Vitruvius and new materiality: Practice and theory in the development of an architecture of sound

Beretta, L. (2011) Vitruvius and new materiality: Practice and theory in the development of an architecture of sound. In: 162nd Meeting Acoustical Society of America 2011, 31 October 2011 through 4 November 2011, San Diego, CA; United States.

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Abstract

In architecture, sound is only haphazardly used as an accessory to pre-constituted architectural blocks. To establish the affordability of sound as a material in architectural practice, the paper analyses the social context of today's architecture. Over the centuries, buildings have changed their constituent materials ranging from ceramic to concrete, from wood to glass, from light to vapour. It is argued that Vitruvius' principles of commodity, firmness and delight have led to the generation of 'new and improved' architectures which resembled more to images than liveable places. A renewed interest in the experiential dimension of architecture has changed the way people explore and live space. In sensory architecture, materials are chosen based on the expressive-sensorial qualities and the effects that these have on the user. Technical and technological advances have allowed a controlled manipulation of the ephemeral elements of space, namely water, temperature, light and sound. In particular, it has emerged that through sound digital manipulation it is possible to alter cognition, behaviour, and human interaction leading toward the definition of sound as a material. Sound should no longer be used as an accessory of architectural spaces but, instead, as a material able to give form, volume and shape to architecture. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3673337
Dates:
DateEvent
2011Published
Uncontrolled Keywords: Architectural space, Constituent materials, Controlled manipulations, Digital manipulation, Human interactions, Paper analysis, Social context, Technological advances, Architectural design, Materials
Subjects: CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-01 - architecture
Divisions: Faculty of Arts, Design and Media > Birmingham Institute of Creative Arts > Birmingham School of Art
Depositing User: Hussen Farooq
Date Deposited: 08 Nov 2017 17:58
Last Modified: 12 Jan 2022 13:21
URI: https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/2042

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