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bblesser
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 12
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lekizz
millennium club
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 1221
Location: UK
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 Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:21 am Post subject: |
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An interesting introductory chapter, spoilt by the first paragraph and the quote from Winston Churchill, of all people. Surely there must be a more directly relevant quote you can choose, from a designer that is interested in phenomenology and sensory experience?
Your opening paragraph contradicts the rest of the chapter by stating that architects are not interested in sound quality, or anything other than vision and 'space'. Isn't that a rather crude definition of architecture? The building types that you mention - chapels, librarys, consert halls, restaurants - all require thought by the designer to produce a desirable aural quality.
And I'd like to meet the human bat that can walk towards a wall blindfold and not walk into it 
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AP
Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 580
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:27 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | We shape our buildings, and afterward our buildings shape us.
—Winston Churchill, 1943 |
Your Churchill quote is also seriously misquoted, and misdated (1944), and I concur is not referring to phenomenology or experience, rather to the consequences of design.
Together with "form follows function" (which nobody said except quoting someone who didn't say it) "we shape our buildings..." must be one of the most misquoted architectural phrases. You can blame TIME magazine in the case of the churchill one. Should you really want to use it, and be unable to find what Churchill actually said, I can supply a reference, cos I used both the above in my Determinism essay this year.
As an aside, on the bit on music and space, There was some research done a couple of years back I read about *somewhere* on the use of organ music in stone-cathedral environments. Apparently so low are some of the notes on the organ that it emits infrasound, which you can't hear so much as feel, and often don't realise you're feeling, and the study postulated these were a central part of the "feel of god" experienced in church by people throughout the recent past.
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OpenEar
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Glasgow
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| Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:45 am Post subject: |
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I recently bought this book. It is indeed and interesting read and has helped me further my own thinking of sound and architecture. In particular I am interested in how architectual spaces can be improved sonically. I am director of a 'music design' company called Open Ear and we help spaces to use music and sound in the best possible way, creating harmony for the users of the space.
I also have a blog called 'Two open ears' on this very subject. If interested please check out http://twoopenears.blogspot.com and put a post!
would be interested to know your thoughts.
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bblesser
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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OpenEar correctly identifies music as being one of the most obvious applications of aural architecture. This application is called musical spatiality, which is not the same as physical acoustics. There are however at least 4 other types of spatiality, including social, navigational, symbolic, and aesthetic.
Of these, social spatiality is probalby the most important because it strongly influences the emotions and behaviour of the inhabitants in ordinary spaces, such as restaurants and meeting rooms. More specifically, when Ed Hall's concept of social spheres (social distance) is larger than the acoustic arena (aural distance), the inhabitants are functional deaf to events and people. This produces stress and discomfort.
www.SpacesSpeak.com provides more information about aural architecture.
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bblesser
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject: Repository for aural architecture information |
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During the 3 months since my last post, there has been a growing interest in the concepts of aural architecture. I have therefore upgraded my web site www.SpacesSpeak.com to serve as a central location for information on the topic. The site now includes articles, reviews, discussions, glossary, chapters, podcasts, and blog posts on topics that arose after the book was published.
As I find new material, I will add it to the site. And if you come across something worth adding, please let me know.
Podcast of the lecture at the Belmont Library: www.blesser.net/downloads/Lecture_edited_64.mp3
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