Hellström B.

The starting point for this research project is to discuss and challenge the visual dominance in architectural thinking, and to raise competence among architects and planners on sound and sound environment issues. To promote a sustainable urban environment, sounds must be inte¬grated in the complexity of urban design and development. Therefore, it is especially important to integrate acoustic and architectural analysis. The project focuses on indoor public pathways, communication space and semi-public commercial space, e.g. shopping malls, where reliability on sonic orientation may be crucial. For these kinds of collective spaces, I argue, it is especially important to integrate acoustic and architectural analysis. Their sonic conditions are often loud and confusing, with little correspondence between visual and aural perception, and with weak articulations of spatial dimension, distance, borders, and orientation. If not cared for, the result may be increasing sound disturbance, lack of people’s moving through the areas, dangerous differences between day and night use, disorientation for several user groups, and segregation. The project combines interdisciplinary theory with designbased methods, including a case study with active modelling, analysis and quality classification related to architecture, acoustics, and urban space. The case study is carried out as a course within the frame of the training and research activities at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) in Stockholm. This course focuses on aspect of mappings – e.g. movements, sound levels, sound sources, physical as well as acoustic borders, zones of transience, spatial dimensions, directions, orientation points, information clarity, coherence between visual and auditive space, and its impact, or “footprints” on the environment. The project is integrated in the ongoing research project, Transmission, executed by Urban Sound Institute (USIT), financed by Swedish Research Council. Results will hopefully deliver good examples and operative methods to be used by architects, planners and acousticians.