The Role of Sound in Shaping Architectural Spaces:

A Multisensory Approach
405-790 THz 20 – 20000 Hz
Background:
• Soundscape and the Built Environment
Soundscape, defined as the auditory environment perceived by individuals, significantly
impacts the quality of architectural spaces and urban settings.

• Environmental Psychology Perspective

From an environmental psychology perspective, soundscape influences individuals'
perceptions, behaviors, and social interactions within built environments.

• Acoustic Design and Human Well-being

Acoustic design principles aim to create environments that promote acoustic comfort.

Issue Identified:
• Subjective Perception of Soundscapes

• Sense of Place and Community Well-being

• Health Impacts

• Data Collection and Assessment Methods

The
Needimperative
for study:to explore how soundscape affects the built environment arises from its
profound significance for architectural design and urban planning. In architectural
practice, the built environment serves as both a backdrop and a vessel for the auditory
experiences that unfold within urban spaces.

Soundscape, the intricate blend of sounds perceived by individuals, plays a pivotal role in
shaping the ambiance and character of architectural spaces. Yet, there exists a critical gap
in understanding the nuanced interplay between soundscape and architectural design.
Furthermore, acknowledging the subjective nature of sound perception is essential for
architects to craft environments that resonate with diverse user sensibilities and
preferences.

By investigating how soundscape influences the built environment through an architectural

lens, this study aims to inform design strategies and practices that prioritize acoustic
comfort, aesthetic harmony, and the well-being of inhabitants, ultimately fostering the
creation of more enriching and sustainable urban landscapes
Aim:

To study the interactions between architecture and sound, and how people modify their
behaviour in response to varying soundscape.
Aim:

To study the interactions between architecture and sound, and how people modify their
behaviour in response to varying soundscape.
Objectives:
• To identify and categorize various sound elements (e.g., ambient sounds, human activities,
etc.), and examine how these contribute to overall soundscape.

• To investigate the relation between soundscape and overall well-being of an individual

and examine how it influences social interactions and community dynamics.

• To explore the use of technology to enhance positive soundscape and reduce negative
impacts.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India
Hypothesis:

To see, to hear, to smell and to touch are the senses through which we perceive the
environment around us. It is captured in our memory from the reminiscent of these senses.

Architecture at its core is to design spaces that can be used, celebrated and remembered by
people. Sound, one of the stimuli, plays an important part in our thinking of space. The study
tries to discover the connection of world of sounds to architecture, and how to use soundscape
to affect the architecture to inculcate feelings, and make the buildings more memorable.

Architectural spaces designed with careful consideration of sound, as a fundamental

component of the multisensory experience, will foster greater user satisfaction, improve
cognitive performance, and promote overall well-being compared to spaces where sound is
overlooked or inadequately managed.

The study will also focus on understanding and using technology to produce the desired
effects, and analyze its usefulness in accordance with the required soundscape of buildings.
Scope:
• The study will cover the psychological effects of sound, and how it can be used to
enhance the overall user experience of built spaces. The built spaces include residential,
educational, religious and public leisure spaces (such as museums, community center, etc.)

• The study will present the analysis of subjective nature of sound and how it can be
integrated with buildings.

• The study will present with technical details on how soundscape can be introduced or
blocked according to the requirements of built environments.
Scope:
• The study will cover the psychological effects of sound, and how it can be used to
enhance the overall user experience of built spaces. The built spaces include residential,
educational, religious and public leisure spaces (such as museums, community center, etc.)

• The study will present the analysis of subjective nature of sound and how it can be
integrated with buildings.

• The study will present with technical details on how soundscape can be introduced or
blocked according to the requirements of built environments.

Limitations:
• The study will not cover built environments where only blocking noise plays an important
role (such as hospitals, factories, theaters, etc.)

• The study will not cover the physical nature of sound.

• The study will rely on second hand studies for analysis on how individuals behave to
varying soundscapes.
Methodology:

In order to gain better insight into the topic, multiple soundscapes will be studied to analyze their effect on
human psychology. Here, soundscapes refer to the cumulative sound of all the components in an environment
that are capable of producing sound.

A qualitative analysis of data will be done. The data will be collected through secondary studies. The data will
be sampled based on the subjective nature of soundscapes.

The sampled data will be analyzed on how it contributed to the factors of the case study, such as improvement
in cognitive performance, greater user satisfaction and overall well-being.

Then relevant primary and secondary case studies will be done, where these soundscapes can be identified and
their effects will be analyzed. Their effects will be analyzed by studying the degree to which they effect their
built environment.

Finally, technology-based interventions will be studied on how soundscape can be integrated in a better way
with built environment.
Literature Review
Resonance
prolongation of sound the synchronous vibration of
a neighboring object.
 Hypogeum,
Malta

110 hz

Chamber
length
Reverberation
the persistence of sound after it has been stopped due to multiple
reflections from surfaces.
The Baptistery of St. John,
Florence
Way forward:
• Study and categorization of varying soundscapes on the basis of their impact on human
psychology.

• Analysis on the basis of specific parameters of the study.

• Secondary case studies on built environments where these soundscapes are introduced.
Thank You