The Soundscape

Preservation, Experience, Sonic Marvel

Tasmia Khan

BArch 2021

Supervisors:
Unit Leader: Gregory Katz
Unit Tutor: Jaco Jonker
Unit Assistant: Senzo Mamba

UNIT 17^︎︎︎
To Be Orna-ment To Be

This research titled “Resonating with the City” is focused on sound - how sound travels, how we respond to it and the effect sound has on how we feel. As designers we often overlook our sonic environment and therefore pay little to no attention to how important the soundscape is. Sound is measured in decibels – decibel levels have a range from comfortable to severely harmful to  hearing. Materiality plays a key role in how we experience sound, for example, hard materials allow for high levels of reverberation as opposed to softer materials which absorb sound. Sound is often only noticed when there is a change noticed in the soundscape. This change brings forth emotions of delight, awe and even fear and anxiety. In this research I’ve explored ways in which we can bring focus to acoustics as a spatial feature in our environments through the use of public sound installations made from ordinary unexpected objects. These explorations aim to draw individuals to various spaces and connect with one other whether to have a conversation, share a secret or just listen in. The sociological effect sound has in our environments is uncovered in this research through social and material experimentation, exploration of spaces and the presence of playful curiosity.

Keywords:
Sound, Soundscape, Sociology

---

---

︎︎︎ Previous Student