Soundwalks in a botanical garden as a part of the planning process

Abstract

Soundwalks were taken over a one-year period of time in an existing botanical garden and in the community surrounding the garden as part of the process for a planned expansion of the garden. Soundwalks were taken so that sounds propagating from special events and typical activities in the gardens could be experienced from the perspectives of guests at the gardens and residents who live nearby. Special events included a special Christmas celebration with music playing and large exhibits that lasted for several weeks as well as mock-ups of weddings, meetings and dinners at several locations where these would normally occur. A house sound system was designed to include monitoring of sound levels and controls over processors so that agreed upon sound levels could not be exceeded. Full scale aural mock-ups of sounds propagating from special events were conducted so that residents could sit on their patios and listen to sounds propagating from the gardens and then walk into the gardens to listen to the sound levels played in the event areas also. This process allowed a dialogue to begin between residents, planners and the gardens to develop sound control strategies for the planned expansion of the facilities.