Psychoacoustical Evaluation as a Basis for the Development of Methods in Physical Planning and Landscape Architecture (original) (raw)

Sound as an integral part of the spatial landscape experience and design

2018

The active design of acoustic landscape qualities plays a central role in the creation of high-quality open spaces. In the course of this intervention I will present the approach of my doctoral research, which I am pursuing at the Institute of Landscape Architecture at the ETH Zurich. By relating auditory perceptual models with the tangible experience of concrete places, this research will develop new methods for the inclusion of sound in landscape architectural design.

Site Soundscapes Landscape architecture in the light of sound

2003

Hedfors, Per. 2003. Site Soundscapes – landscape architecture in the light of sound. Doctor’s dissertation. issn 1401-6249, isbn 91-576-6425-0. This research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on projects in which the acoustic aspects can be taken into consideration. In such projects activities are located within the landscape and specific sounds belong to specific activities. This research raised the orchestration of the soundscape as a new area of concern in the field of landscape architecture; a new method of approaching the problem was suggested. Professionals can learn to recognise the auditory phenomena which are characteristic of a certain type of land use. Acoustic sources are obvious planning elements which can be used as a starting point in the development process. The effects on the soundscape can subsequently be evaluated according to various planning options. The landscape is viewed as a space for sound sources and listeners where the sounds are ...

Sound in Landscape Architecture : A Soundscape Approach to Noise

Landscape planning and design involve decisions that have far-reaching effects, positive and negative, on the soundscape. However, landscape architecture and related disciplines have not fully recognised the possibilities of considering sound issues in design projects. This is problematic, considering that sound influences health and wellbeing and is an important factor in environmental experience. This thesis examines how soundscape thinking can be facilitated in landscape architecture. The work is based on a mixed-method approach and it is practice-orientated in the sense that it studies how landscape architects currently work with sound and how they could work with sound in the future. The soundscape concept is used to emphasise the experiential characteristics of the sonic environment and to discuss the role of sound in landscape architecture, particularly in noise-exposed situations. Applications of soundscape design are raised in several examples, including construction of a design intervention as a reference project involving noise masking. The understandings obtained are used to formulate a set of strategies and tools for the profession as a soundscape approach to noise, in which problems and possibilities are given consideration to ensure a varied and purposeful environment. A model based on three categories is presented to evaluate and facilitate such a comprehensive approach, where each of the three categories (localisation of functions, reduction of unwanted sounds and introduction of wanted sounds) represents a central consideration that can be taken in landscape architecture. An extended version of the comprehensive model is also presented. It comprises a list of 23 ‘soundscape actions’, each of which represents a concrete, general strategy that can be adopted to improve soundscapes, particularly focusing on noise-exposed situations. To increase applicability, the soundscape actions were developed in collaboration with professional landscape architects, Master’s students, acousticians, artists and other experts. The findings are discussed in relation to contemporary challenges in the profession, particularly focusing on the sustainability discourse and covering issues such as green structures, densification and the notion of ‘quiet areas’.

Sensory Aspects of Simulation and Representation In Landscape And Environmental Planning: A Soundscape Perspective

Innovative Technologies in Urban Mapping, 2014

The complexity of human spatial experience is often taken for granted. According to Gibson, we perceive the world in a dynamic way (Gibson, 1979), thus, due to the phenomenon of movement, perception is not static. Moreover perception itself involves a variety of senses: hearing, touch, smell, taste, sight, the kinaesthetic system (the ability to perceive and coordinate movement) and the vestibular system (the sense of balance). It is clear that pictures do not provide a multi-sensory experience (no smell, no sound, no humidity). Nevertheless, one must say that most of human perception is based on visual information processing, through sight. At the same time, the language of planners, designers and engineers is a form of abstraction, made of images and means of spatial visualization (such as maps) that must convey information and sometimes generate emotions. This paper provides an overview and outlook of research demonstrating the potential for using multisensory experience for the design, evaluation and assessment of landscape, facilitated by environmental simulation. Conventionally depicted visually, landscape is experienced as a multisensory phenomenon. Research has demonstrated that while visually dominated, all perception is multisensory. The most promising sensory modalities to investigate in combination are sound and vision. Simulation hardware, tools and techniques have reached the point where combining 3D landscape models and acoustic stimuli is achievable and affordable, with the potential to contribute significantly to the future of the planning and design process.

Urban soundscapes: a quasi-experiment in landscape architecture

Soundscapes are becoming increasingly recognised as significant for sustainable development, since they involve issues of health and quality of life. With this in mind, the present study aims to further our understanding of how urban soundscapes can be altered through design of outdoor space. The study took the form of a quasi-experiment on an urban square, involving sound screens covered with ivy to form a small arbour. Assessment was effected using a mixed-method approach that included measurements of sound pressure levels as well as self-reports from (in total) 205 visitors (198 questionnaires and 9 semi-structured interviews were used for analysis). The findings reveal that the arbour improved the soundscape. This effect was further enhanced when forest sounds were added through loudspeakers, underlining the importance of qualitative considerations. The study additionally highlights potential applications of soundscape design, by examining a number of issues encountered during the project in relation to landscape architecture.

Sound influence on landscape values

Landscape and Urban Planning, 1999

In order to study the in¯uence of the interaction between visual and acoustic stimuli on perception of the environment, 36 sound and image combinations were presented to 75 subjects. The sounds and images used were of natural and semi-natural settings and urban green space. Affective response was measured in terms of pleasure. The results show a rank of preferences running from natural to man-made sounds, with the nuance of a potential alert or alarm-raising component of the sound. The potential for alert or alarm-raising may be related, over and above the information content or meaning, to the characteristics of the sound frequency spectrum, speci®cally to the existence of frequency bands whose sound levels impose themselves on the acoustic background. The congruence or coherence between sound and image in¯uences preferences. Coherent combinations are rated higher than the mean of the component stimuli. Results suggest that there is a need to identify places or settings where the conservation of the sound environment is essential, because of its salient informational content or due to the drastic impact of the loss of sound quality on observer appreciation, for example, in urban green spaces, natural spaces and cultural landscapes. #

Soundscape as a design strategy for landscape architectural praxis

Design Studies, 2013

In this paper I introduce the notion of soundscape and the terminology used by the interdisciplinary field of soundscape studies, founded by composer and activist R. Murray Schafer in the late 1960s. Using the example of 3 recent landscape architecture design studios taught at RMIT University, Melbourne Australia, I examine important theoretical concepts of soundscape studies and how these concepts were used to guide a number of design exercises and design projects of the studios. I also further reflect on the pedagogical aspects of teaching soundscape to design students and the larger implications of such methodologies for the field of design in the built environment.

Evaluating soundscape intentions in landscape architecture: a study of competition entries for a new cemetery in Järva, Stockholm

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2016

While soundscape is increasingly acknowledged within landscape planning and design discourse, there is little research that clarifies how soundscapes are actually dealt with in landscape architecture practice-partly owing to methodological insufficiencies. This paper, therefore, describes a model for evaluating soundscape treatment in landscape design proposals, focusing on three key aspects. With the dual aim of testing the model, and learning more about how soundscape is approached in practice, the paper spotlights a major design competition for a new cemetery in Sweden. The model proved fruitful and easy to apply. It showed that only limited attention was paid to soundscape in the competition as a whole, and was a useful means of pinpointing proposals where soundscape was fully considered as a design feature; one competition entry that did so is described in the paper.

Soundscape actions: A tool for noise treatment based on three workshops in landscape architecture

This paper reports experiences from three workshops dealing with soundscape as a noise treatment approach in landscape architecture. The workshops were conducted between 2012 and 2016 in different contexts, for different purposes and with different participants. The paper describes the workshop approach employed and analyzes the proposals made by workshop participants to employ " soundscape action " as an operational tool in landscape architecture projects. Through a process of 'keywording' and clustering proposals from the workshops, 22 pragmatic soundscape actions emerged and are described on a general level. The paper then discusses the outcomes and experiences from the workshops and relates this to landscape architecture practice.

Evaluation of Soundscapes in Urban Parks in Olsztyn (Poland) for Improvement of Landscape Design and Management

Land

Soundscape analyses and noise measurements should be a part of pre-design works involved in planning green areas in city centers. The aim of the study was to conduct a multi-criteria analysis of the soundscape of three parks in Olsztyn (Poland) as a part of the landscape planning process to determine the directions of re-design of places most exposed to noise. The research included: 1. functional and spatial analysis of the park surroundings in reference to the city environment, 2. analysis of the acoustic map, 3. measurements of sound pressure levels (SPL) at selected points in two periods (leafless and leafy), 4. analysis of characteristic sounds, 5. interview with park users and preparation of a mental map. The results of research regarding the perception of the soundscape of all three parks by respondents differ slightly from the results of both the acoustic map and SPL measurements. The results also confirm the difference between SPL in the leafless and leafy period. Places mos...