Acoustic Design for new and existing buildings
Bringing the aspect of sound to a project is challenging. Still, this integration can positively influence the conceptual design phase as much as the outcome in terms of the experience of space.
Acoustic design, as an essential study built upon acoustic ecology (the study of sounds in relationship to life and society), is a matter of retrieving a significant aural culture, which is seldom the result of a purely individualistic effort of acoustic engineers but is often the outcome of a coming-together of several fructifying personalities and a task for everyone: "sound is an intersection between space and the people in it, and this intersection is never the same" (Van Lengen).
Architectural spaces and cities around us have sounds - pleasant or otherwise - and their materials and shape impact sound perceived quality and intensity. It is common knowledge that the most significant determinant of acoustics is scale, geometry and materials used, but that is rarely captured and taught in architecture faculties, as this process is generally delegated to acousticians due to specialist skills required and lack of integration within the design process.