On the Opportunities of the Soundscape Approach to Revitalise Acoustics Training in Undergraduate Architectural Courses

Jieling Xiao, Francesco Aletta and Islah Ali-Maclachlan
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Jieling Xiao: School of Architecture and Design, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B4 7BD, UK
Francesco Aletta: Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London, London WC1H 0NN, UK
Islah Ali-Maclachlan: School of Computing and Digital Technology, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B4 7BD, UK

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Soundscape research has been gaining prominence in studies on the built environment. The soundscape concept is defined as the acoustic environment as perceived and/or understood by a person in context. Compared with traditional building acoustics, the soundscape concept brings interesting perspectives—but also challenges—for undergraduate architectural curricula, where it tries to strike a balance between qualitative and quantitative methodologies, a theoretical approach that in the context of soundscape studies it is often referred to as ‘triangulation’. Starting from real-world higher education courses, the aim of this paper is to examine how the soundscape approach can be integrated into teaching building acoustics at the undergraduate level in architectural courses. Methods such as soundwalks, acoustic measurements, and computational simulations that are commonly used in soundscape research are introduced in educational projects as tools for students to experience, analyse, and articulate the narrative around the sound environment to inform their design concepts and details.

Keywords: soundscape; acoustics; architectural education; pedagogy; architectural practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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