Ecophon Acoustic Bulletin

Sound policies in public environments usually have the approach of protecting us from, for instance noise. Lately adding sound for various reasons has been applied. How are we actually affected or influenced by sound? Perhaps we should employ acoustic city planners? At least this is what Björn Hellström suggests!

In this article (in Swedish) Swedish Björn Hellström, Sound designer and architect, wants to make us aware of the positive approach towards sound and acoustic impressions in our society and outdoor surroundings. You may want to read the article using Google Translator or absorb some highlights below.

The acoustic environment of cities is constantly changing. The public space is filled with acoustic sensations. This could be muzak from external loud speakers or acoustic installations.

Today there is no unit within the field of urban planning having in depth knowledge about this, thus a lack of relevant competence!

Mainly defensive strategies trying to protect the human being from sound are applied. Perhaps we should have a more progressive or positive attitude, focusing more on taking good care of the positive qualities of sound.

A challenge with the increased amount of loud speaker distributed sound in the public space is that we don’t have visual contact with the sound source. A central concept taking into account the relation between visual and “audio” information is namned “akusmatik” (acousmatic).

A new trend is shops and boutiques playing music in the streets. Here is no clear legal framework handling this situation, as there is with regards to “traditional” building permits.

A public place which sounds good is not necessarily quiet, but rather by having sounds related to the place and the activities taking place there, you can make the space sound good.

Read the full article here!

Posted by Carsten Svensson at 10:11 AM | Permalink

Have you ever listened to the singing ringing tree in the UK?
On sound tourism - a travel guide to sonic wonders, you will be able to find all kinds of sound experiences from all over the world.
Usually travel guides infrom us on all the must-sees. This website however provides you with hints on must-hears as sound can be at least as enjoyable as views or sights.
Sonic Wonders
Sonic Wonders is authored by Trevor Cox, Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford

Trevor is now the new Institute of Acoustics president and as well as being Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, he is a Senior Media Fellow funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and he is a regular on BBC TV and Radio as an acoustic ambassador with issues relating to acoustics/science.

Posted by Marc Janssen at 5:00 PM | Permalink

If you want to know more about auditory neuroscience - or simply how is sound processed by our brains, here is a informative website with many good links:

http://www-ece.rice.edu/~dhj/neuro.html

Posted by Carsten Svensson at 11:26 AM | Permalink

The Center for Hearing and Communication founded International Noise Awareness Day to promote awareness of the dangers of long-term exposure to noise.

"It is time to address the threat that noise poses to hearing, health, learning and behavior," says Amy Boyle, Director of Public Education at the Center for the Hard of Hearing. This year the Center is once again spearheading a special effort to inform the public of the necessity of creating a quiet home, school and recreational environment.

Continuous exposure to noise above 85 decibels can be harmful to hearing and documented research has found noise does not have to be that loud to lead to physiological changes in blood pressure, sleep, digestion and other stress-related disorders. Studies exist documenting the harmful effects of noise on children's learning and behavior. "It is time" Boyle says, "that we take responsibility to quiet our surroundings and create a healthy environment for us and our children."

Among the many activities planned during International Noise Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 sponsored by the Center for the Hard of Hearing, the public will be asked to observe the Quiet Diet - one minute of quiet, regardless of their location, from 2:15 P.M. to 2:16 P.M.
For more info click here
Click here for info regarding "Noise Action Week" in the UK which coincides with this.

Posted by Colin Campbell at 1:52 PM | Permalink

Noise in the built environment symposium (Thursday 29 April 2010 - Friday 30 April 2010) is organised jointly by the Association of Belgian Acoustical Association and Institute of Acoustics, and supported by the European Acoustics Association as an EAA Symposium.

Amongst many interesting topics will be:

Classroom acoustics;
Andrew Parkin, RPS Group discussing BB93: past, present and future.
Robert Conetta, London South Bank University with a preliminary survey of noise levels in UK secondary schools.
Daniel Connolly, Institute of Education, London will present Secondary schools students' perceptions of their acoustic environment. Results of pilot research in English secondary schools.
Mike Wood, Exeter University will discuss case study evaluations of the influence of BB93 on the acoustic design of school buildings.
David Canning, Hear2Learn will discuss the effect of classroom acoustics on occupied noise levels: An investigation into the predicted sound levels in classrooms and their actual performance in use.
Adrian James, Adrian James Acoustics will present school acoustics design for excellence- when BB93 just isn't good enough.

Acoustics in Health;
Nicola Shiers, London South Bank University will discuss a survey of noise levels in a post-surgical childrens' ward.
Jian Kang, University of Sheffield will discuss acoustic simulation of u-shaped long space in hospitals.

Future noise measurement;
John Zeman, London South Bank University will discuss Acoustics uses for the iPhone.

For more info please click here for IOA link

Posted by Colin Campbell at 2:11 PM | Permalink