Sound-Frameworks: Matilde Best (Regelbau 411) - Interview

This is a transcription of an interview that took place within the project Sound-Frameworks: Collaborative Frameworks for Integrating Sound Within Urban Design and Planning Processes.

Sound-Frameworks is an action-led research project that explores the role of sound in urban design and city planning. The project is led by the artist and researcher Dr. Sven Anderson and hosted by Theatrum Mundi, a non-profit organisation that expands the craft of city-making through collaboration with artists.

Central to this project is a focus on how urban sonic experience can serve as a driver for design in the public realm. The public realm constitutes the integral connective tissue that defines the contemporary cityscape, within which different individuals, communities and institutions engage with each other through cooperation and conflict. Sound has remained a neglected dimension of this domain, generally coming into consideration only within late stages of design through efforts to ameliorate the impact of environmental noise. As the densification of urban territories accelerates, the role of sonic experience as an essential factor to be addressed by urban designers must be reassessed.

Sound-Frameworks explores new methodologies for integrating sound in urban design through the production of three inter-related resources:

1. A sound in practice survey2. A publication on best practice guidelines in this field3. An online tool to guide the integration of sound in the design of the public realm

Drawing from environmental acoustics, spatial planning, contemporary sound studies, the project initiates a framework to extend regional, national and international objectives for integrated city planning and contribute to public realm initiatives in Europe and beyond.

Sound-Frameworks has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101032632.

Sound-Frameworks is hosted by Theatrum Mundi (UK) and supported by partnerships with Arup (UK), UrbanIdentity (CH), Struer Kommune (DK), the University of Oxford Faculty of Music (UK) and the Sound Studies Lab at the University of Copenhagen (DK). 

Sound-Frameworks: https://www.soundframeworks.orgTheatrum Mundi: https://www.theatrum-mundi.orgSven Anderson: https://www.svenanderson.net