Ativação, Reflexão e Articulação sonoras na Arquitectura. Poiesis dos Corpos Ressonantes

Abstract

The present work aims to describe the relationship between sound and architecture mainly through the interface of acoustics. The sound field provides multiple architectural information about the program and the physical particularities of a space. The architectural program is articulated by the characteristics, positions and movements of the sound sources, which promote the space activation. As active sound sources direct questions to the space, the space reacts with characteristic sound responses by articulating its specific reverberation that informs us about the dimension, proportion, shape and materiality of the space. Listening allows us to detect many aspects of the architectural environment that cannot be detected from a visual perspective. Listening and auditory awareness are fundamental in the perception of space and connect us to the unique aura of the respective architectural moment. The characteristics of a sound space are significant for our comfort and auditory well-being and the consideration of sound and acoustics in the planning process can be a determinant factor for the quality and aural functionality of an architectural project. With this in mind, the present work tries to describe the two fundamental aspects of the acoustic response, reverberation time and resonance, by the means of history, theory and practice. It investigates how the volume, dimensions, shape and materiality of a space influence its reverberation time and preferential wavelengths. Ultimately, with a particular focus on practice, a sound installation demonstrates the resonant frequencies of a space in an augmented form with the aim of motivating auditory awareness and facilitating the perception of acoustic phenomena on a concrete example.