Verktyg för akustisk design

Behovet av att kontrollera ljud blir viktigare när våra städer förtätas. Utmaningen ligger i att skapa en fungerande stadsmiljö med hänsyn till bland annat ändamål, upplevelsevärden och hälsa. Stadens ljud handlar därför om mer än bara buller – det kan handla om att introducera önskade ljud likväl som att reducera oönskade. I detta Movium Fakta presenterar de två skribenterna ”blå-gröna” verktyg för akustiska designåtgärder, reder ut frågetecken och missförstånd kring ljudlandskap samt ger exempel på genomförda projekt

Workshop om ljud vid Skogskyrkogården 2-3 november 2015

På senare år har intresset för ljudplanering ökat och blivit mer helhetsinriktat (jmfr. Brown 2012). Där man tidigare planerat med utgångspunkt i buller och/eller ljudnivåer, betonas nu allt oftare själva upplevelsen av ljud. Potentiella kvaliteter hos ljud lyfts fram, samtidigt som hänsyn till buller finns kvar som en central del. Man brukar tala om ljudlandskap (Schafer 1994 [1977]; ISO 2014). Ljudlandskapsrörelsen rymmer mycket potential, men eftersom den är relativt ny finns en hel del frågetecken som behöver redas ut och forskning som behöver genomföras. Detta utgjorde bakgrunden till den workshop som genomfördes den 2-3 november på Skogskyrkogården. Workshopen ingick som en förstudie i det Vinnovafinansierade forskningsprojektet "Stadens hållbara ljudrum", med SLU Alnarp som koordinerande part. I forskningsprojektet undersöks hur frågor kring ljudlandskapet kan integreras i planering och gestaltning. Projektet fokuserar initialt på begravningsplatser, där en konflikt mellan platsens krav på rofylldhet och omgivningens ljudnivåer är vanlig. En viktig del i projektet är att utveckla lösningar och verktyg för ljudplanering. Världsarvet Skogskyrkogården är en berömd anläggning som rymmer många arkitektoniska kvaliteter, samtidigt som ljudmiljön är problematisk med buller från Nynäsvägen och Tyresövägen. Stockholm stad och kyrkogårdsförvaltningen utreder för tillfället möjligheterna att minska effekten av bullret på olika sätt. Workshopens upplägg i korthet. De två dagarna på Skogskyrkogården utgjorde en förstudie tänkt som utgångspunkt för fortsatt arbete i projektets fas två. I workshopen deltog människor som på ett eller annat sätt har kunskap om antingen ljudmiljöfrågor och/eller kyrkogårdsmiljöer. Dagarna delades upp i tre delmoment; WI, WII och WIII. WI handlade om att utveckla förståelsen avden befintliga situationen, samt utveckla språket och kommunikationen om ljud genom att begreppsliggöra dem. I WII togs förslag på förbättringar av ljudmiljön fram och i WIII testades en lösning i praktiken. Workshoparbetet visade på komplexiteten att arbeta med ljudfrågor, vilket kanske särskilt framkom i den sista, konkretiserande delen; arbetet med högtalare. I denna del bekräftades de svårigheter, detaljer och små avvägningar som lyckad ljudmaskering är förknippat med. En viktig aspekt som var återkommande under dagarna som helhet var betydelsen av ljudets samspel med andra (särskilt visuella) aspekter. Detta blev kanske särskilt påtagligt på en sådan plats som Skogskyrkogården, där det finns starka visuella kvaliteter att ta hänsyn till. Behovet av att ta fram verktyg som kan verka understödjande för att arbeta med ljudfrågor var en annan aspekt som lyftes fram under dagarna. Här finns en stor utmaning, då verktygen bör vara enkla och överskådliga, samtidigt som de komplexiteter som arbete med ljud kräver måste inkorporeras på lämpligt sätt

Malmbanan Diaries

This booklet is a report for a case study visit during four day field trip, a group of nine PhD students and their supervisors – all part of the National Research School for Architecture and Planning in the Urban Landscape, APULA – set out to explore what may be considered the outback of Western Europe’s conurbations, the transnational region of Kiruna -Narvik.Both “remote” and “resourceful”, “threatened” and “thriving” (equally relative notions), this region seemed to offer possibilities to reflect upon many of the current tendencies influencing contemporary planning practice and research

Listening to Japanese gardens II: expanding the soundscape action design tool

Tools for soundscape design have tended to focus on noise-exposed situations like urban parks and squares. Less attention has been given to multisensory interaction, movement, and other phenomenological aspects. This paper addresses the gap by studying the Japanese garden tradition, where such issues have been given high priority. The paper is the second of two reporting on autoethnographic field studies carried out in 88 Japanese gardens. Ten new Soundscape Actions are introduced and discussed in relation to previous research. Conclusively, the paper addresses the potential for future applications and developments of the tool

Listening to Japanese Gardens: An Autoethnographic Study on the Soundscape Action Design Tool

Landscape architecture and urban design disciplines could benefit from soundscape thinking in order to enhance experiential qualities in their projects, though the available tools are not yet fully developed nor tested. The present research aims to substantiate one of the available tools, Soundscape Actions, and thereby increase the understanding of soundscape design. The study focuses on the Japanese garden tradition, which is known for high preference ratings, tranquil qualities and consideration for sound and other sensory experiences. An autoethnographic approach was used to conduct field studies in 88 gardens in Japan, the majority of which are located in urban areas with potential noise disturbance. The studies are based on observations in situ, supported by video documentation, field recordings and readings of sound pressure levels (SPL). A total of 19 Soundscape Actions are described and discussed in the paper. They are structured around three main categories: localisation of functions, reduction of unwanted sounds and introduction of wanted sounds. The study provides concrete examples of how the tool can be used to enhance tranquil qualities, particularly focusing on small green spaces in dense urban settings, involving the (simultaneous) reduction of unwanted sounds and enhancement of wanted sounds/effects. The autoethnographic approach allowed for the phenomenological perspective to be brought forward, which contributed new insights regarding the design tool. The findings are discussed in relation to health and soundscape research, focusing on multisensory experiences, masking strategies and potentials for implementation and future developments of the design tool

Sound in landscape architecture

Landscape planning and design involve decisions that have far-reaching effects, positive and negative, on the soundscape. However, landscape architecture and related disciplines have not fully recognised the possibilities of considering sound issues in design projects. This is problematic, considering that sound influences health and wellbeing and is an important factor in environmental experience. This thesis examines how soundscape thinking can be facilitated in landscape architecture. The work is based on a mixed-method approach and it is practice-orientated in the sense that it studies how landscape architects currently work with sound and how they could work with sound in the future. The soundscape concept is used to emphasise the experiential characteristics of the sonic environment and to discuss the role of sound in landscape architecture, particularly in noise-exposed situations. Applications of soundscape design are raised in several examples, including construction of a design intervention as a reference project involving noise masking. The understandings obtained are used to formulate a set of strategies and tools for the profession as a soundscape approach to noise, in which problems and possibilities are given consideration to ensure a varied and purposeful environment. A model based on three categories is presented to evaluate and facilitate such a comprehensive approach, where each of the three categories (localisation of functions, reduction of unwanted sounds and introduction of wanted sounds) represents a central consideration that can be taken in landscape architecture. An extended version of the comprehensive model is also presented. It comprises a list of 23 ‘soundscape actions’, each of which represents a concrete, general strategy that can be adopted to improve soundscapes, particularly focusing on noise-exposed situations. To increase applicability, the soundscape actions were developed in collaboration with professional landscape architects, Master’s students, acousticians, artists and other experts. The findings are discussed in relation to contemporary challenges in the profession, particularly focusing on the sustainability discourse and covering issues such as green structures, densification and the notion of ‘quiet areas’

A sense of ambient sounds : the subtle and custom-made sound installation as part of the outside space

Our experience of the surrounding environment is affected by all of our senses, yet, in Landscape Architecture, by tradition, mostly the visual aspect has been the focal point. In this essay, however, the subject will be the auditory and its interaction with the visual.From cinema, we know that one given visual environment or mood can take on many forms, depending on the present sounds accompanying it – the two components interact with each other, and together, they form a new closely connected unity. Thus, any given sound can be experienced in many different ways if the surroundings supporting it should change. In the same way, the feeling of a given environment can change, if the sound changes. This is true in cinema, as well as in outdoor spaces.In urban environments especially, the interaction between image and sound may not be the desired one – traffic, rumbling, and other noises can destroy the overall impression that sight and sound combine to make. This is true even if the visual component, standing for itself, is pleasing. In situations like this, it can be fitting for the environment if one should add more, better suited sounds, through the use of speaker installations in different ways. With this approach, it is possible to mask and cover unwanted sounds and in the same time build a more pleasant and positive atmosphere. But how does one go about in doing this?From other areas, experiences have been made that can be applied also in a Landscape installation. For this essay, information has been collected from different areas such as Sound art, Film sound, and Music psychology. The information has been gathered in order that it should be able to work as an introduction and starting-point for experimentation in sound installation. For this purpose, it has been adjusted and structured in such a way, that by following the essay from beginning till end, one should acquire an understanding for every necessary aspect of this area. In three parts, it is explained: What sound and music is, how one can control and work with it, and how one can apply the information in the outside sound installation.The essay also contains a study carried out in connection with the Alnarp day in 2008, in which 20 out of approximately 60 participants filled out an inquiry. The intention was that of gaining a better understanding about general experiences and opinions towards sound installations in public. The attitudes turned out to be predominantly positive. This was true especially among those who felt that the sound and the environment contributed equally in creating the experience.As a central part of the essay, ways in which this collaboration between sound and image can be achieved are discussed. A balance between audio and vision can be obtained by the employment of a gentle sound level and careful speaker positioning along with digital sound processing techniques, such as custom-made reverberation and equalization. To strengthen the interaction even more, it is shown how frequencies that interact with the shape and size of the outside room – roomtones, can be used, as well as sounds that make reference to materials and/or other characteristics of the specific place. In connection with this, attention is also placed on the existing sounds, and how an installation can become a part of them so that a new and more positive unit can be created. With the subtle and custom-made installation, the sound becomes a part of the urban space.There is a saying, that a picture says more than a thousand words, but how much can a sound say… Or rather, how much can a three dimensional outside space together with a sound say

The Role of Soundscape in Nature-Based Rehabilitation: A Patient Perspective

Nature-based rehabilitation (NBR) has convincing support in research, yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The present study sought to increase understanding of the role of soundscapes in NBR, an aspect paid little attention thus far. Transcribed interviews with 59 patients suffering from stress-related mental disorders and undergoing a 12-week therapy programme in the rehabilitation garden in Alnarp, Sweden, were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis (IPA). Described sounds were categorised as natural, technological or human. The results showed that patients frequently referred to natural sounds as being part of a pleasant and “quiet” experience that supported recovery and induced “soft fascination”. Technological sounds were experienced as disturbing, while perception of human sounds varied depending on loudness and the social context. The study further uncovered how sound influenced patients’ behaviour and experiences in the garden, through examination of three cross-theme dimensions that materialised in the study; sound in relation to overall perception, sound in relation to garden usage, and increased susceptibility to sound. The findings are discussed in relation to NBR; the need for a more nuanced understanding of susceptibility to sound among people suffering from mental fatigue was identified and design considerations for future rehabilitation gardens were formulated

Implementation of Quiet Areas in Sweden

The notion of quiet areas has received increasing attention within the EU in recent years. The EU Environmental Noise Directive (END) of 2002 stipulates that member states should map existing quiet areas and formulate strategies to keep these quiet. Quiet areas could play an important role in balancing densified urban development by ensuring access to relative quietness and associated health benefits. This paper reports on a recent study investigating how the notion of quiet areas has been implemented in Sweden. The study, initiated by the Sound Environment Center in 2017, was carried out in two phases. In phase one, an overview of the current situation was obtained by scrutinizing regional and municipal mapping initiatives, aided by a short digital questionnaire sent out to all 290 municipalities in Sweden. This provided a general understanding and highlighted initiatives for further study in phase two. The results revealed that 41% (n = 118) of Sweden's municipalities include quiet areas in their general plans, but that significantly fewer of these have sophisticated strategies for implementation (n = 16; 6%). Moreover, the interest in quiet areas in municipalities does not seem to be directly related to the END, but is instead inspired by previous regional initiatives in Sweden. The study highlights a number of considerations and examples of how quiet areas are approached in Sweden today. In general, Sweden has come a long way in terms of identifying and mapping quiet areas, but more progress is needed in developing strategies to protect, maintain, and publicize quiet areas