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Transcript of Sound-generated Space
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Sound-generated Space
Jesper Bonde
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
School of Architecture, Copenhagen, Denmark
AbstractCanmusicbetranslatedintoarchitecture?Isitpossibletotransmitthemusicalatmosphericqualitiesofagiven
pieceofmusictoanarchitecturalspaceasatmosphericspatialquality?Thisresearchdealswiththeperceptionand
relationshipbetweenmusic,body,andarchitectureinordertodevelopanarchitecturaldesigntoolbasedonthe
quantitativeandqualitativeparametersofmusic.Bydigitalizingtheprocessescontrollingtheproductionofmusic
andarchitecture,itispossibletolinkthetwoartformsina3Dvirtualdesignsetup.
Asimultaneousdevelopmentoftwoarchitecturalprojectsandthetheorybehindthem,formabasisforaresearch
discussingdifferentaspectsofthetranslationbetweenmusicandarchitecture.Throughdynamicanimations,thearchitecturalspaceandprogrammearetransformedbytheactionofmusic.Theargumentationisbasedpartlyon
thespatialqualityofthenalarchitecturaloutput,andpartlyonthedesignmethodsabilitytocreatespace,that
thedesignercouldnotimaginewhentheprocesswasinitiated.
Keywords:architecture,music,parametricdesign,animation,methodology,computationaldesign
1. PrefaceIsitpossibletotranslatemusicintoarchitecture,inawaythatthespacegeneratedholdsauniquespatialquality?
Untilafewyearsagothetranslationofmusicintoarchitectureconsistedofanabstractsketchinterpretingagiven
pieceofmusic,whichthenprovidedabasisforthedesign.Today,botharchitecturalandmusicalproductionisdigital.Thetwoartformscanbedeductedintoalmostsimilardigitalparametersandthroughthisdeductionthey
canbetranslatedintooneanother.
Thepurposeofthisresearchistodiscoverawaytoconnectmusicandarchitecturetocreateasymbioticrelation-
ship,wherebothhaveaneffectontheother.However,thetranslationbetweenmusicandarchitectureisnotmainly
aquantitativetranslation,butaqualitativetranslationbasedonquantitativeparameters.Musicbecomesadesign
tool,whendesigningarchitecturalspace.Itsinherentatmosphericqualitiesaffectthequalityofspace.
Theperceptionofarchitectureandmusicisvitalwhendealingwiththisrelationship.Whenexperiencingarchitec-
ture,thebodymovesthroughspaceandthearchitectureisstatic.However,whenexperiencingmusic,thebodyis
staticandthemusicisdynamic.Thiscontrasthastobeconsidered,whentranslatingthetwoartforms.Neverthe-
less,usingthebodyasanentityoftranslationbetweenarchitectureandmusicgivestheopportunitytoresearchon
amoresubjectiverelationshipbetweentheperceptionofmusic,body,andspace.Onepossibilityistomovemusic
throughthearchitecture,inordertoapproachthesubjectsperceptionofspace.Anotheroptionistomakethe
musicstaticandthearchitecturedynamic,inordertogetclosertothesubjectsperceptionofmusic.Thisresearch
discussestheprosandconsofbothmethods.
2. Music and ArchitectureSoundisarepetitivetransmissionofsoundwavesthroughair.Itcanbedenedbythepropertiesofsoundwaves:
frequency,wavelength,period,amplitude,andspeed.Thehumanearcanperceivefrom20Hzto20kHzbutin
thegeneraldenitionofsound,frequenciesunderandabovethisintervalisalsoincluded.Eventhoughsoundcan
bedescribedfromthesephysicaldenitions,thisresearchdealswithamorecomplexcompositionofsoundwaves,
wheredifferentsoundscreatestructures,rhythm,notesandnallybecomemusic.Therelationshipbetweensoundandmusiccanbecomparedtotherelationshipbetweenbuildingandarchitecture.Therearesomeatmosphericlay-
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ersinarchitectureandmusic,whichcannotbefoundinbuildingandsound-ortoputinanotherway:theentities
ofarchitectureandmusiccannotbegrasped,perceived,andanalyzedinaphysicalway.However,thecontainerof
architectureandmusic,whichisbuildingandsound,canbeanalyzedanddeductedintotheory.
Musicandarchitecturearebothspatialartforms.Musicdealswiththespaceofthelistener,whichinsomecasesis
similartothearchitecturalspace,althoughitcandifferwhenusingforinstanceheadphones.Furthermore,music
isalsoanartformdealingwiththeconceptoftime-usually,linearitywithinadenedtimeframe.However,theperceptionofarchitecturedoesnotnecessarilyhavetobewithinagiventimeframe.Therefore,theperception
ofarchitecturecandifferfromtheperceptionofmusicintermsofdenitionofspace,andtheconnectiontothe
conceptof time.Thisresearchdiscussestimeandspacein conjunctionwiththe translationbetweenmusicand
architecture.
Newdigitaltechnologiesprovideapossibilityformusictoinuencethearchitecturalspaceinground-breaking
ways.Musiccandirectlyinuencethephysicalenvironmentandnotonlytheatmosphere.Insteadofbeingasec-
ondaryelementaddedafterthedesignofthebuilding,musiccanbeusedasadesigntool,whendevelopingform
andfunction.Musicwillgainspatialrelevanceonequaltermswithotherarchitectural,artisticeffectslikelight,
materiality,andprogramme.
Anyquantitativeparametercouldbeusedasadesigntool.However,musicholdssomeinherentqualitiesbeside
thequantitativeparameters,whichcanbeusedtocreateatmosphereinanarchitecturalspace.Musiccreatesatmo-
sphereinthespaceofthelistener,andbyusingthemusicasaspace-generatingparametertheatmospherecanbe
transmittedfrommusictoarchitecture.
3. Technology and MethodologyBydigitalizingtheprocessescontrollingtheproductionofmusicandarchitecture,itispossibletolinkthetwo.The
setupcanbeconsideredasamachine,wheredifferentquantitativeinputscreate3Ddiagramsdescribingaspatial
sequence.Inthisway,itispossibletoobtainthesamedifferentiationinthespatialsequenceasonecanhearin
themusic.The3Ddiagramsformthebasisforarchitecture,discussinggeneralarchitecturalproblems,butwithan
extralayer-themusicalpointofdeparture.
Ingeneral,itisalinearmethodologyconsistingofseveralnon-linearintermediateprocesses-feedbackloops.The
translationofmusicintoarchitectureisconductedasrepeatingexperimentswithaqualitativediscussionof the
architecturaloutput.Theaimistodevelopandchallengethearchitecturaltoolboxthroughaspecicmethodthat
transformsmusicintoarchitecture.
Theresearchisbasedontwoarchitecturalprojectswithtwodifferentapproachestwodifferentwaysoftranslat-
ingmusicintoarchitecture.Oneisstartingfromamusicalperspectiveandtheotherfromanarchitecturalperspec-
tive.Theargumentationisbasedpartlyonthespatialqualityofthenalarchitecturaloutput,andpartlyonthe
designmethodsabilitytocreatespace,thatthedesignercannotimaginebeforehand.Thearchitecturalprojects
andthetheorybehindthemaredevelopedsimultaneously.Itisnotatheoryprovedbytwophysicalarchitectural
projects,norisittwoprojectsrationalizedbyposttheory.Thetheoryandthearchitecturalprojectshavebeende-
velopedinasymbioticrelationship,wherethepracticalandthetheoreticalhaveequallyinuencedtheresearchbyahermeneutical,phenomenologicalapproach.
4. Sound-generated Space_ Housing for MusiciansThisprojectusesthetranslationofmusicintoarchitectureinawayclosetotheperceptionofarchitecture.The
translationisseenfromanarchitecturalpointofview,wheremusicisanimatedalongapathsimilartoabodys
movementthroughspace.However,architectureisseldomexperiencedasonespatialsequence,butas several
independentsystemsinteractingwithinagivenform.Therefore,theanimationismadefrom80differentindepen-
dentsystems,interactingwhenplayed.
Onbasisofthedeploymentofthearchitecturalprogrammeonthesite,musiciscomposedtocontrolananima-tionofthebuilding,whereeachinstrumentcontrolsachoreographedspatialsequence.Byanimatingthemusic
alongthepathsoftheprogrammeitispossibletotranslatethemusicintoananimationofachoreographedspatial
sequence.
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Onesystemcanbesetuptoperformlive(Figure1),byre-
cordingmusicinto3DStudiomax,wherethesoundaffects
thedynamicsofaparticlesystem,whicharedeforming
anobject.However,whenusing80simultaneoussystems,
soundhas tobe recordedin advance,in orderto affect
80differentparticlesystemsanimatedalong80different
paths(Figure2).Thetimeframefortheanimationisthe
timeitwouldtakeapersontomovefromthestreettoany
givenroomalongtheprogrammedeployedonthesite.
Theoutputoftheanimation(Figure3&4)holdsanar-
chitecturalqualitydifculttodescribewithoutreferringtothemusicanimatingit.However,theanimationinitselfis
highlyinuentialonthenaloutcome.Itiseasytorecog-
nizethefeaturesoftheanimationwiththedifferentpaths
anddynamicsofthemusicworkingalongit.Nevertheless,
thearchitecturalresultiswithoutreference,andtherefore
holdsa potential,beingtheoutputofa process,thede-
signercouldnothavepredictedwhenitwasinitiated.
The output has thenbeendeveloped according toother
architecturaleffects likematerialityandlight(Figure5).
Still,theatmosphereofthearchitectureisfaithfultothe
atmosphereoftheoriginalmusic,andthearchitectureis
trulyaproductofthemusicalpointofdepartureandthe
dynamicanimations.
Piano MBOX 2
Soundmodule
ActiveStudio Monitors
Pro Tools
Camtasia
3D Studiomax
Sound (.Wav)
Video (.avi)
Laptop
Zoom H2Stereo mic
Soundmodule
Particle systemspeed
Regular shapepaticle displace
path animationAnimated geometry
Figure 1. Live system setup
Figure 2. Animation of 80 systems (screenshot ) Figure 3. Animation output
Figure 4. Animation output
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5. Sound-generated Space_ Hotel in CopenhagenThesecondprojectdealswiththetranslationofmusicintoarchitecturethroughtheperceptionofmusic.Musicis
emergingfromanobjectrepresentingthebodyanddeformingthearchitectureaccordingtotheatmosphereofthe
music.Whenonelistenstoapieceofmusicthebodyisstaticandmusicisdynamic.Inthisprojectthebody/objectisstaticandthearchitectureisdynamic.
Asopposedtothepreviousproject,thetranslationofmusicintoarchitectureismoredetailed.Itisnotonlythe
dynamicsofthemusicthataffectspace,butalsothetonality.Musicislteredintosixdifferentfrequencybands
(Figure6) thataffectavirtual3Dspaceinsixdifferentdirections.Thisvirtualconstructionisanimatedinfour
differentplacesinthehotelaccordingtofourdifferentfunctionsassociatedwiththefoyerarea.
Figure 5. Interior view
music
3D Studiomaxbuilding
Pro Tools particle actionstrength8000 Hz
dynamics
lte
r particle actionstrength4000 Hz
dynamics
lter
particle actionstrength2000 Hz
dynamicslter
particle actionstrength1000 Hz
dynamicslter
particle actionstrength500 Hz
dynamics
lter
particle actionstrength250 Hz
dynamics
lter
particle system
particle system
particle system
particle system
particle system
particle system
Figure 6. Setup for the animation of the recption atmosphere
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Theprojectfocusesonthespatialsequencefromthestreettothe
hotel room,where the foyer area is the main focus. Reception,
lounge,restaurant,andbararethefunctionsthatlaythefoundation
forthetranslation.Apieceofmusiciscomposedtoeachfunction
basedontheatmosphereofthegivenspaceandthepiecesofmusic
areaffectingthearchitecturefromtheinside(Figure7).
Theoutputsoftheanimationsaretracesofmusic.Somebecome
partoftheconstruction,othersarepiecesoffurniture,andsome
remains traces ofmusicwithonly a spatial atmosphericquality
(Figure8).Still,thespatialqualityoftheoutputoftheanimationsarebasedontheunpredictabledynamicmusicalanimation,hence
thejusticationoftheprocess.
Theoverallstructureisaffectedbythesoundofthecityrecorded
onsite.Thisdynamicactioninuencesthestructureofthearchitec-
tureinawaythatarhythmiscreatedthroughthebuilding.Because
ofthe tessellationof thedifferentgeometries,acontrastbetween
theorthogonalandtheorganicemergesfromtheanimation(Fig-
ure9).Thearchitectureisthendevelopedaccordingtootherarchi-
tecturaleffectslikemateriality,light,andtectonics.However,the
spaceremainsalogicalconsequenceofatranslationfrommusicto
architecturewithintheframeofamusicalandarchitecturalatmo-
sphere(Figure10).
Figure 7. Reception animation (screenshot)
Figure 8. Recepion animation output
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Figure 9. Sound of the city animation output
Figure 10. Reception view
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6. ConclusionTheperceptionofmusicandtheperceptionofarchitecturedifferinthewaythebodyrelatestotheartforms.
Nevertheless,ifyoutakeeitherpointofdeparture,theoutputofthetranslationfrommusictoarchitectureholdsa
spatialvaluewithoutreferencetootherarchitecturalprojects.Theoutcomeisunpredictableinthesensethatthe
designercannotpredicttheoutput,whentheprocessisinitiated.However,thespatialatmospherecreatedinthe
hotelproject,wherethemusicisstaticandthearchitectureisdynamic,revealsamoredirectrelationshipbetween
musicandarchitecture,asopposedtothehousingproject,wheretheanimationonitsownhasmoreinuence.
Asadesigntool,thedynamicanimationofthearchitecturebasedonmusicdenitelycreatesaspatialatmosphere
withoutreference-aqualityofspacethatcannotbeobtainedbyothermeans.Thequantitativeparametersof
musicproductioninuencespaceinawaythattheinherentqualitiesaretransmittedaswell.However,thisisan
irreversibleprocess,whereonecanusethequantitativeparameterstocreatequality,butitnotpossibleafterwards
toanalyzethequalitiesandreproducethem.Itisonlypossibletorecognizethequalitiesandacceptthemaspresent
becauseofthetranslationofmusicintoarchitecture.