Architectural Elements as Acoustic Filters

In addition to walls enclosing, dividing, and delineating space, I would like to explore the possible manipulation of their ability to alter aural perception from one side to the other.  While it is an inherent property of a wall to block and filter, to some extent, the sound environment that exists opposite the side of one's occupation, it is also an opportunity to reinterpret the spaces that we inhabit.  The following ideas are initial thoughts on how the structure of a wall can be appropriated in order to influence alternative aural experiences.

Cones:

One possible construct is that of cones penetrating a wall.  On one side you are presented with the bells of the cones that are flush with the wall.  On the other, you encounter the three-dimensional surface of the cone tips projecting through the wall and out into the space.  The intent is to create two opposed spatial and aural experiences.  In addition to the effect of filtering the natural sound environment from one side to the other, the interactive aspect of the construct could also invite alternative modes of activation.  Cones could be used for broadcasting messages from one side to the other, or for discrete eavesdropping.  Any number of variations could be explored in order to develop an approach that effectively alters the acoustic quality of the spaces adjacent to the wall, whether interior or exterior.  Perhaps their geometries are not as regular as the array presented below, or the scales of the cones are more diverse.  Also, because of the directional quality of the cones, their angles of projection could be varied in order to distribute the source sounds in a more dynamic way.  The images below are just a start.

 

 

 

Vessels:

Though sounding vessels and resonant cavities were mentioned in the The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius regarding ancient Greek theater design, have been discovered in churches across Europe dating back to the 12th -14th centuries, and are more currently being employed as sound attenuating devices, I feel that their potential remains relatively unexplored within the realm of the built environment.  I am intrigued by the possibilities presented by such devices.  These usually clay, bronze or glass vessels (or simply cavities) have the quality of resonating at specific frequencies such that they enhance some frequencies and eliminate others.  I would like to explore embedding a structure with these vessels in an attempt to reinterpret the sounds of one environment as it is projected into another.  How might the soundscape of a public street be filtered into the private domain?  How would variation in shape and size of these vessels/cavities modify the sound field generated by their captured frequencies?

 

 

 

While these ideas are conceptual proposals leading to possible lines of inquiry, I am unsure of how to proceed with the exploration of the specific aural effects of these constructs.  It would seem that besides a Ripple simulation of the kind presented in the previous post, the most effective method would be to physically assemble such spaces in order to determine most accurately the extent of distortion that would occur.