Sonic facade, creating a sounding architecture

Abstract

While architecture inherently makes sound when people and the environment interact with it, architects seldom orchestrate a building to produce sound. This thesis proposes a sonic facade that turns an existing building into a sound producing instrument. Sonic facade is a wind powered sound producing device that can be integrated into a wall structure. The facade is produced out of a series tubes, or more technically, a series of air column vibrators. While all the tubes may be the same length, the combination of three different types of tubes produces different sounds. This thesis proposes a seven rule shape grammar for users to determine the placement and implementation of the sonic facade on an existing building and site. The shape grammar allows for a range of simple to complex possibilities that could be applied to a variety of buildings. The sonic facade not only has an aural quality, but it is also an indicator and transmitter of the outside world. When the tubes pass from the outside to the inside of a building, the wind, the rain, and passersby bring sound inside the building.