MUSIC FOR SPACES
Supervisor: Frank Clementi
The project sites were selected among existing spaces, allowing the design to focus exclusively on the sonic component. Two antithetical spaces were chosen — one urban, one suburban — defining two opposite contextual conditions brought into dialogue through the design of sound.
Various aspects of the two selected sites were analyzed to understand movement within the spaces and their acoustic perception. The study examined pedestrian flows, the nature of materials and their acoustic behavior, and finally, the resulting sonic atmosphere that characterizes both locations.
fast pace - transit
slow pace - dwelling
reflective environment
dispersive environment
acoustic compression
acoustic dispersion
The sonic behaviour within each space was defined through five sonic states, each indicating a specific acoustic behaviour and a corresponding mode of spatial perception through sound. These states are applied in rotation across the two sites, generating a living sonic landscape in continuous evolution.
The project features six distinct soundscapes developed from the sampling of six environmental sounds. These include three natural sounds (frogs croaking, a flowing stream, and birdsong) and three artificial sounds (the hum of a neon lamp, a street sweeper, and the beep of Milan subway turnstiles). Each sample was processed, altered, and integrated with musical textures of similar tonality to define the six soundscapes that compose the project's sonic environment. The six audio tracks of 40 minutes each were then entirely transcribed using a custom-developed graphic notation system.
The five sonic states define the types of acoustic-spatial perception explored throughout the project. The following drawings illustrate the movement and spatiality of sound across the two sites.
The diffuse state manifests as a homogeneous propagation of sound. It works with the invisible properties of architecture, defining an enveloping spatial matter that fills architectural volumes. Digital sound processing — such as phase synchronisation and artificial reverberation — is applied in certain cases to shape spatial perceptions of compression or amplitude.
Sound inhabits the space as a moving agent. Designed according to the characteristics of each space, it becomes a dynamic component of a static architecture — introducing a narrative or emphasising the qualities of spatial perception and circulation.
Sound becomes structure. Through the use of parametric devices, acoustic matter is designed as a new architecture that invades the existing one, redefining its spatial conception. These invisible structures act as foreign elements that fragment or reconfigure the original spatial perception.
Saturation marks the moment of maximum acoustic and spatial pressure. The three preceding states are simultaneously active, filling the volumes and enveloping the listener in a dense sonic mass.
To ensure the project's feasibility, a system of sound propagation devices was designed for both sites, enabling the definition of different acoustic behaviors. This technical phase involved selecting devices based on their sound dispersion characteristics and required frequency ranges. These devices were then strategically positioned within the spaces, with the entire infrastructure custom-designed for both locations.