Outside
of recording booths and concert halls, acoustics are rarely taken into
consideration when designing a space. More often than not, a piece of aural
architecture will occur incidentally. For instance, in my house, I find that
footsteps tend to have a flatter, more echoing sound than in other places. The
house was not designed with this sound in mind, but the visual architecture
allows for fascinating sounds.
According
to Blesser and Salter, aural architecture is created by “the composite of
numerous surfaces, objects, and geometries in a complex environment.” (Pg. 2)
Every object in a room alters the soundscape, dramatically influencing how
various sounds and noises are perceived. For instance, when I am in a recording
booth and my phone rings, it sounds a lot more dead and hollow than when I am
in my bedroom. The insulation and lack thereof change the nature of the sound,
resulting in fascinating effects.
Blesser
and Salter say, “In a sense, we are all aural architects.” (Pg. 6) Technically,
that is true. No two sounds are alike, and no two people perceive a sound in
the same way. There is no singular vision, like in traditional architecture.
Everyone is always creating his or her own soundscape, enriching the world
around us.
