Developing technologies with and for professionals of the built environment
2019
SSHRC, FRQSC doctoral fellowship
CIRMMT, Ville de Montréal
The visual is dominant in urban planning so we develop new tools to help planners understand also the sonic consequences of their planning choices .
Simulating the sound environment in 3D immerses planners in the urban experience they are creating.
Each urban development project raises aesthetic, functional, and socio-demographic questions depending on the local context. However, its sounds are considered in the later stages of design or simply remain an afterthought. To raise the awareness of urban professionals to the question of sound in their projects, and to facilitate the processes of consultation, creation, and communication, our team developed an interactive immersive "co-design sound sketchpad".
This soundscape simulator can help not only play on-site recordings back in a listening room, but also add, position, and move single sources in space. This software allows to simply and efficiently (re)produce the sound environments of various spaces that do not yet exist.
A first public prototype of this tool was unveiled at a CIRMMT-hosted day-long event offered by the “Sounds in the City” team in July 2019. The event was articulated around the integration of new technologies and approaches in the process of co-designing the soundscapes of public spaces. In a concert hall equipped with 48 loudspeakers, an audience of mostly urban professionals used the simulator to discuss about, design and listen to what the soundscape of a specific public space could sound like under different circumstances, while taking into account location constraints: What would be the impact of slowing down traffic on the main avenue? Would it be pertinent to install a fountain in the centre of the square? The simulator allowed participants to listen to a sonic rendering of their suggestions in real-time and appreciate the consequences of planning decisions on the sound environment.
For details, please contact: Cynthia Tarlao, Catherine Guastavino
Check out a short binaural demonstration at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4fLhBGuAi8