The architect as Ally: A multi-sensory approach to design

The end product of an architectural acoustic design is not the quality of the documentation or the successful achievement of a set of parameters, but rather the experience of the end users. With rare exception, the perception of acoustic characteristics cannot be separated from the users’ visual and tactile experiences. To unify these sensory experiences, we have adopted an approach to acoustic design that fully embraces the architect’s spatial and material vision for a building. At the same time, we seek to educate the architect so that they can embrace and internalize the acoustic goals of the building in their work. This presentation will describe our overall design approach, means of communication and demonstration used to build conviviality with our clients, and examples where acoustic and architectural goals have coincided.