A growing number of designers are paying close attention to the acoustic properties of buildings, according to a BBC Future report.
With studies indicating that noisy work and home settings are linked to depression, anxiety, and reduced performance, architects are recognizing that buildings not only need to be functional and aesthetically pleasing, but also acoustically satisfying.
Up to now, mainstream architecture typically focused on a building’s acoustic properties only in the construction of concert halls and performance spaces.
New virtual reality systems using acoustic modeling software enable architects to listen to how the spaces they design might sound like through aural simulations of structures. One researcher is studying spaces with exemplary acoustic qualities to create an algorithm or a computational routine that architects can use when designing buildings.
It may be possible for structures to cancel out noise by exploiting the physics of sound interference. A sound wave at the right frequency and wavelength can counteract the sound waves of unwanted noises.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 2, 2015
New ASHRAE guideline for commissioning existing systems and assemblies
Focuses on optimum facility and system operation.
Codes and Standards | Sep 18, 2015
New RELi standard addresses disaster resilience
Based on LEED model, may help lower insurance rates
Building Materials | Aug 28, 2015
Structural steel buildings specification available for second public review
Next year's specification open for comments until Sept. 21
Energy Efficiency | Aug 28, 2015
North American Passive House Network e-book explains Passivhaus, net-zero techniques
Free guide includes spotlight on individual projects
Windows and Doors | Aug 28, 2015
Newly formed group challenges Florida building code
Window, door companies oppose provisions that raise costs
Codes and Standards | Aug 28, 2015
New Orleans becoming a model for climate resilience only 10 years after Katrina
The city has moved ahead with resilience strategies that may become a model for other communities
Codes and Standards | Aug 21, 2015
Illinois governor vetoes bill that would restrict condo owners’ rights
Bill would have made it harder to sue for building flaws
Codes and Standards | Aug 21, 2015
Post-Katrina roofing codes creating more resilient buildings on Gulf Coast
Ten years after storm, notable progress on stronger roofs, IBHS says
Smart Buildings | Aug 21, 2015
Federal Alliance for Safe Homes offers plan to strengthen codes for disaster resilience
Some states losing ground on resilience, group says
Codes and Standards | Aug 21, 2015
After disease outbreak, ASHRAE legionella standard adopted in New York
City Council acts after 12 die of legionellosis