Techniques for teaching building acoustics and noise control to university architecture students

Abstract

Architects are visual people. And, we cannot see sound in an architectural venue. Perhaps this has something to do with their historically poor record in dealing with acoustic and noise control issues in building spaces. Experience in teaching architecture students indicates useful teaching techniques include visits to venues with both suitable and unsuitable acoustic conditions, using modeling and auralization so that students can hear simulations of acoustical conditions produced by various interior surface shapes and architectural materials, relating their actual listening experiences in venues of various types to interior surface shapes and finish materials, and discussing the acoustical characteristics of interior materials so that a visual inspection of a space can lead to a general determination of the room acoustic conditions to be anticipated. Also discussed will be techniques for teaching architecture students the basics of architectural noise control and the basics of mechanical system noise control.