Arup has launched a studio in Singapore that allows clients, architects, engineers and stakeholders to hear how design can shape sound.
The engineering designer’s SoundLab is the first studio of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Acoustic design is used to optimise many kinds of project, such as transport terminals, roads and railways, auditoriums, offices, shopping centres and nightclubs.
SoundLab uses audio technology to reproduce the level and character of sound in a space, and is intended to allow clients to understand how their projects will sound, and to suggest changes.
The studio has already been used by Arup.
Jingfeng Xu, acoustic and audio-visual leader for Arup in Singapore, said: "We now have a powerful tool to help our clients and collaborators make ‘sound’ decisions.
"Sound and noise are familiar to everyone. However, conventional techniques for describing their quality or impacts are not easily accessible and are often misunderstood – for example the decibel system seems counter-intuitive to many people.
"SoundLab enables them to listen to changes in the design’s acoustic environment, providing an objective framework to measure all factors in the design process before reaching an informed decision."
Listen to a podcast by 99% Invisible for more information about acoustic design and architecture.
Image via Arup
