Gramazio&Kohler’s sound surfaces
Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
A research department, led by professors Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler, from the faculty of architecture of ETH University of Zurich, has developed several projects focused on experimentation in the field of acoustics and interior surfaces.
Using computational software and parametric modeling, the projects developed by the researchers focus on and investigate the relationship between the spatial arrangement of simple elements forming a complex surface, and the response that this surface generates when subjected to sound stimuli.
Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
A research department, led by professors Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler, from the faculty of architecture of the ETH University of Zurich, has developed several projects focused on experimentation in the field of acoustics and interior surfaces.
Using computational software and parametric modeling, the projects developed by the researchers focus on and investigate the relationship between the spatial arrangement of simple elements forming a complex surface, and the response that this surface generates when subjected to sound stimuli.
Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
The individual blocks have a unique and specific position and orientation, designed to make the surface a huge Schroeder speaker. The term refers to an acoustic diffuser which, due to its constructional peculiarities linked to a specific mathematical model, reflects the sound in a “diffused” way and not according to the usual law of the angle of incidence and reflection. This diffuser does not contain an actual speaker and emits no sound, as it is completely passive. In practice, this device is built to obtain corrections of an acoustic / environmental nature in internal architectures that present particular problems of sound propagation. The Schroeder diffuser does not in itself have sound absorption characteristics, provided however by the use of the wooden material for the construction of the installation.
Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
The irregularity of the asymmetry with which the main faces of the blocks were cut generates a progressive and changing play of lights and shadows throughout the day.
The irregular empty space between one block and another is used to diffuse the air from the mechanical ventilation system hidden behind the surface itself into the environment.
Thanks to the use of a monitoring camera connected to the software, the system was assembled by hand but with an accurate geometric correspondence to the original digital project.
Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
