Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1333960
122 Understanding the project e design process Understanding the space Understanding building structures Organising the space Sustainable design Communicating design e human interface Acoustics Acoustic experiences Our brains use more than the senses of sight and touch to form their understanding of the environment that surrounds us, and one of the prime sensations that we experience and which becomes part of our response to our surroundings is that of sound. In the same way that a fi lm soundtrack is as important to our understanding of that fi lm as are the visuals, so our everyday lives are informed to a large degree by what we hear and how that sound is modifi ed by the local environment. Imagine walking between the dense, close-growing trunks of fi r trees in the forests of northern Europe or North America. e feeling of stillness and oppressive closeness of the surroundings is amplifi ed by the muffl ed quality of the sounds reaching our ears. Not only is there an absence of loud noise because of the blanket of trees and the carpet of pine needles, but any sound that does reach us is fl at and dead because of the acoustic qualities of the forest fl oor and the bark of the trees; irregular surfaces absorb the sound energy so that we only hear the sound that reaches us directly, with no echo or reverberation. e sights and sounds of a location work in tandem to create our instinctive reaction to the place. By way of contrast, an indoor swimming pool will probably generate a very diff erent response from us. Even without other people present, the sound of any movement that we make is augmented by scores of echoes, which combine to create a strident clamour, bright and brassy in nature. Add in the presence of other people, and the eff ect is magnifi ed. People raise their voices, making still more noise, in an escalating ba le to be heard. So, the way that sound is experienced can add to or detract from our perception and experience of place, and as designers we have the tools to modify and control the acoustic properties of an interior. Opportunities exist to modify either the surface fi nish or form of a material in order to change its acoustic qualities and we might also be able to infl uence the construction techniques used. Designers should be aware of the ways in which this can be done, and should be prepared to make use of them or to seek assistance where appropriate to ensure that this important aspect of our experience of the space is not overlooked.