Acoustic Design Artifacts and Methods for Urban Soundscapes

THE RESEARCH QUESTION IS: “How to develop and apply acoustic artifacts and design methodologies for improving soundscapes in urban outdoor spaces?” In the project, this research question is demarcated to two specific types of urban outdoor spaces – city-park and city-square – and to two types of acoustic design artifacts. These are: I Dynamic promotion of qualitative site specific sounds (e.g., the overall site specific sonic atmosphere, sounds from activities, birds and fountains), which creates an improved soundscape. II Sound-art installations, which creates delimited auditory sub-spaces within the park/square.

PURPOSE - METHOD: 1. To provide two case-studies of artistic soundscape improvement in a noise polluted city-park and a city-square. The case-studies will serve as models for future applications of the new acoustic design artifacts developed within the project. 2. To create and validate an innovative acoustic design methodology based on state-of-the-art real-time acoustic simulation tools integrated into the design process. The methodology will be validated in psychoacoustic listening experiments and field studies. 3. To determine the potential of the two acoustic design artifacts (I: dynamic promotion of qualitative site specific sounds, and II sound-art installation) for providing pleasant and restorative soundscapes, in order to strengthening the social interaction as well as the spatial and aesthetical qualities in noise polluted city parks/squares.