Soundscape in and out of metro line fuyang shan by Fuyang Shan

FUYANG SHAN Soundscape In and Out of Metro Station OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO Northeastern University Fall 2015

CONTENTS:

PROJECT NARRATIVE:

Section I - South Station Concept map and research sequence Observation A Observation B Observation C Features of four different spaces

Section III - Urban landscaped Metro 04-05 06-07 08-09 10-11 12-13

Section II - Ruggle Station Concept map and research sequence Urban analysis of Ruggles Station Transportation flow analysis *Testing Point 1 *Testing Point 2 *Testing Point 3 *Left and right differences in three testing points *Improvment strategy for testing point 2 *Improvment strategy for testing point 3 *Experiment of sound modification - Conditions *Experiment of sound modification - Setting up standard reference *Experiment of sound modification - Materials *Experiment of sound modification - High moisture *Experiment of sound modification - High temperature *Experiment of sound modification - Material Follow up research - Concept map Situation 1 - Programs applied on top of metro station Situation 2 - Programs in the metro station Situation 3 - Underground metro station Situation 4 - Underground double level metro station Different situation in urban scale

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

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Concept map and research sequence Conceptural category of landscaped metro situations in Boston Complexity of situation in reality Introduce reference locations for each situation Major investigation points of reference location Situation 1- In the middle of road Situation 1- Sound structure Reference location for situation 1- Boston University Central Recording analysis Situation 2 - Have distance from the road Situation 2 - Sound structure Reference location for situation 2 - Brooklin Hill Mapping objects and conditions of reference site Metro sound is not equal to noise What you hear is not what you see Situation 3- Different elevation envolved Situation 3- Sound structure Reference location for situation 3 - Longwood Recording analysis Cross section of Longwood Closer noise source doesn't mean more influence Situation 4 - Open tunnel Situation 4 - Sound structure Reference location for situation 4 - Jackson Square Sound trapped doesn't mean it's reduced

Section 1

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The research in this section is about general information delivered by spaces based on the research in south station. The scale of the space, the material and artificial or natural light are all going to be part of organize the information in the space. Some information assisted people to use the space, and some are not; Section 2

In this section, the research focus on sound identification of useful or not in terms of what kind of information it contains and how it delivered properly; Section 3

Based on the previews research to analysis sound from metro line in urban scale, research aims on different landscape situations affect the soundscape in urban spaces. Furthermore, to understand how to use the soundscape in space to make better decision in design process.

Summary Situations about metro line inside of metro station- Summary Situations about metro line outside of metro station- Summary Summary of each section

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OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Concept Map Space

Deliever

Information

Assist

Contain

Accoustic information ●● sound from people ●● sound from machine

Visual information

Generate

Interacte with each other

Section I - South Station Concept map and research sequence Observation A Observation B Observation C Features of four different spaces

As designers, we always shape the space based on how we gonna use this place. But usually, we haven't take too much attention about what these spaces generate may change the sinorio we made in the first place

Contain

Objects (machanical/ programmatic) Scale Material

Confine

Space

Use/ Shape

People

04-05 06-07 08-09 10-11 12-13

Research sequence Step 1 Choose 4 observation points (different from each other)

Step 2 Scale of the space People's behavior How information tranfer

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Step 3

Step 4

Compare 4 different spaces' feature and trying to find out how information delevered differently

Thinking about how sound working in the process of delivering information from public space

Observe

Analysis

Compare

Summary

Mapping Feelings

Targeting Interaction

Rethinking

Imagination

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Observation A

Natural Light shows the way out of here to the upper street

When you are underground and trying to find a way out, do people trying to look around and find the natural light first or a sign first?

3D VECTORS SET

Artificial light shows the station sign

upper street

Low ceiling; barely natural light; flat space

No block in the middle of space, people rarely stop here and everyone just passing by really quick, is that why there is only one kind of advertisement that repeat showing up in this place? I always feel like that commercial value of the advertisement space is based on how many people passing by around it. But I'm not sure now.

●● No block in the middle of space, people rarely stop here and everyone just passing by really quick, is that why there is only one kind of advertisement that repeat showing up in this place? ●● I always feel like that commercial value of the advertisement space is based on how many people passing by around it. But I'm not sure now.

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Observation B

When the space itself already has a high sense of conduction, does it really matter to offer a specified sign?

3D VECTORS SET

Does this kind of retail store open in the space A would confuse the people to find the right path? Main Lobby Street Metro

bar

Double hight ceiling; Natural light; ventilation machine stop ●● When the space itself already has a high sence of conduction, does it really meater to offer a specified sign?

where we can stay

●● Does this kind of retail store open in the space A would confuse the people to find the right path?

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

coffee

Main Lobby

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Observation C

3D VECTORS SET

High ceiling; Super bright; Open wide space ●● When the space itself already has a high sence of conduction, does it really meater to offer a specified sign? ●● Does this kind of retail store open in the space A would confuse the people to find the right path?

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Features of four different spaces

Volume

Volume from People

Volume from Machine

A B C D

A: In term of sound, space A is a buffer between the upper ground and the trains down low. Only a little sound when the train passing by.

Propotion of sound from machine and sound from people in these four location

B: I feel it sounds much louder than underground is because it’s close to Main Street and the main waiting lobby.

Sound is a major sense in the five major sensual elements of human beings. However always have been ne-glect by the designer who are shaping public spaces.

C: Barely hear the sound from metro station, and even it’s an open space with a lot of doors, the people’s sound still bouncing around the lobby.

This table is trying to map the volume of the sound in the spaces that researched last week and its major types. By distinguished between machine and people as passive and initiative way, some clues could be found about how sound influence people in different shape of spaces, and in the end, how to take advantage of that when we try to understand a space in a "sound" perspective.

B A

D: Peole don't talk too much in this space, but the tunnel makes the sound trapped and loader then it should be I think.

During the process of mapping my own feeling about the sound in space, it keep me thinking if what I hear is what really happened. I mean, is that possible space A is more quite than space D which is not what I feel, but distracted by the space itself. Because space A is clearly more depression than D. And maybe space B is not actually that loud compare with the other three spaces. The visual information from space A to space B changed dramatically, does that going to confuse my feeling in the sound perspective? These are few questions I may peruse when we are going to do the audio recording trip to the south station next week.

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Concept Map Different Mechanical Systerm

Supported by

Airplane

Different Urban Infrastructure

Train City

Cause

Support

Sound from mechanical systerm Social activities

Metro

Bike Transport

Section II - Ruggle Station

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

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Sound from People

People

Affect

Based on

Station

Concept map and research sequence Urban analysis of Ruggles Station Transportation flow analysis *Testing Point 1 *Testing Point 2 *Testing Point 3 *Left and right differences in three testing points *Improvment strategy for testing point 2 *Improvment strategy for testing point 3 *Experiment of sound modification - Conditions *Experiment of sound modification - Setting up standard reference *Experiment of sound modification - Materials *Experiment of sound modification - High moisture *Experiment of sound modification - High temperature *Experiment of sound modification - Material Follow up research - Concept map Situation 1 - Programs applied on top of metro station Situation 2 - Programs in the metro station Situation 3 - Underground metro station Situation 4 - Underground double level metro station Different situation in urban scale

Involvement

Use

Bus

Enjoyable

Have standard of

Different social activities

Conclude into

Informative Sound that masks the useful sound

Conclude into

Sound that masks the useful information

Useful Sound

Useless Sound

Decide

Research Sequence Step 1 Choose 3 different location inside of Ruggles Station mapping data

*Workshop with Joseph Dibella (NEU) and Han Wei (GSD)

Step 2 Source Path Receiver

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Identify the useful and useless sound based on the choose location

Proposing ways to block the unnecessary sound and remain the useful sound

Classify metro stations in Boston that require station buildings

Collect Data

Analysis

Identify

Possible Improvement

Classify Typology

Recording

Find sound structure

Filtering sound

Proposing

Find similarities

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Urban Analysis of Ruggles

People

Bus

Campus

Relationships between speed and noise;

Most people from the neighborhood travel here to take travel on the bus or metro;

The element in the buses' noise

Most students cross through to get to Northeastern's campus International Village Neighborhood

Metro

Protential influenced buildings

The sound is initially heard from vibrations emitted from surrounding materials;

Exposed directly to the metro and bus noise; Reflection from the source of noise;

Sound is initially heard from underground and trapped within Ruggles Station and higher road; Sound affect in urban scale

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Transportation Flow Analysis

Testing Point 1

Upper level bus line

Major people flow

Police Station BOA

Metro Line in lower level

Dunkin' Donuts

Branch people flow connected to bus/metro line

Steel Structure; Steel Objects; pedestrians

Anaylise ●● Mnay activities; ●● Contains different frenquencies of sound; ●● Many layers of sound;

3D VECTORS SET

Discribtion of this location ●● Easy to hear the source of the sounds; ●● Sound tends to be more clear; ●● People are constantly in motion;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Testing Point 2

Testing Point 3

Concrete structure; steel and glass doors

Anaylise ●● Not as loud as the first location; ●● The noise floor is high and unsteady; ●● More echoes due to the scale and materiality of the space;

Anaylise ●● Relatively quiet; ●● The noise floor is steady; ●● Some signals are easily noticed;

3D VECTORS SET

Discribtion of this location ●● Not as loud as the first location; ●● The noise floor is high and unsteady; ●● More echoes due to the scale and materiality of the space;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

3D VECTORS SET

Discribtion of this location ●● Close to the middle ad wall, easy to identify the direction of the sound; ●● Not many overtones due to observing material from the ceiling; ●● People are traveling or meeting/conversing with other people; OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Life and right differences in three testing points 1

Steel Structure; Steel Objects; many people

Train Coming

Improvment strategy for testing point 2 Train Leaving

3D VECTORS SET

Sound tend to be continuously, because the souse was really close compare to the third location;

Concrete structure; steel and glass doors 3D VECTORS SET

Clear to identify the train was coming or leaving;

Concrete structure; steel and glass doors 3D VECTORS SET

Train Coming

Train Leaving

Identify the source: most from the upper level bus line;

The sound from left ear and right ear doesn't have too much different; Rarely have high frequency;

Find the path: include the media (roof ), the reflected area (wall); Choose matrial: wood;

Metal acoustical ceiling; stone floor; plastic ad wall

3D VECTORS SET

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Train Coming

Train Leaving

3D VECTORS SET

Sound tend to be more clear; Still remain the differences between both sides;

Detailed improvement ●● reduce the volume of the sound in this space; especially from the top of the concrete structure; ●● apply some vertical planting to downsize the number of overtone; ●● hope during the modify, the left high frequency make more directional information and clear;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Improvment strategy for testing point 3 3

Experiment of sound modification - Conditions

Metal acoustical ceiling; stone floor; plastic ad wall

3D VECTORS SET

Identify the source: most the bus line from lower level is the major source

Group 5 Recording From 8:30~8:40

Find the path: include the media (roof ), the reflected area (wall);

●● Mnay activities; ●● Contains different frenquencies of sound; ●● Many layers of sound;

Choose matrial: absorb material Light

3D VECTORS SET

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Detailed improvement ●● Use concrete to create a shell to block unnessory noise from the buses below; ●● Apply green plantings to create more enjoyable environment in the space; ●● Use observe material attach the ceiling to aberve the noise leaking from the downside and reduce the reflection sound in the atrium;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Experiment of sound modification - Setting up standard reference 1

Experiment of sound modification - High moisture

Standard

●● Many activities; ●● Contains different frequencies of sound; ●● Many layers of sound;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

High moisture ●● the moisture generator creat a lot of different dencity of the air, and cause some fluctuation of the sound; ●● the high frequency amplified during the test, don't know why;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Experiment of sound modification - High temperature 3

Experiment of sound modification - Material

With fire inside ●● sound tend to be more steady; ●● Not too much change; 1 Wood

Floor

●● for observing the noise, the wood is definitly better than metal;

2 Plastic

Floor

●● Low frequency downsized; ●● high frequency doesn't get too mcuh better than the wood;

3 Metal

Floor

●● High frenquency enhaced;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Follow up research - Concept map about program combined with metro station

Situation 1 - Programs applied on top of metro station

Due to the continusly high flow in the major metro station, a lot of programs were usually diesigned to combine with the metro line for the economic benefit.

This is a kind of situation that metro line running inside of a building which has a seperate programe.

Possibilities

Relationship with urban city Metro Station with certain program

Direct sound affect

Money Bring

Major flow

Bring

Business opportunies

Social Activity Involved

Metro station

Create

Visual Connection

Social activities

Create

New sound

Offer extra spaces

Extra structure combine with station

Block Reduce

Lower sound from metro line

Metro

Combined

Major metro line

Benefit

The noise from road may mask the sound from metro

Physical Connection

Metro

Mechanical Involved

Sound into city waiting area

Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Potential overlap urban program

Discription of this situation ●● Landscape is not necessary shrink in this kind of situation, but the waiting area definitly enlarged in this situation depends on how big the landscape here is; ●● Waiting area become possible overlap with the urban program; Situation - Programs applied on top of metro station Situation - Programs in the metro station Situation - Underground metro station

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situation 2 - Programs in the metro station

This is a kind of situation that metro station's original fuctioanl place mixed with the extra programs. Sound from metro line usually trapted inside of metro station.

Create

Metro station

Need

Mechanical system Block

The noise from road may mask the sound from metro

Metro

Different programs

Support

People activities

Create

Sound from people

Sound from metro

Social Activity Involved Private Cars

Waiting

Visual Connection Metro

Support

Mechanical system

Relationship with urban city

Structure/ Mechanical system

Machanical sound

Physical Connection

Waiting area with potential program

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Mask with each other Mix with each other Combine with each other

Mechanical Involved Waiting

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Metro Line

Buildings

Waiting area

Sidewalk

Sequence of people using the train Major flow to the metro line also bring more business to the add on programs in the middle of metro line and city;

People Flow Buildings

The overlap part of mechanical system

Mechanical system

Sidewalks Road Landscape

Metro Line

Possible program Machanical system overlap People taking the metro line People using the program

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Waiting area

Sidewalk

Sequence of people using the programs in metro station Programs in the waiting area may possiblly have more connection with city. And could be used separately from the metro station;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situation 3 - Underground metro station

This is a kind of situation that metro station is located underground, and it's usually have structure reaching out of the ground to connect with the urban transportation.

The relationship with the urban in this situation is just few little pointed station reached out of ground, but there maybe a possibility that the structure holding the public space( possible green space) also support the infrastructure of city, like urban pipe system. And station here offers flexible space for repairement.

Relationship with urban city

Landscape or Play Ground Mechanical and Structure System

Social Activity Involved

Visual Connection

Structure/ Mechanical/ Infrastructure of city

Waiting

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Station

Physical Connection

Mechanical Involved

Metro

Metro Landscape or Play Ground

Mechanical and Structure System

Waiting

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Station

Connection with people ●● Easy to be noticed in the city; ●● no influence for the building around it;

Buildings Sidewalks Road Landscape

Sound perception ●● Sound of the metro may leaking from the entrance of the station; ●● People walking along the sidewalk may notice the sound from metro when they are passing by and train just arriving or leaving.

Mechanical and Structure ●● In order to support the playground funtional, the requirement to fufill this situation block most of sound; ●● T h e d e p t h o f s t r u c t u r e g i v e s opportunities for urban infrastructure.

Possible program Machanical system overlap

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situation 4 - Underground double level metro station

Different situation in urban scale

This is a kind of situation that metro station is located underground, and the upper ground structure is combined with buildings. Some parts of this station could be considered as the basement of urban buildings.

Two type of underground metro line has different affect to the city in urban scale; the noise source in the figure on the left tends to be more concentrate, probably more easy to contain or modified.

Relationship with urban city Social Activity Involved

Visual Connection

Two totally different situation in urban scale Physical Connection

Mechanical Involved

Metro

Buildings

Sidewalk

Station

Metro

Bus/ Cars

Waiting

Sidewalk

Station

Buildings

Waiting

Buildings

Sound source overlap

Sidewalks

Sound source distributed

Road Landscape Possible program Machanical system overlap People Flow

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Concept map

Historic city

Generate

Inherited and unique urban fabric

Urban metro line

Source

Mixed into

Section III - Urban landscaped Metro Concept map and research sequence Conceptural category of landscaped metro situations in Boston Complexity of situation in reality Introduce reference locations for each situation Major investigation points of reference location Situation 1- In the middle of road Situation 1- Sound structure Reference location for situation 1- Boston University Central Recording analysis Situation 2 - Have distance from the road Situation 2 - Sound structure Reference location for situation 2 - Brooklin Hill Mapping objects and conditions of reference site Metro sound is not equal to noise What you hear is not what you see Situation 3- Different elevation envolved Situation 3- Sound structure Reference location for situation 3 - Longwood Recording analysis Cross section of Longwood Closer noise source doesn't mean more influence Situation 4 - Open tunnel Situation 4 - Sound structure Reference location for situation 4 - Jackson Square Sound trapped doesn't mean it's reduced

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Sound

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Path

Differente situations

Urban landscape Different Soundscape

Receiver Create

Affect

Urban life

Activities

Create

Research Sequence

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Conceptural category of landscaped metro situations in Boston

Analysis sound structure of each situation

Find same situation in reality

Based on the recordings of site and analysis the unique feature of soundscape in the reference location

Find something significant in this kind of sound scape, and rethinking the situation it referenced from

Classification

Analysis

Singularity

Analysis

Summary

Boston

Concepturally

Compare

Scientificly

Notable features

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Conceptural category of landscaped metro situations in Boston

Complexity of situation in reality

Mixed with road Metro Metro

Distance

Universal

Conceptual

Singularity

Reality

Metro

Elevation difference

Metro

Tunnal

Metro

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Metro

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Introduce reference locations for each situation Universal

Major investigation points of reference location Singularity

Conceptual

Reality

Mask If the metro sound got masked by other sound source;

Situations

Reference Locations

Mixed with road

Sound Path Objects Boston university Central

Based on the path of sound, find possible urban objects can effect sound;

Metro

Distance

Unique Sound Find which sound is unique in this space and what's its relationship with other sounds;

Brooklin Hill

Metro

Social activities Elevation difference

Find any social activities related to sound recogniztion;

Longwood

Metro

Machanical Tunnal

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Sound from machanical system

Jackson Square

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situation 1- In the middle of road

Situation 1- Sound structure Relationship with urban city

Sound Source:

Social Activity Involved

2 3 4

Visual Connection Metro

Physical Connection

Metro

Receiver: People on the street

Mechanical Involved Buildings

Sidewalk

Bus

Private Cars

Metro Vehicles on the road Sound from buildings (people) Natural sound (Wind/ Bird/ Leaves)

Waiting

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

●● Sound from vehicles is constantly, and usually mask metro sound； ●● People on the sidewalk has more visual connection with the buildings, the sound from buildings may not as loud as metro or bus, but certainly could draw attention; ●● People usually have directly visual connection with every source of sound;

Buildings

Major Sound Source

More visual connection

Buildings

Sidewalk

Bus

Private Cars

Waiting

Metro

Vehicles Sound

Sound from buildings

Metro Sound

More visual connection

People waiting the train 1 2 4 ●● People who are waiting for the metro are more close to the metro line, visual connection will build a more early connection between people and train than the people walking on street.

Buildings

Sidewalk

Bus

Private Cars

Waiting

Metro

Vehicles Sound

Sound from buildings (Mask by Vehicles)

Metro Sound

Building along the road 1 2 3 ●● Buildings get effected a lot at this situation, especially for the lower levels; Sound Affect

Human behavior

●● Shading device in the waiting area could be a potential visual and sound barrier; ●● Single trees along the sidewalk won’t affect the sound too much;

●● People on sidewalk usually need to use intersection to get to the waiting area for metro; ●● Not all waiting area has barieer;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Change location of landscape may change the perception of metro line ●● Road usually go along with some trees considering the landscape, but the placement of trees is not certain

Mechanical involvement: ●● Metro station is set up in the middle of the road, usually just simple shading device; ●● Instructional signal systerm involvement; ●● There will be power system to support the train working. Some has noise, some don't.

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Reference location for situation 1 - Boston university Central

Recording analysis Recording of location 1 Boston Universtiy Mugar memorial Library Entrance Train coming (9:25~9:50)

Metro line running in the middle of road is quite common in Boston, where is a old city with old structure overlap with the new transportation system;

The sound of birds has taken a big proportion of whole soundscape in this place, which make this place's sound level doesn't have a pattern. And the high level noise caused by cars was fading inside of this place's soundscape.

The metro here should be considered as a normal bus on the road, except restrained by a rail. And follow the same signal with bus; Since there is a lot of intersections with other roads, the metro usually don't drive in an equally speed, which could be a noise source;

Recording of location 2 Boston Universtiy Marsh Chapel The major noise is usually along the road, and the shape of building may shade the noise in the further road;

And the intersections cause a lot of different material surface that could cause extra noise.

Almost all the high level noise was caused by different material combination on the road- uneven surface; Even it was closed to metro line, still only could be noticed when metro passing by the window of space; Recording of location 1 Boston Universtiy Marsh Chapel Green spaces beside the metro line not only create the distance to reduce the sound, but also add new kind of sounds into the soundscape in this area;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situation 2 - Have distance from the road

Situation 2 - Sound structure 1

Relationship with urban city The noise from road may mask the sound from metro

Sound Source

Social Activity Involved

2 3 4 5

Visual Connection Metro

Metro Vehicles on the road Sound from buildings (people) Natural sound (Wind/ Bird/ Leaves) Sound from people (on the ground)

Physical Connection

Possible reduced Possible masked

Metro Sound

Metro

Receiver: People on the street

Mechanical Involved Waiting

Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Waiting

●● Sound from vehicles is constantly and random; ●● Distance between metro and walking street may decrease the sound of metro; ●● Metro sound is easly maked with other sounds happened on the landscape;

Buildings

Landscape

Natural Sound (depens on trees)

People waiting the train 1 2 4 5 ●● More close to the nature provide more safty zone for people waiting for the train;

Landscape

Possible noise control area

●● Landscape could be extension of waiting area of metro; ●● Could be different kind of landscape in the city based on the type of neighborhood;

●● The station could be serving the people waiting the train and people using the green space; ●● M o r e f l e x i b l e t h a n t h e stations along with the road;

●● Landscape here has a huge potential to organize a bi0barrier strategy to block noise for city; ●● Metro station has more space to create noise barrier in an architectural way;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

●● Train power support; ●● Public stransportation swich support;

Sidewalk

Vehicles Sound

Buildings

Sound from buildings

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Sound from natural could be an extension of safty zone

CAR/ BIKE

Waiting

Mechanical involvement:

Bus

Natural Sound (depens on trees) People Sound (depends on activities)

Building along the road 1 2 3 ●● Buildings get effected a lot at this situation, especially for the lower levels; Station

Private Cars

People Sound (depends on activities)

Waiting

Human behavior

Sidewalk

PARKING

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Public stransportation switch

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Reference location for situation 2 - Brooklin Hill Distance is usually the major strategy to avoid noise in urban city. When I choice Brooklin Hill to be the reference location, I was thinking about testing how much sound level reduced by the playground, but I found something more interesting.

Mapping objects and conditions of site

playground for children

500ft

Distance in the urban area is not only reducing the sound from metro, but add new sound elements in the urban soundscape, which makes the metro sound felt less noisy.

In the mean time, the lower level metro sound mixed up with sound from green space and become an signature sound of this place.

Green spaces Bring

Create

Distance

New activities

Reduce

Sound from metro Lower level

Add Depends on the activities

New sound

New soundscape

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Metro sound was not always considered as noise

What you hear is not what you see Hear reflected sound before you see the train

Recording of location 1

Metro Sound

ct ire

Noise Vie w

Green spaces beside the metro line not only create the distance to reduce the sound, but also add new kind of sounds into the soundscape in this area;

Comparable time zone

Recording of location 2 Metro comming Metro leaving Sound from metro masked with the Vehicles on the road

At the standing point, before I saw the train, I had already hear the sound from it, and the sound of train is coming to me in a totally wrong direction, which draw me attention.

Gog barking Sound from building renovation in the neighborhood

what you hear

what you see

Summary

●● With about 500ft distance, the sound from metro basically has the same level with the sound from vehicles on the neighborhood level street, for the neighborhood, the sound from metro is not noise anymore; ●● distance not only decrease the sound, but also add new sound in the soundscape in this place, for this situation is the playground; Which draw attention about the green space design around metro line, we need to think about not only to use this green space to block the sound, but also bring new sound elements into soundscaoe

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Situation 3- Different elevation envolved Main-line terminal

Routs station spanningo tracks

Route lineside station

Relationship with urban city Route lineside station with branch

Situation 3- Sound structure

Sound Source

Route station on island platform

Combined route lineside branch terminal

Social Activity Involved

Higher building may got affect by this kind of situation

Landscape become more efficient for sound

ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

1 2 3 4

Visual Connection

Metro Vehicles on the road Sound from buildings Natural sound (Wind/ Bird/ Leaves)

Action Visual Sound

Landscape could be an isolation

Physical Connection AUDIENCE

Receiver: People on the street

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Mechanical Involved ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS 16

View block

Routs station spanningo tracks Metro

Route lineside station

Route lineside station with branch

Route station on island platform

●● Most of the sound from metro would be refelcted sound, by buildings around people or the landscape; ●● usually don't have directly visual connection between people and metro;

Combined route lineside branch terminal

Waiting

Landscape

Take the metro Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Vehicles Sound

Metro

Waiting

Sidewalk

Buildings

Sound from buildings

Passed by

Buildings AUD

IEN

●● elevation need to be solved; or 50 architectural ●● could be landscape 90 80 70 60 40 30 20 10 strategy; 100strategy 0 10 20 30 8

40 50 60 70 80 90 100 ( ft ) ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

People waiting the train 1 2 4 ●● People who are waiting for the metro are more close to the metro line, visual connection will build an early connection between people and train；

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

1/2

Waiting

Landscape

No visual connection with any sound from upper level

Sound Source and level Reference of "Music, Acoustics & Architecture" by Leo L. Beranek

Building along the road 1 2 ●● Buildings get effected a lot at this situation, especially for the lower levels;

Mechanical involvement: 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 ( ft )

ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

sound in an open field with no wind. The sound at 100 feet is one-half as loud as that at 30 feet; The viberation of the air particles is roughly one-third. OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

sound from an orchestra enclosure in an open field with no wind. The enclosyure has doubled the loudness of the sound.

ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

the loudness is almost the same as the second one.

AUDIENCE

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

●● Water draining systerm; ●● Snow removal

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

ARBITRARY LOUDNESS UNITS

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Reference location for situation 3 - Longwood

Recording analysis Recording location 1

For the urban landscape, elevation has an important position to create variable view in urban city.

Open space on one side and elevated landscape on the other side

540

●● Longwood station has a really good view of train coming in; ●● Even in the station, the sound is not too loud compare with brooklin hill station; ●● A lot of sound from nature, like wind and sound from bird; ●● Some times you can hear the people jogging by in the park, which also could be considered as a kind of pleasant sound;

This reference location shows, not all the parks in city can bring quite to people, and even inside of park, the noise can be really bad if the organization of sound structure channel the nosie into the wrong place.

A little surpries is, here at the station, I can hear a lot of noise from other side of the park, where has a higher location;

0 41 ft

Recording location 2 Higher elevation, edge of neighborhood

Some times the embankments may block some sound closer, but also refelcte sound from further place.

●● The sound level was definitly lower than station; ●● Left and right ear is still remain the difference, and show the direction of where sound come from; ●● Even in the bigger picture that recording location is on higher elevation, the trees close to the metro block most of the vision.

Still have a lot of background noise from further street, and not easy to identify where it come from. Recording location 3 Inside of neighborhood

City

Bring

Park

Elevated edge Create

Create

Public open space

Offer new path

Possible reflection of sound

Vehicles inside of neighborhood with a slow speed

Could be good Noise from higher place

Some people passing by with a suitcase

Could be bad

Metro from Beacon street Sound from building renovation in the neighborhood

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Cross section of Longwood

Closer noise source doesn't mean more influence Sound from metro here has a wide space to spread out

The edge of community become a reflected pannel for the noise on the otherside of park

Sound Reflection

Closer noise source doesn't mean more influence The noise from further road existed in both location 1 and location 2, and has a lot of revaberation that people usually can't identify where it comes from. Receiver

Metro

People along the side of park

Single element could work for mutipul sources Cars

PARK

Landscaped embankments

Closer Source

Sidewalk Cars

Cars

Buildings

Waiting

Edge of the park may extend because of elevated landscape Park here offers the noise from other side of park a perfect transmit path

Path

PARK

Source Noise from higher road of other side

Bigger Influence

Recording location 4 Inside of the park ●● Sound from nature become a big proportion of the sound structure here; ●● The landscaped embankment on the left side block some sound from metro station, especially the notification from speaker, but still recgnizable;

Compare the metro sound between Brookline hill station and Longwood station Both recording at the station, the metro sound level from Brookline Hill Station is higher than from Longwood Station. Because Brookline Hill Station has a few building on oneside, and it will reflect some sound to people in the station.

Metro leaving Continusly noise from higher road on the right side, and the sound level acturally only half size of the metro sound.

The metro line at Longwood Station has a wide open space, even it has a landscape wall on one side, the slope angle reflect the sound to the sky, which is a great space to dispose sound.

Summary ●● When we are considering the "Park" in the city, it"s not only a nice place to relax, in terms of sound, "aprk" also could be a new path for some noise on the other side, especially when there is elevation involved. ●● Landscaped embanment can be a really efficient method to block sound, but in a compleicated environment, we need to cinsider if one strategy could work totally differently for another sound source.

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situation 4 - Open tunnel

Situation 4 - Sound structure Relationship with urban city

Social Activity Involved

d un Physical Connection

Metro Vehicles on the road Sound from buildings (people) Natural sound (Wind/ Bird/ Leaves) Sound from people (sidewalk)

Visual Connection

e efl

3 4

d cte

Sound Source

Receiver

Dir ec

Mechanical Involved

1 2 3 4 5 People on the street ●● Sound from vehicles is constantly and random; ●● Distance between metro and walking street may decrease the sound of metro; ●● Metro sound is easly maked with other sounds happened on the landscape;

Metro Sound

Sidewalk

Natural Sound (depens on trees)

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Vehicles Sound

Buildings

Sound from buildings

Due to safty problem, normally there would be no activities involved here

Landscape Landscape

Dead Zone

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Mega structure

Sidewalk

Buildings

Station

1 5 People waiting the train ●● People's behavior is contained inside of a building; ●● Also the view is stay underground;

Bridge

1 2 3 Building along the road ●● Buildings get effected a lot at this situation, especially for the lower levels;

Mechanical involvement ●● The tunnal is basically a dead zone for city; ●● Require safe protection to i s o l a te t h e p hys i c a l connection

●● The tunnal usually takes a lot of structure of support it to against the load from both sides; ●● E x p o s e d s t r u c t u r e could reflect sound to the ground;

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

●● Require station to deal with the elevation;

●● Train power support, probably in the tunnal; ●● Vertical transportation systerm, which could be elevators, ect. ●● Electricity for artificial light; ●● Draining water systerm for tunnal; ●● Possible mechanical system for snow remove in winter;

●● I n the urban, it usually associated with bridges;

Once inside of the train station, there would be no connections between people and sound outside, like the vehicles and sound from nature;

No Vehicles Sound No sound from nature

Metro Sound will be amplified due to the containing structure

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Reference location for situation 4 - Jackson Square

Sound trapped doesn't mean it's reduced

Exposed tunnel is like a scar in the surface of urban context. Vertically, it requires stations to serve the city.

Recording location 1 On the bridge and exposed to the sound of metro

Sound trapped

To support the tunnel, it always require strong and deep structure to block the earth around that tornal; Since the metro running inside of tunnel, which make it don't have necessary physical connection with human beings, the metro runs faster than other lines.

Sound reduced

Continusly reverberation caused by tunnal Recording location 2 At the top of retaining wall, close to fence A lot of reflected sound was noticed before the metro arriving, I think the concrete flated retaining wall contribute a lot for this situation

Two testing points were really close, but the sound reduced dramatically

Recording location 3 Physical isolate

City

Use

Tunnal

Carry

Metro line

Standing beside the building and facing along the road Cars on the road, noramlly a little bit lower then the matro sound

Bridge to connect city

Supported by

Mega and continuous structure Even I stand along the road, sound from left and right recording are still no different.

Trap sound into (multiple reflection inside tunnal)

Orient sound into sky instead of releasing it into city Metro comming OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Situations about metro line inside of metro station- Summary Relationship with urban city

Situations about metro line outside of metro station- Summary

Station has program on top of it;

Relationship with urban city

Social Activity Involved Metro

Social Activity Involved

Metro

Visual Connection waiting area

Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Metro

Physical Connection

Visual Connection

Buildings

Sidewalk

Bus

Private Cars

Waiting

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Physical Connection

Buildings

Mechanical Involved

Potential overlap urban program

Metro line mixed with road;

Mechanical Involved

Relationship with urban city

Station's orginal funtional program mixed with urban program;

Relationship with urban city

Metro line has a little distance with urban city;

Social Activity Involved Metro

Metro

Social Activity Involved

Waiting area with potential program

Visual Connection Waiting

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Physical Connection

Metro

Visual Connection

Buildings

Mechanical Involved

Waiting

Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Physical Connection

Buildings

Mechanical Involved

Relationship with urban city

Underground metro station; Relationship with urban city

Social Activity Involved

Visual Connection

Metro

Physical Connection

Social Activity Involved

Mechanical Involved

Visual Connection

Landscape or Play Ground

Metro

Mechanical and Structure System

Waiting

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Metro line has elevation different with urban city;

Physical Connection

Metro

Buildings

Station

Waiting

Relationship with urban city

Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

Underground metro station with double level urban program;

Mechanical Involved

Relationship with urban city

Metro line running in exposed tunnel in the city

Social Activity Involved Social Activity Involved Visual Connection

Physical Connection Physical Connection

Visual Connection Metro

Metro

Mechanical Involved Mechanical Involved

Buildings

Sidewalk

Station

Bus/ Cars

Sidewalk

Station

Buildings

Landscape Waiting

Waiting

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Landscape

Sidewalk

Private Cars

Bus

Sidewalk

Buildings

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Section 1 - Concept Map

Section 2 - Concept Map

In this section, the research focus on sound identification of useful or not in terms of what kind of information it contains and how it delivered properly;

Airplane

Information

Assist

City

Support

Sound from mechanical systerm Social activities

Bus

Generate

Interacte with each other

Bike Transport

Contain

Space

Affect Enjoyable

Have standard of

Different social activities

Conclude into

Informative Use/ Shape

People

Sound that masks the useful sound

Conclude into

Sound that masks the useful information

Choose 4 observation points (different from each other)

Step 2 Scale of the space People's behavior How information tranfer

Step 3

Step 4

Compare 4 different spaces' feature and trying to find out how information delevered differently

Thinking about how sound working in the process of delivering information from public space

Observe

Analysis

Compare

Summary

Mapping Feelings

Targeting Interaction

Rethinking

Imagination

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Useful Sound

Useless Sound

Decide

Section 1 - Research sequence Step 1

Sound from People

People Based on

Station

Objects (machanical/ programmatic) Scale Material

Confine

Cause

Metro

Use

Accoustic information ●● sound from people ●● sound from machine

Different Urban Infrastructure

Train

Contain

Visual information

Different Mechanical Systerm

Supported by

Involvement

Space

Deliever

Section 2 - Research Sequence Step 1 Choose 3 different location inside of Ruggles Station mapping data

Step 2 Source Path Receiver

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Identify the useful and useless sound based on the choose location

Proposing ways to block the unnecessary sound and remain the useful sound

Classify metro stations in Boston that require station buildings

Collect Data

Analysis

Identify

Possible Improvement

Classify Typology

Recording

Find sound structure

Filtering sound

Proposing

Find similarities

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Section 3 - Concept map

Research Sequence

Historic city

Generate

Common

Step 1

Path

Different Soundscape

Create

Activities

Step 4

Compare 4 different spaces' feature and trying to find out how information delevered differently

Thinking about how sound working in the process of delivering information from public space

People's behavior

Observe

Analysis

Compare

Summary

Mapping Feelings

Targeting Interaction

Rethinking

Imagination

Section 2 - Research Sequence Step 1

Affect

Urban life

Scale of the space

How information tranfer

Differente situations

Urban landscape

Receiver

Step 3

Step 2

Choose 4 observation points (different from each other)

Urban metro line Mixed into

Sound

Summary

Section 1 - Research sequence

Inherited and unique urban fabric

Source

Division

Choose 3 different location inside of Ruggles Station mapping data

Create

Step 2 Source Path Receiver

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Identify the useful and useless sound based on the choose location

Proposing ways to block the unnecessary sound and remain the useful sound

Classify metro stations in Boston that require station buildings

Collect Data

Analysis

Identify

Possible Improvement

Classify Typology

Recording

Find sound structure

Filtering sound

Proposing

Find similarities

Section 3 - Research Sequence Step 1

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Analysis sound structure of each situation

Find same situation in reality

Based on the recordings of site and analysis the unique feature of soundscape in the reference location

Find something significant in this kind of sound scape, and rethinking the situation it referenced from

Classification

Analysis

Singularity

Analysis

Summary

Boston

Concepturally

Compare

Scientificly

Notable features

Conceptural category of landscaped metro situations in Boston

Step 2

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Section 3 - Research Sequence

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Conceptural category of landscaped metro situations in Boston

Analysis sound structure of each situation

Find same situation in reality

Based on the recordings of site and analysis the unique feature of soundscape in the reference location

Find something significant in this kind of sound scape, and rethinking the situation it referenced from

Classification

Analysis

Singularity

Analysis

Summary

Boston

Concepturally

Compare

Scientificly

Notable features

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015

Vision and Touch How about Sound ... ... What if you can taste and smell the space ?

OFFENHUBER/ RYAN JOINT RESEARCH STUDIO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - FALL 2015