Essay #3

            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.