Merriam-Webster defines acoustics as a science, a body of knowledge, dealing with the production of, transmission of, reception of, control of, and effects of sound.

Given that sound is a direct input into one of our five senses, it shapes our perceptions of realityand in a very real sense, our identity. Given nuances of how it affects us, there are many subjects and fields of study contained within those five broad classifications. These range from physics of sound, changes in it because of environment, physiological reactions to it, psychological reactions to it, its applicationin the arts, its use in medicine, and numerous subsets of each of these.

For our purposes, we will examine only architectural acoustics. We will focus on how sound from within and without, and the characteristics and quality of the same, positively and negatively affect inhabitants of environments we create. We will consider what can be done to enhance or mitigate those effects, to control or alter characteristics of such sound. We will examine how sound radiates outward from points of origin, how it moves through objects and space, and how it is perceived by people. We will consider control of sound through spatial design, material choices, and construction techniques. Finally, we will examine problems with which we still struggle, how to deal with them in specific building types, and why it is becoming so important to do so.

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

Learning Objective 1: Terminology and principles governing how sound is generated, moves through matter, and is modified by material selection.

Learning Objective 2: Sources of noise that negatively impact users of built environments, generated both outside and from within buildings, including both air borne and structure borne sounds.

Learning Objective 3: Basic design practices for effectively controlling; sound transfer between exterior and interior spaces, noise transfer from interior space to adjacent spaces, and the reverberation of sound generated within spaces.

Learning Objective 4: Effects of sound on building users, based on the environment and the ability of receivers to perceive it.

Learning Objective 5: Ways to measure sound and quantify, both goals in acoustic design, and success in meeting those goals.

Learning Objective 6: Design objectives and recommended best practices for building types where poor acoustics directly impact productivity and health of the users.

Learning Objective 7: Common gaps in construction of spatial enclosures and how to eliminate weaknesses that negate acoustic design intentions.

Learning Objective 8: An overview of regulations and guidelines that either are, or may become, law underscoring a need for competency in acoustic design, before legislatures make designing for noise control mandatory.