This project aims to bridge the physically distanced world through the innovative collaboration of design, music, nature, and construction. As our realities become more digitally orientated, the permanent structure will provide a tactile connection to the individual’s surroundings through the use of acoustics. A series of live-streams and recordings will be published for a listener to develop their interpretation of the environment through the dynamic nature of the wind’s harmonies. This project is to act as a small-scale precedent for the future of intentional collaborations between architecture and music. The perceptions of urban and rural structures often lack the inclusion of sound for an enhanced understanding of space, time, and place.
The team will utilize digital modeling and plasma cutters to precisely manufacture foundation brackets, joist connectors, and other metal wall details. The team is still testing a variety of string materials and orientations to allow the wind to play a more consonant sound. This is being tested through a series of small-scale studies to determine the acoustic qualities and design of the final structure. The most current study is a ten-foot-tall brass resonate tube that amplifies the vibrations of the various strings attached. The studies from these instruments will determine what string types will line the roof and walls of The structure. With advisement from Dr. Hutchins, further investigations will incorporate alternate resonator chamber materials, forms, and thicknesses.
The success of the project will not be determined solely by the completed construction, but also by the integration of architecture and music. The space within the structure must allow an individual to perceptually understand all levels of their surroundings. This will be measured through the consonant sound that reflects wind speed, the comfort of an individual in the space, and perfect execution of details to blend architecture and music. As a team, we plan to carry this experience into further professional and educational practices. The time frame and budget have limited the project to a small-scale structure and little varying factors, but the opportunities for expansion and integration are endless.
