Acoustic Design in the Built Environment

The focus of this essay will be on the real world practice of an acoustic designer, myself, working with a science centre, a zoo- logical garden and a centre for the moving image. Each of these public institutions resolved to give due consideration of their acoustic environment within the development of their public programmes, particularly as they were delivered by way of eletroacoustic systems. In as much as these sites are components of our global soundscape it may be of interest to view them as designed elements which stand in relief to the ad hoc sonic by-products found in the wider built environment. The three settings presented are chosen for their apparent diverse requirements. Of particular interest is the inherent balance between technical and creative processes that have to be applied and the decision-making process of the acoustic designer.