas. Luxemburg: Publications. Office of the European Union.

3) BS ISO 12913-2:2018 Acoustics: Soundscape part 1 (Definition and conceptual framework), 2 (Data collection and reporting requirements) and 3 (Data analysis).

4) Blesser, B. and Salter, L. (2009) Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? Mitpress.

5) Krause, B. (2013) The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World’s Wild Places. Profile books.

6) Davies, W. J. et al. (2013) ‘Perception of soundscapes: An interdisciplinary approach’, Applied Acoustics. Elsevier Ltd, 74(2), pp. 224-231.