Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

Julian Treasure has penned a thought-provoking piece at Sound Business: Where Has Sonic Architecture Gone? Required reading. Here’s a snippet:

Since Pythagoras (and surely long before that) building designers considered sound as at least the equal of visual design in the making of buildings. The sound of water (representing life) has been used for millennia, especially in hot places, to create pleasing ambient soundscapes, with many homes designed around a central fountain. Clever architecture has deliberately utilised echo, reverberation, focusing, diffusion and absorption to manipulate sound waves for spiritual, artistic and practical reasons….

When and why did the skill to design like this get lost? With modern architects and urban planners investigating the leading edges of interactivity, technology and all forms of light, it seems sad that the ancient wisdom about how to make buildings that sound appropriate and nourish the activities inside them is gone. I wonder if we can ever recover it?

I’m so glad Julian’s asked this as it’s been on my mind lately. I agree that the skills are lacking, but it’s without blame — most architects and designers simply lack the sound-related playbook or best practices necessary to ensure successful projects. Understandably so; for many architectural engagements, budgets and time become first priority and clients often give their attention to that which is familiar (and negotiable): walls, floors, heating and air conditioning, materials, colors and furniture. It’s no surprise that fuzzy intangibles like sound drop to the bottom of a priority list.

I’m encouraged, however, by my own conversations with architects who compensate for any lack of expertise with an abundance of enthusiasm. Architects who see themselves as facilitators of choreographed experiences are clearly eager to acknowledge and leverage our relationship with sound. They’re waiting for inspiration.

So, consider this a call to action: if you’re reading this, show me your inspiration. Where have you experienced successful sound in the built environment? If you think that sound affects our thoughts, actions, spending patterns and habits; if it can direct our physical movements and alert us to danger or guide us to safety; and/or if it can transform our sense of being in ways that are conscious, subconscious and even physiological — then where are you seeing it happen?

I’ll share my hit list with you next week, and I may also dive into some of the guiding principles for designers that I provided at the Experience Architecture Forum at Harvard last month. For what it’s worth. Meanwhile, let’s keep the ball rolling — let’s hear your thoughts.