PARAMETRIC MODEL OF CERAMIC TRANSONDENT TILE

VARIABLES: LENGTH, WIDTH, HEIGHT, GRID COUNT, NUMBER OF HOLES, HOLE SIZE, HOLE ORIENTATION

1 HOLE

2 HOLES

7 HOLES

11 HOLES

25 HOLES

SONOGRAPH OF 25-HOLE TILES SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO

TRANSONDENT ARCHITECTURE
FREQUENCY

SIGNAL : NOISE

SIGNAL : NOISE

SIGNAL : NOISE

Noise functions as a byproduct of architecture and urbanism within a larger framework of sound as (spatial) territory, both public and private. Some noises are pollution while otherssignalsprovide critical data about our surroundings, suggesting environmental sound control should focus on filtering signals to produce a highly tuned transondent soundscape of clarified signals.
Noise abatement, which can be defined as a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution, was initiated in 1907 by a law prohibiting boat chatter by horn-blowing in New York Citys harbors. The excessive horn-blowing was disturbing the sleep of the citys hospital patients, thereby making it a public health concern. This model of legislating against the source of a disturbing noise I have designated as source-oriented planning. This paradigm had to be expanded as sound insulation technology developed rapidly during the twentieth century, forcing legislation to require the use of such technology to require its use in shielding the person hearing excess noise. This new paradigm I have designated as receiver-oriented contains the source-oriented model firmly rooted within it. By challenging the dominant receiver-oriented paradigm, signal-oriented planning and transondent architecture diffuse the soundscapes of densely populated areas and traffic corridors, mitigating negative effects of excess noise while keeping ambient noise nominal. RECEIVER-ORIENTED PARADIGM

TIME

THICK TILE noise and reduced noise are a handful of thick bandwidths DETAILED TASKS, MENTAL FOCUS

THIN TILE noise and reduced noise are many thin bandwidths, pulse of signal is retained REPETITIVE TASKS, MANUAL LABOR

NO TILE noise occupies entire spectrum of bandwidths CREATIVE TASKS, EXPLORATION

SIGNAL-ORIENTED PARADIGM
DIFFRACTION NOISE SHADOW HIGHER HIGHER FREQUENCY FREQUENCY LOWER FREQUENCY

LOWER FREQUENCY

REFLECTION

HIGHER FREQUENCY

DOPPLER EFFECT

Analysis of the nearby pedestrian bridge shows how diffusion of sound can separate low and high frequency components from the earprint of the acoustic spectrum

AREA MAP OF AMBIENT SOUNDS

+14
PROXIMITY OF AMBIENT SOUNDS TO EACH FACE DETERMINES NUMBER AND SIZE OF HOLES

+26

+29

+16

+18

+14 Local workforce Low density Low fam/hh size Medium income $40-45K/year

+13 +19

+11

+8

+8

+14

+16 +20

+18

September 11, 2012 8:19 am 10 44 +29

KIOSK-SIZE READING ROOM: READ ALOUD AMIDST HIGH LEVELS OF AMBIENT SOUND

+22 +13 +15

+29 +3 +7 +9 +20

+19 +29 +22 Quaternary alluvium +36 and marine deposits (Pliocene to Holocene) +37 +36 September 9, 2012 1:17 pm 13 51
SITE PLAN
100

ADJACENCY OF PARTICULAR SOUNDS TO PROGRAMMATIC NEED DETERMINES ORIENTATION OF HOLES

Frequency 22 kHz 20 Hz Time (min) 0 . . . . . 1 . . . . . 2 . . . . . 3 . . . . . 4 . . . . . 5 . . . . . 6 . . . . . 7 . . . . . 8 . . . . . 9 . . . . .10

Frequency 20 Hz 22 kHz

BLOCKS MORE LOW FREQUENCY NOISE

BLOCKS MORE MID FREQUENCY NOISE

HIGH FREQUENCY NOISE FROM DISTANT FREEWAY

LOW FREQUENCY NOISE FROM TRUCKS STOPPING

100

ELEVATION OF AMBIENT SOUNDS

Lines are intended to show directional information about sound perception on-site. Lines are not intended to be isobel (equal-loudness) curves, as a field recorder was used to gather information, not a decibel meter.