Auralization as a value management tool

Abstract

Acoustical consultants tend to rely on written reports, verbal explanations, and drawing markups to convey the scope and meaning of our recommendations. However, since hearing is an inherently perceptive phenomenon, these modes of communication are indirect: they require users and clients to imagine the implications of important design decisions rather than experience them directly. Auralizations can help us fill in those gaps by allowing users to “get a sense” of an acoustical environment before it is built, literally hear how design decisions influence the acoustical outcome, and feel more confident moving forward with the best approach for their project. Most often, these experiences convince decision-makers to devote more resources to the acoustic design than they may have done otherwise, occasionally even going above and beyond the “best practice” recommendation. However, sometimes the simulated outcome of the light touch approach is deemed acceptable to the client, and in these instances, the auralization enables them to avoid the expense of overdesigning. This presentation will explore the spectrum from “client invests more than we expected” to “client reduces costs based on auralization” with a number of case studies related to client decisions that follow the auralization experience.