Acoustics in Undergraduate Architectural Curriculum: Outcomes of a Course Method Proposal

Abstract

Architectural acoustics is an interdisciplinary branch of science that requires knowledge about both spatial and auditory issues. In architectural education, which is mainly based on visuals and drawings, there is a search for a progressive educational approach on how acoustic knowledge should be transferred to architecture students, beyond the existing theory-based methods. The proposed undergraduate elective architectural acoustics course model is a method that can be applied within the possibilities in every university. This course method has been applied in the undergraduate elective architectural acoustics course called ARCH 390, which was regularly opened in the İzmir University of Economics – Department of Architecture from the fall semester of 2018-2019 to the fall semester of 2022-2023. Designed with the perspective of a musician, architect and researcher working in the field of acoustics, this undergraduate elective architectural acoustic course model is suggested to be conducted under the main headings of “Theoretical Knowledge”, “Experiencing”, “Research / Homework” and “Application / Design”. In total; the first two weeks of the 14-week period are basic sound knowledge, the next three weeks are about room acoustics, one week is homework presentations, two weeks are building acoustics and noise control, five weeks are the hall design and critiques, and the last week is the final submission of the hall design project and the jury. Throughout the semester, theoretical knowledge was supported by physical experiences. These experiences, which appeal primarily to the senses of hearing, as well as vision and touch, are in-class sound experiences, physical experience of acoustic material samples, music studio technical visit and concert hall technical trip.
In order to make the parameters of sound more understandable, it is planned to share the videos and sounds related to the topics with the students in the course and to make use of today’s technology in the most efficient way possible. Metric expressions can be explanatory in terms of understanding the dimensional relationship of the frequencies with the structural elements. Listening to the musical equivalents of the frequencies represented by numbers will make it easier to understand what a low, medium and high frequency correspond to, in real life.
It has been mentioned that technical site visits to places such as acoustically designed concert halls or halls for speech are important tools for a better understanding of how a physical phenomenon like sound which cannot be seen -but can be heard- shapes the architectural design that aims to create high quality spaces for people. The contribution of professionals from the sector was emphasized for the course. Acoustic material samples are physically experienced in the classroom, corresponding to the theoretical part in which the absorbance and reflectivity properties of the materials are explained. How acoustic materials in the market could be integrated into student projects was also structured through assignments and a design project.
Theoretical knowledge was used in the design project of a concert hall or a hall for speech at the end of the semester. In the project, which proceeded as individual or group work, the students were expected to design halls with a capacity of 300 – 400 people. It is desired to construct a course model that can be given in a similar way in every university without being dependent on a professional software. For this reason, the design of the hall is based on two-dimensional technical drawings and the RT calculations are based on Excel tables.
In architectural education, building physics subjects are important in terms of curriculum and professional life of students after graduation. Considering this low ratio of the elective courses in acoustics, it was aimed to generate data for new courses that could be opened and an architectural acoustics elective course model was proposed for the undergraduate architecture curriculum. The aim of this course is to teach the basic sound and architectural acoustics knowledge in general, while making it easier for the students to use the acoustic data during their design process.