The Sound Pavilion

Abstract

The act of dwelling is a sensorial experience that relies on a continuous stream of information from our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin to develop an emotional and intellectual understanding of our environment. Architects, for the most part, have focused on the sense of sight undervaluing all other sensorial experiences. By exploring one of the fundamental sensorial aspects of dwelling, sound, I will study how the architectural manipulation of sound can allow us to further understand our environment. By exploring Aural Architecture theory as developed by Barry Blesser & Linda-Ruth Salter I will be able to study the interactions between our auditory senses in relation to our natural environments while also concerning myself with the experience of sound that have been altered by the physical properties of a designed space. In this thesis I propose the creation of an Aural Pavilion in El Yunque Rain Forest in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico in where I will explore these aforementioned auditory and aural experiences and the relation these sensorial experiences have with our ability to dwell.