SOUNDCITY

Javier Gomez

PROJECT STATEMENT

ICONOSTASSE

DOSSIER

APPLIED PRECEDENT

SITUATIONAL INVENTORY

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

CONTENTS

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”This thesis seeks to challenge the conventional notion of materiality in architecture, through an investigation of sound as an agent for creating new possible architectural conditions within our freeway systems.

SOUNDCITYEveryday objects have begun to evolve because of our curious nature, as technology thrives to push the limits of the impossible in different ways. We have grown accustomed to the idea that our world is rapidly evolving as we are able to witness each and every day. This constant pressure of our everyday lives has begun to compel architects to now reas-sess the suitable means of manipulating space outside of its typical boundaries.

The idea of intangibility in architecture, as a means of manipulating space, has previously been explored and is evident in projects such as the Philips Pavilion and the 21 Opera space, among others. Their purpose was to explore space through the use of sound, allowing the user to then experience space and become affected as they progress. As Philosopher Lao-Tse said, “Architecture is not four walls and a roof; it is also, and above all, the air that remains within, the space that these enclose.” This awareness in our invisible surrounding has begun to branch exploration of possible ways in which to harness sound as a potential means of harvesting energy for future automotive needs.

This thesis seeks to challenge the conventional notion of materiality in architecture, through an investigation of sound as an agent for creating new possible architectural conditions within our freeway systems. Therefore, allowing our road systems to keep up with the current advancements in tech-nology.

APPLIEDPRECEDENTPavilion 21 MINI Opera SpaceMusic Pavilion - Salzburg Biennale 2011

Coop himmelb(l)au have released plans of their 'pavilion 21 mini opera space'. the temporary mobile perfor-mance space created for the Bavar-ian state opera in Munich, Germany will be able to accommodate 300 visitors. It is intended to be used for a wide range of events at the annual opera festival 2010 and then travel to various locations.

The design goal for the pavilion is to impact a unique soundscape by helping to reduce the apparent noise and to create a 'zone of silence' where it is technically not possible, but this term used here is intended to describe an area where you can sense a change in the soundscape that gives the impression of a quieter environment.

The primary design intent for the art pavilion was to create a recognizable presence for contemporary produc-tions in Salzburg, a city that is pre-dominantly known for classical music. The main user of the pavilion is the Salzburg Biennale, a festival for con-temporary music.

A 2-meter long aluminum profile is arrayed to create oscillating spatial effects. The single sticks merge into a mass-like structure that changes its appearance during the day according to different light conditions. The speculative intention behind the “oblit-eration” of the pavilions structure is to prevent any conventional notion or cliché of “construction”. Instead the pavilion should appear arbitrary to invite visitors to invent their own asso-ciations and interpretations.

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Rustle of leaves in gentle breeze

Average whisper 4ft away

Restaurant

Busy street

Car corn 23ft away

High speed train

Threshold of painful sounds

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Receiver

Sound Analysis

Diffracted Path

Source

Reflection

Sound Reflection Diagram

Emitter

Street Interior

Idea of converting sound frequencies into tangible architecture.

Sound wave

Sound wave

Sound wave

Sound wave

Solid wall

Pyramid wall

Soma music pavilion wall

Pavilion 21 MINI OPERA SPACE

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Blurring reality

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ICONOSTASSE

One/Milue

Two/Esprit

Three/Chair

Four/Fusion

Five/Caractere

Six/Offre

Seven/Outil

AMUSEBOUCHE

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TemporaryOpera21OPERASPACE

Event: Opera Space

Context: Munich Opera Festival 2010

Materiality: Aluminium.

Representation: Acoustic barrier.

Genealogy: Its main pur-pose is to serve as an opera house.

Certainties: Is capable of housing up to 300 people.

Presenting Characteris-tics: generated parametri-cally through the overlay of sound frequencies

Indirect Effects: Shapes act either as sound reflectors or as sound reducers.

Contents: Temporary 300 seat Pavilion

Conceptual Underpin-ning: The task was to develop a temporary Pavilion for the Munich Opera Festival 2010 with a multifunctional stage.

Working Metaphor: Acoustics

LightSoundSOUNDART

Event: Sound sculpture

Context: Anywhere.

Materiality: Acrylic.

Representation: The hum-ming sound of light.

Genealogy: To create an ambient out of light.

Certainties: Created taking a halogen lights sound pattern.

Presenting Characteris-tics: Turbulent landscape.

Indirect Effects: Site-specific.

Contents: light.

Ecological Orbit: Study the nature of light and sound.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: Created to understand sound visually.

Movement: Creates an aesthetically pleasing light.

Working Metaphor: Map-ping sound.

SoundInstallationSOUNDBOX

Event: Sound installation.

Context: Site-specific.

Materiality: Cardboard

Representation: The sounds of nature.

Genealogy: To recreate something that happens naturally.

Certainties: Created with boxes, string and a small motor.

Presenting Characteris-tics: Resembles thunder storm.

Indirect Effects: Site-specific.

Contents: Room filled with boxes.

Ecological Orbit: Experi-menting with sound.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: To recreate nature.

Movement: To create an environment within a struc-ture.

Working Metaphor: Play-ing with sound.

3DSoundSOUNDCHAIR

Event: Sound chair.

Context: experimenting with sound.

Materiality: Foam

Representation: Sound

Genealogy: To serve as a chair made of noise.

Certainties: Created taking sound waves and 3d model-ling them.

Presenting Characteris-tics: Gives a feeling of a landscape.

Indirect Effects: Anywhere.

Contents: Chair.

Ecological Orbit: takes sound and creates a tangible object.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: The idea was to make something intangible, tangible.

Movement: Creates a seat-ing environment.

Working Metaphor: Sound Chair.

MusicSpaceSOMAPAVILION

Event: Music pavilion.

Context: Current interna-tional developments in contemporary music.

Materiality: Aluminium

Representation: Random algorithm.

Genealogy: to create a recognizable presence for contemporary productions.

Certainties: Parametric aluminium rods, can hold up to 80 people.

Indirect Effects: Tempo-rary pavilion that could be expanded or decreased if necessary.

Contents: Houses various events such as concerts, video screenings and exhi-bitions.

Ecological Orbit: Promote Contemporary Music

Conceptual Underpin-ning: the structure features simple repetitious elements that provoke curiosity and entices visitors to enter.

Movement: the reflective pavilion allows for an ambivalent reading as both singular members and a merging conglomerate

ExperimentalSoundMUSICPAVILION

Event: Experimental music pavilion.

Context: Pavilion for experimental music that can change shape

Materiality: Aluminium wire frame.

Representation: Sound wave.

Genealogy: Its main pur-pose is to serve as a place to experience music.

Certainties: Rotating acoustic elements open and close the pavilion

Indirect Effects: pavilion can be dismantled for trans-port and assembled in public interior spaces.

Contents: 10.00 x 12.00 x 5.00 meters and 1900 pieces.

Ecological Orbit: Educa-tional

Conceptual Underpin-ning: To create a temporary place to experience sound.

EmergencyShelterCHAOSPOD

Event: Emergency Shelter

Context: Disaster prone cities

Materiality: Plywood

Representation: Water Molecule

Genealogy: Its main pur-pose is to serve as an emer-gency shelter.

Certainties: Is capable of housing up to three people.

Presenting Characteris-tics: Resembles a lantern. Giving a sign of hope.

Indirect Effects: It can be located in disaster Prone areas

Contents: Room for two adults and one child to sleep.

Ecological Orbit: given the recent tsunamis the idea emerged from a water mol-ecule.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: The intention was to redesign the concept of emergency shelter.

GasStastionHELIOSHOUSE

Event: Gas station

Context: Eco friendly gas station

Materiality: Steel

Representation: The future of greener fuel.

Genealogy: To create a self sustaining gas station

Certainties: Eco friendly

Presenting Characteris-tics: Resembles the possi-bility of greener gas

Indirect Effects: Can become mostly anything from a bench to a facade.

Contents: Bio chemical fuels.

Ecological Orbit: Designed taking into consid-eration our current environ-ment.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: To depict the path our society will be heading towards.

Movement: To create an environment underneath the shell.

Working Metaphor: The future of Gas.

SeedBankUKPAVILION

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Event: UK World Expo Pavil-ion.

Context: Showcase a seed bank.

Materiality: Optical strands.

Representation: Nature.

Genealogy: Its main pur-pose is to is to exhibit a seed bank.

Certainties: 20-metre high building, constructed from 60,000 transparent 7.5-metre long optical strands

Presenting Characteris-tics: Evolving technology.

Indirect Effects: Can be located in open interactive areas.

Contents: Room which houses 60,000 seeds.

Ecological Orbit: evolves around the idea of preserving our past.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: The intention was to create an innovative display.

Movement: Transfers light within the strands.

Working Metaphor: Pre-serving our past.

KineticWallFLAREFACADE

Event: Kinetic Facade

Context: Dynamic Mem-brane.

Materiality: tiltable metal flake bodies.

Representation: Pixels

Genealogy: Reflects the sunlight to create an atmos-phere.

Certainties: consists of several tiltable metal flake bodies supplemented by individually controllable pneu-matic cylinders.

Indirect Effects: Can adapt to any surface on a building.

Contents: Computer pro-grammed patterns.

Ecological Orbit: It allows a building to express, communi-cate & interact with its environ-ment.

Conceptual Underpin-ning: To create dynamic facades.

Movement: To create an environment.

Working Metaphor: Motion interaction.

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2011. <www.who.int/en/>.

Janning, James. "Understanding Acoustics in Architectural Design." Architectural Record Jan.

2007: n. pag. http://www.usg.com. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.

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Bulletin. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2011.

<http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/68/1/243.full>.

Rossing, Thomas D.. Springer handbook of acoustics. New York, N.Y.: Springer, 2007. Print.

Schafer, R. Murray. The soundscape: our sonic environment and the tuning of the world.

Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books ;, 19931994. Print.