Sonority in Architecture

Abstract

Situated between music and architecture, this thesis explores the notation, design, and performance of sound space. In the middle of the twentieth century, composers began to include spatial directives in their musical scores. They introduced a lineage of conservation, communication, and conception of spatial meaning in sound. This strategy of notation, as used by Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage, demonstrates a working relationship with space that is rooted in the discipline of architecture. As a synthesis of the research, installation projects build the experiential component of this thesis. The design and performance of these sound based installations amplify depth, movement, and change. These unique qualities of sound complete what other media fail to represent, and can significantly inform the ocular-centric design process in architecture. Ultimately, this investigation brings temporality into current architectural discourse by considering sound as an essential component of space. Through the act of listening, this thesis seeks to engage the sonorous layer of architecture and to enrich our experience of the world.