Parametric acoustic surfaces

Acoustics are important performance criteria for architecture; however, architects rarely consider them, except, perhaps, when designing concert halls. Architectural spaces can be said to perform well or poorly in terms of their acoustic qualities. The volumetric geometry of a room as well as its surface characteristics determine the acoustic quality of a space. Acoustic engineering research has proposed several new types of surfaces that can alter the acoustics of architectural spaces in different ways (Cox 2009). By altering the geometry or material characteristics of the surfaces within a room in specific ways, the acoustics can be controlled. Once the geometric rules governing these acoustic alterations are understood, these rules can be encoded into a CAD system through parametric modeling or the use of computer programming. The architectural designer can then generate acoustically regulating surfaces according to desired performance criteria. In this way, acoustic engineering links to architectural design, and allows architectural design to become acoustically performance-driven.
This paper considers three primary types of acoustic surfaces: absorbers, resonators, and diffusers. Complex surfaces that combine these three performance characteristics in different ways are proposed. The relationship of geometry and material to the physical properties of sound is discussed, as is how parametric systems and computer programming techniques can be used to generate new types of acoustically regulating surfaces.