ArAc multibook – an acoustics textbook for architects is being prepared. It’s an international undertaking and the Wrocław University of Technology Faculty of Architecture is one of the participants of the project
“Architectural acoustics is a field of study that describes phenomena difficult to explain verbally, as they are not visible and require combining knowledge and imagination.” – says Karolina Jaruszewska, author of the idea of multibook, a graduate of the Wrocław University of Technology Faculty of Electronics, and a vibroacoustics specialist at KFB Polska – “During my cooperation with designers I have realized there is an educational gap. They learn acoustics as part of a course in physics or at a separate course, but these courses focus mainly on theoretical issues.”
“In the study programme there is a separate obligatory course ‘Acoustics’ and another, optional one, pertaining mainly to the design of concert halls, but they only cover a small part of the knowledge.” – says Joanna Jabłońska, PhD, Eng. of Architecture from the Chair of Public Service Buildings and Design Basics, involved in the multibook project – “Architects are accustomed to thinking in images, form, and space, rather than using physical notions and mathematical formulas. Such a textbook will be more functional for them.”
“The high level of noise that surrounds us more and more often, has an adverse effect on our health and concentration. People working at open spaces or teachers in schools and kindergartens can certainly confirm it. At the same time, current trends in architecture rely more and more on concrete and glass which, from the acoustic perspective, are not necessarily recommended. Such buildings are often very appealing but they fail to fulfill their role and people who spend time there are not satisfied.
The Multibook will be not only a textbook, but also a tool useful in everyday work, for example when designing facilities with special acoustic requirements, schools or hospitals. Its aim is to make architects more sensitive to acoustic issues and make them aware of the influence that the shape of the space and the materials used have on the ambience and acoustic comfort of its user. The book will be enhanced with visual elements. It will also include animations, video tutorials, sound samples, and animated schemata.
ArAc will be a free app that can be downloaded on mobile devices, with two versions, adapted to the Android and iOS operating systems. It will also be accessible on-line as an active pdf, for those who haven’t got a touchscreen device. The multibook will feature links to internal, as well as external contents. It will be available in 4 language versions: Polish, English, French, and German.
The project should be ready in 3 months. On 15 April, a conference will be held at the “Nowe Horyzonty” cinema, at which speeches on architectural acoustics will be delivered and the ArAc multibook will be presented.
The partners of the project include: KBF Polska – a company providing services in the areas of industrial acoustics, architectural acoustics, vibroacoustics, and environmental acoustics; the Wrocław University of Technology Faculty of Architecture, Kahle Acoustics – an acoustics consulting company that cooperates with architects of world renown, such as Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Rafael Viñoly, Terry Pawson or Paul Andreu; the Laboratory of Acoustics and Thermal Physics at the Catholic University Leuven’s Department of Physics and Astronomy (Belgium); and the gfai tech GmbH company specializing in the manufacture, marketing, and sales of innovative measurement systems. The project is being carried out with financial support of the European Commission, as part of the “Life Long Learning” programme.
More information on the project is available at: http://arac-multibook.com/www/
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Translation: Dariusz Więcławski
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