Sound as an activator of spaces and its inclusion in the architectural design process.

UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS AMERICAS PUEBLA

School of Arts and Humanities Department of Architecture

Sound as an activator of spaces and its inclusion in the architectural design process

THESIS SUMMARY

(Complete text available at catarina.udlap.mx)

Sebastian Novoa Peña

ID 155823

Architecture

Thesis director: Éric Omar Camarena Martínez

San Andrés Cholula, Puebla. Spring 2021

Abstract

Technological evolution has made architectural design strategies please the sense of sight. However, the way we perceive designed spaces is essential for the correct human interaction in any building. Therefore, the sense of hearing needs to be included in architectural design because of its crucial role in how we perceive the world; it receives immediate feedback from our movements. The use of sound and acoustics in architectural design is beneficial to health and overall performance of the dwellers. It can also be used with artistic and/or practical purposes, the same way light is commonly used. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the effects of sound in certain human behaviors and the possibilities it gives to achieve a comprehensive architectural solution. This work shows some of the advantages of considering acoustic parameters in the design process, and it studies successful cases of projects that integrate acoustics. I carried out experiments on acoustics for this thesis, where I show the process and the methodology used. Finally, I developed an architectural project of a music school and cultural forum designed to meet certain acoustic needs. The acoustic design expands creative possibilities, and guarantees a better functioning of the architectural space.

This is a summarized version of the complete document, that can be found at http:// catarina.udlap.mx/u_dl_a/tales/documentos/lar/novoa_pena_s/etd_1011016714481.

pdf

Keywords

Architecture, perception, sound, acoustics, parametric design

San Andrés Cholula, april 9, 2021

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Index

I. Multisensory experiences: listening to the vastness of space 4

Why sound? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Architectural acoustics 4

II. Comparative study of acoustic qualities in educational spaces 5

III. Architectural proposal: School of music and artistic forum . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Functional program 9

Acoustic design 10 Plan views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Cortes y elevaciones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Proyect images 16

IV. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

I. Multisensory experiences: listening to the vastness of space

Cold wind on the skin, coming from the depths of this space, transmits the smell of humidity and freshness, contrasting with the outside weather…

Distant echoes of diffuse sources, anticipate the encounter with new spaces that are now invisible…

Hard stone: cold, impenetrable, immovable under the feet, that has existed for centuries…

Nearby surfaces denote solidity, permanence and protection; a slight twilight makes it difficult to distinguish immediate obstacles and recognize surrounding textures…

The ignorance, interest, and expectation of what awaits inside, incite us to explore the space that, unknown and unexplored, has become familiar enough.

Why sound?

The first lucid contact that human beings have with the environment that surrounds them is sound. A lullaby, a familiar voice, the constant beating of a heart, are all sounds that remain etched in the human mind throughout life, even without knowing it. The noise that we produce when we move is the fastest way to get familiar with the space, which in turn reveals our presence to the ears of any other inhabitant.

Architectural acoustics

The direct relationship between sound and architecture is established, using architectural acoustics as a link. Different spaces and projects with particular acoustic characteristics were analyzed in this work in order to understand the state of the art acoustics, using historical examples and contemporary projects.

Figure 1. Some of the drawings made by the author to understand the acoustic behavior of different concert halls of international fame. Left: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Frank Gehry (2003). Right: Elbphilharmonie, Herzog & de Meuron (2016).

II. Comparative study of acoustic qualities in educational spaces

Objective: To highlight the different acoustic qualities within educational spaces and show the effect they have on the activities that take place inside. The result is easy to understand for non-specialized audiences.

Methodology: I played a classical piece with acoustic guitar. I recorded audio and video in five different rooms of the university (a lecture hall, a music cubicle, a dance studio of modern construction, one built in the 18th Century, and a music cubicle) The distance between the sound source and the recording instrument (NIKON D3300 camera) was kept constant at nine feet. Finally, a comparative video was made of the different recordings.

Conclusions: The frequency range of the guitar clearly varied between each room. It is possible to grade each room in terms of clarity and sound intelligibility

Lecture hall 230 m3

Music cubicle 20 m3 Scenic arts hall 1200 m3

Figure 2. (Left) Scale representations of the studied spaces. Reference in meters.

Figure 3. (Below) Comparative screenshots of final video. See link below.

Link to video: youtu.be/KVAlElg9vjQ

Conceptual approach: Reflective corridor

Objective: To materialize a sound phenomenon with an architectural solution.

Sunset. A dense fog makes it difficult to see beyond an arm’s length. Long shadows cling to the moment, projecting through the mist and growing, moving away from the sun as it hides behind the horizon. There is no noise other than the whistling of the cold wind, which creates an atmosphere of intimate solitude. The sound of your own footsteps breaks the silence as you begin to walk into the unknown. In a short time, you notice a change in the environment. Suddenly, in the dark, you distinguish that you have entered a corridor, because the sound of footsteps returns to you as an echo from both sides. You continue walking, following the corridor by ear. As you move forward, a second pair of steps becomes more and more conspicuous until it is possible to distinguish that its sound is coming from behind, like a person walking just behind you, breathing close to your neck, breaking into the intimacy of the scene. As you pick up your pace, the second pair does as well, narrowing its distance more and more. You start to run, but the second pair of steps catches up to you and merges with yours. You turn around and you notice that the solitude of the scene remains unchanged. There was never another pair of steps, you have lost a race against yourself. It is then when, though the fog and darkness interfere with your vision, your mind manages to understand the echo in the space you have gone through.

Figure 4. Author’s illustration inspired by the narration. First conceptual approach to the architectural project.

Sound phenomenon: The person travels through space and as he walks along, he confuses the echo of his steps with those of a pursuer. The protagonist, being deprived of sight, perceives the environment through the other senses, and the spatial conditions that surround him are deciphered with his ear.

Elements: A linear path, a sound source that moves through space, and obstacles along the way that reflect the sound to its source.

Proposal: A corridor made up of flat pillars that function as sound reflectors. The pillars have a predetermined distance and angle in order to return to the walking visitor the echo of his footsteps in different ways.

Figure 5. (Above) First geometric approaches to the project, modifying the edges of the corridor. The moving point in the center of the hall represents the visitor. Identification of variables such as separation between reflectors, distance between reflector and visitor and variation of the angle of the reflectors perpendicular to the visitor.

Figure 6. (Right) Plan view of the final proposal with the visitor at different places along the route. The white point represents the visitor, the trapezoids are reflectors, and the inverted shadow is the area of action of the active reflectors. The solid part of the wall that would generate unwanted reflections has been removed. A space is created in the center where the distance between visitor and reflectors grows to increase the reverberation time, generating a distinguishable echo.

Model developed in Rhino 6 + Grasshopper, based on the narrative, with a manually found solution. Graphics edited in Adobe Photoshop.

Figure 7. (Left) Screenshot of the final video, showing the acoustic behavior of the space. Video made with VRay for Grasshopper, placing the camera in the visitor’s eye. Acoustic simulation made with Adobe Audition. See link below.

Link to video youtu.be/tltzX-0bDzY

III. Architectural proposal: School of music and artistic forum

Project: Architectural design of a music school and artistic venue. This design took into consideration a profound research on acoustics and music in Architecture that I carried out throughout the program. The building has classrooms, offices, a chamber music hall, a recording studio, an open-air forum, and an experimental acoustic space.

Methodology: I designed each space to function in the best possible way according to its objective. Acoustic criteria were considered, taking the function of each space into account, as well as its location in the project and the desired level of privacy. I used form as a tool to generate spaces for different uses, respecting the appropriate heights and spaces for each activity. The recording studio and ensemble practice rooms are taller than the study cubicles, as well as the chamber music hall. All the spaces in the project are geometrically different, so each one has unique acoustic qualities.

Figure 8. Some of the formal criteria used to make the spaces acoustically efficient. Section cut operations (above): It started from a simple structure of concrete slabs that were modified to maximize the height where it was required, seeking the development of low frequencies inside spaces such as the auditorium, practice rooms, and recording studio. See A Section on page 14.

Figure 9. Plan view operations (left): Study cubicle area. To avoid unwanted reflections and standing waves at the geometric level, we started from orthogonal spaces and the angles between walls were modified, avoiding parallel walls and right angles, reducing focalizations and dispersing the sound in a more random way.

Functional program

The complex is divided into two buildings, one houses the entire educational and cultural program, and the other serves as a warehouse and service space, and it houses the experimental acoustic space on its roof. The spaces were organized in such a way that each one maintained its acoustic individuality throughout the day. The project seeks to integrate students and campus attendees and achieve a comprehensive educational and artistic environment, so that spaces for public use such as the recording studio, cafeteria, and stages, are mixed with the spaces of the school, always avoiding noise interference between them. On the ground floor is the chamber music hall with a lobby that leads into the entire building. In the upper levels are the educational spaces of the school. The public and circulation areas are concentrated around the building’s lobby, which is

connected to all levels through its double height and the core of stairs. Spaces that require more privacy and acoustic intimacy such as study cubicles and the recording studio are located deeper in the building.

Figure 10. Isometric diagrams. Set (left) and exploded (right) showing the relationship between different spaces and their location in the project.

Artistic forums

Dressing rooms Control room

Study cubicles

Group classrooms

Live rooms Cafeteria Offices Restrooms

Acoustic design

I used parametric design tools for acoustic purposes such as Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Snail, WallaceiX, and others. Simulations and models of sound behavior were carried out in the most important forums of the building to find the best acoustic configuration of the space.

Each acoustic space has different characteristics and needs so the technology at hand was used to guarantee the best possible result. I used optimization algorithms as a tool to make each space more acoustically efficient. The main auditorium, which due to its size functions as a chamber music room, must guarantee the best possible hearing for each seat and control the excess volume that may be generated. To accomplish this, I propose a series of acoustic reflectors on the ceiling and walls to distribute the sound waves through the seating area. I did this by modeling the structure of the room and stage in Rhinoceros 6 and programming a definition in Grasshopper that would materialize these reflectors. Afterwards, using Snail plugin, I placed a sound source on the stage and 2000 rays were launched in all directions, to then count the amount of them that fell onto the

Figure 11. (Above) Simulation of acoustic behavior in the auditorium through ray tracing. Software: Rhinoceros 6 + Grasshopper + Snail + WallaceiX.

Figure 12. (Left) Interface of the WallaceiX algorithm after multi-objective optimization of acoustic panels. Three indicated objectives: maximize rays in the seating area in the theater, maximize rays in seats in boxes and minimize visibility obstructions.

seats. Then, using the WallaceiX multi-objective optimization algorithm, I changed the geometric variables of ceilings and walls until the option that best directed the sound to the public was found.

For the experimental space, I used a similar methodology. In this case, I located the sound source in the center of the stage and left the geometry of the two building facades and the intermediate wall as variables. This generated a shell over the stage and living area, and acoustic reflectors on the façade of the school and intermediate wall. For this process, 10,000 rays were generated starting from the source and Silvereye optimization software would manipulate all the surrounding surfaces to bounce the sound waves back towards the area. This way, an exterior forum was created, with a level of acoustic intimacy like that of an interior space. For both the auditorium and the experimental space, I made manual adjustments at the end of the optimization to ensure that the architectural objectives were met.

Figure 13. (Above) Simulation of acoustic behavior in experimental space through ray tracing. Software: Rhinoceros 6 + Grasshopper + Snail + Silvereye Editor.

Figure 14. (Left) View of the acoustic shell after optimization. Objective: maximize rays in experimental area (opaque blue surface).

Lobby

Level 1 Hallway and exit to bridge and experimental space

Acoustic shell from bridge

Stage view from audience

Audience view from stage

Terrace and Open Stage 1

Level 2 Group Classrooms and corridor to recording studio

IV. Conclusions

Ludwig van Beethoven

• Sound was shown from different perspectives in order to be understood as an essential part of our world. It is the responsibility of architects to sensually enhance built spaces.

• Different methods were proposed to include acoustic design from the very conception of a project.

• All the experiments carried out can be further developed and the investigation is not yet concluded.

• The results of this work lay the foundations to direct the line of exploration towards the growing technological tools and formal composition for architectural acoustic design.

• Each of the senses is relevant and should be aimed at multisensory architectural creation as part of an integral design.

• Architectural acoustics awaits more theoretical and technological development.

All sounds require a space to be heard in and every space is understood by the sounds it reflects. Sound will never be a subject unrelated to architecture.

This is a summarized version of the complete document, that can be found at http://catarina.udlap. mx/u_dl_a/tales/documentos/lar/novoa_pena_s/etd_1011016714481.pdf

“Architecture is a music of stones and music, an architecture of sounds”