From our geographically central location, Soundscape Engineering LLC's acoustical consultants and noise and vibration control engineers serve clients located throughout North America - in Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Petoskey, Michigan; Milwaukee and Madison Wisconsin; Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Northwest Indiana; Los Angeles, California; Vancouver, British Columbia; Dayton and Cincinnati Ohio, Winnipeg Manitoba; Saskatoon and Regina Saskatchewan; and elsewhere. Our engineers consult on issues of room acoustics, sound isolation, speech privacy, HVAC noise control, building vibration, and exterior noise impact. They also provide acoustic and vibration measurement services.

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Sound Matters

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by Mandy Kachur

 

NYT Article - Dear Architects: Sound Matters The character and feel of a space has more to do with just how it looks.  How it sounds either enhances or diminishes an occupant’s experience.  Michael Kimmelman in the New York Times on December 29, 2015, published an interactive article, Dear Architects: Sound Matters, that demonstrates this for various spaces and is worth a read and listen. Read it here

 

This quote from the article hits home for me:

 

 

Sound may be invisible or only unconsciously perceived, but that doesn’t make it any less an architectural material than wood, glass, concrete, stone or light.  

 

Aural architecture can be designed to emphasize various functions of a space: connectedness, relaxation, liveliness, sereneness, privacy, solemnity.  It encourages behaviors and states of being: active, socializing, quiet, awe.  When the soundscape is in conflict with the purpose of the space, it can create tension, frustration, and isolation.  Harmony is only achieved when the visual and aural architecture reinforce each other to support the function of the space.  All building owners and occupants deserve a design that symbiotically pairs the two.