In architecture we talk about space and form. We talk about experience and meaning. All of
these qualities are inextricably the sensory experience of light, touch, smell and sound.
Sound expert Julian Treasure asks architects to consider designing for our ears, citing that
the quality of the acoustics of a space affect us physiologically, socially, psychologically and
behaviorally.
More after the break.
In this short talk, Treasure demonstrates how statistics reflect the sound qualities of
space. The louder the spaces, such as hospitals, the more distracted the staff is and the
less calm the patients are. Treasure also conducts a simulation that exposes the audience
to what “reverberation” in a classroom can do to intelligibility of the speaker. He then
follows that simulation with another in which the reverberation is reduced by 60% and the
difference is startling. He stresses acoustics in educational environments and cites how
education systems can improve simply by providing spaces that are more suitable for
listening – for learning.
Treasure stresses that as designers of the environment, architects must consider
our health in terms of the interference of sound, noise levels, and inadequate acoustics. He
gives insight into the results of certain architectural choices and provides sensible solutions
that consider how acoustics can be tailored to make spaces less chaotic auditorily.