Buildings, Building Materials and the Soundscape of New York City
About the Project
Pauline Oliveros writes, "sounds carry intelligence" (Oliveros 2005, xxv). We all know the sound of footsteps on hardwood floor or the sound of a car rolling over concrete, but do we know what something sounds like when it isn’t making any noise? The project proposes that knowledge can be derived from listening to a material’s rendering of sonic artifacts. Do I know a material by tapping on it, or can I know it by listening to my words bounce off it?
In The Soundscape Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World, Murray Schafer writes that "many of the most unique keynote sounds are produced by the materials available in different geographical locals" (1994, 58). The Keynote "is the note that identifies the key or tonality of a particular composition" where the keynote sounds of a landscape are those created by its geography" (Ibid. 9). Schafer, the founder of the World Soundscape Project and creator of the neologism "soundscape," identifies a sonic artifact's impetus through the original material's vibrations. An example of a keynote's sonic properties is Michael Gordon's Timber. Though integral to a sonic artifact, the keynote is not the only quality that shapes the soundscape and acts on the ‘Humanoid Alien’ (Schulze 2018, 5). The ‘Humanoid Alien’ overlays morals onto soundscapes (Schafer 1994, 216). For Schafer, this was a central tenant of the World Soundscape Project, to hash out the lo-fi sounds, to increase the quality of our corporeal existence (Novak 2015, 198). It is from the phenomenological perspective that acoustic ecology has evolved.
Schulze describes a soundscape indirectly as "sound sources, resonances, and repercussions" (Schulze 2018, 121). It is resonance and the reverberation of resonant frequencies subject to inquiry. The material environment is the object. How does the city present itself through its materiality? Standing in the city street, you can listen to buildings. They vibrate under the pressure of the sound sources, reflecting and reverberating off them. Jian Kang touches upon the "street canyon" as a scene for mapping "geometrically reflecting boundaries" (Kang 2007, 107). Kang's "microscale acoustic modelling" has been used by researchers to analyze the impact of building material, mass, and ornamentation on sound pressure at the street level (Thomas 2013, 3). Parameters for the study were "the height of the facades, width of the street canyon (distance between the facades), the absorption coefficient of the facades, the degree of diffusion for reflections from the facades, and the source and receiver position" (Ibid. 4). The sonic impact of the built environment is an equation.
Though not a scientific case study, the repository proposes reflections on the differences in building morphology, typology, and materiality. Can the equations of sound pressure resonate through our bodies through deep listening? The repository is a platform to listen and think about the connections between our material landscape and the soundscapes they inhabit.
The repository reflects on our material landscape, and it is an attempt to understand our built environment from alternative methods of knowledge production. Though materials contain sonic properties that can be expressed irrespective of human interpretation (see Thomas 2013), we are limited to our corporeal observations. I am proposing to listen to the materials through what Pauline Oliveros calls “Deep Listening” (2015, xxiii). “Deep Listening is a practice that is intended to heighten and expand consciousness of sound in as many dimensions of awareness and attentional dynamics as humanly possible.” (Ibid. xxiii).
Oliveros makes a clear distinction between hearing and listening, “to hear is the physical means that enables perception. To listen is to give attention to what is perceived both acoustically and psychologically” (Ibid. xxii). Before listening through the repository, I propose performing the below activity from Oliveros’ book Deep Listening A composer’s Sound Practice.
Breath Regulation
Inhale through the nose for a count of 6. Hold for the count of 4. Keep the throat relaxed. Exhale through a small aperture of the lips with a sub vocalization of the syllable ‘hahhhh’ for the count of 8. Relax and wait for the count of 4 and repeat the cycle. Sub vocalization of ‘hahhhh’ restricts the epiglottis and helps direct energy to the lower abdomen. (Ibid. 10)
Deep Listening by Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, and Panaiotis.
Map of New York City Noise Pollution
Research into the sonic environment often originates from the correlation between sound pollution and our health. The New York City soundscape often crosses the line of acceptable white noise to become a sonic irritant. Though this is not where this project lies, I touch on it since the materiality of the built environment is “close to acoustically rigid” (Thomas 2013, 3). Material rigidity, such as stone, brick and terracotta, contribute to the increased sound pressure level, or decibels, in a ‘street canyon.’ Below are maps created using the Department of Transportation’s National Transportation Atlas Database. The data suggests the level of noise pollution caused by vehicular traffic, though it lacks the nuances of the street canyon. As keynotes of our industrialized society (much to Schafer’s dismay), the car has significantly impacted our aural health. As no coherent dataset on noise pollution links the intricacies of the urban environment to the increased sound pressure, the maps below provide insight into how city planning can lead to raised areas of exposure.
Noise Pollution - New York City
Noise Pollution By Borough
City Zoning
One's exposure to noise pollution directly relates to the urban fabric. City zoning laws, the regulation of building use and bulk (height and massing) create groups of building with similar qualities. In some cases, zoning deliberately forms "street canyons" by dictating street-facing elevations must align with their neighbour's. Depending on the year of the building, a 20-story tower may be bonded brick (a single mass) on a steel frame, or it could be a glass curtain wall. Each building, in theory, should have similar massing qualities, and it is the material that drives the changing soundscape block by block. In the project, I look at several discrete zoning districts C6-9, C5-5, R10 R6/R6B and Parks. How can knowing the qualities of these zoning districts allow us to listen deeply to the materials? And what does this tell us about our urban soundscapes?
A zoning diagram for an R6 District
A zoning diagram for a R10 District
Filming Locations
Carroll Gardens/ Cobble Hill
Zoning Map 16c
Financial District
Zoning Map 12b
Washington Square
Zoning Map 12c
Hunters Point
Zoning Map 8d
Prospect Park
Zoning Map 16d
Guided Listening Tours of the Repository
Materials
Material Mix
Moving from a natural environment to the city and back again, this guide highlights six different materials and material configurations: organic mass, glass curtain wall assembly, Concrete, stone veneer, metal rainscreen, and tree bark.
Glass/Curtain Wall
Stone/Stone Veneer
Neighbourhoods
Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill
Financial District
Hunters Point
Zoning and Special Districts
Zoning Mix
A guide featuring discreet zoning districts from high to low density: C6-9, C5-5, R10, R6B, Park
Historic Districts/Brownstones
A guide to compare blocks of similar density, width, and level of organic material. The first recording is at 328 President street in the R6B Carroll Gardens Historic District. The second recording is at 30 2nd Pl in a R6B district.
Parks
Recordings were taken in Prospect Park and Gantry Plaza State Park.
Repository
Carroll Gardens/ Cobble Hill
406 Degraw St
Neighbourhood - Cobble Hill Zoning - R6B, Street Width - 60 ft Building Height - 3 Stories Building Material - Brick, Painted Brick, Brownstone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - High
328 President St
Neighbourhood - Carroll Gardens Zoning - R6B, Carroll Gardens Historic District Street Width - 60 ft Building Height - 3 Stories Building Material - Brownstone, Brick, Painted Brick Organic Material - Medium Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - High
216 Kane St
Neighbourhood - Cobble Hill Zoning - R6, Cobble Hill Historic District Street Width - 60 ft Building Height - 3 Stories Building Material - Brownstone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - High
215 Sackett St
Neighbourhood - Carroll Gardens Zoning - R6B Street Width - 60 ft Building Height - 4 Stories Building Material - Brick, Painted Brick Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - High
30 2nd Pl
Neighbourhood - Carroll Gardens Zoning - R6B Street Width - 117 ft Building Height - 3 Stories Building Material - Brownstone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - High
Financial District
23 Bridge St
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 35 ft Building Height - 21 Stories Building Material - Metal Panel, Glass, Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Low
23 Bridge St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 35 ft Building Height - 21 Stories Building Material - Metal Panel, Glass, Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Low
38 Cedar St
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 35 ft Building Height - 21 Stories Building Material - Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Low
38 Cedar St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 35 ft Building Height - 21 Stories Building Material - Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Low
97 Washington St
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C6-9,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 38 Stories Building Material - Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - Low
97 Washington St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C6-9,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 38 Stories Building Material - Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - Low
99 Maiden Ln
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 28 Stories Building Material - Glass, Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Low
99 Maiden Ln Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 28 Stories Building Material - Glass, Stone, Stone Veneer Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Medium
111 Front St
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C6-9,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 24 Stories Building Material - Glass, Concrete, Stone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Medium
111 Front St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C6-9,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 24 Stories Building Material - Glass, Concrete, Stone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Low Pedestrian Traffic - Low Parked Cars - Medium
217 Pearl St
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 39 Stories Building Material - Glass Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Light Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - Medium
217 Pearl St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Financial District Zoning - C5-5,Special Lower Manhattan District Street Width - 50 ft Building Height - 39 Stories Building Material - Glass Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Light Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - Medium
Washington Square
41 5th Ave @ East 11th St
Neighbourhood - Greenwich Village Zoning - R10 Street Width - 60 ft Building Height - 15 Stories Building Material - Brick, Stone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Light Parked Cars - High
41 5th Ave @ East 11th St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Greenwich Village Zoning - R10 Street Width - 60 ft Building Height - 15 Stories Building Material - Brick, Stone Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Light Parked Cars - High
20 5th Ave
Neighbourhood - Greenwich Village Zoning - R10 Street Width - 100 ft Building Height - 17 Stories Building Material - Brick, Concrete Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - High Pedestrian Traffic - High Parked Cars - High
20 5th Ave Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Greenwich Village Zoning - R10 Street Width - 100 ft Building Height - 17 Stories Building Material - Brick, Concrete Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - High Pedestrian Traffic - High Parked Cars - High
Hunters Point
1-50 50th Ave @ 2nd St
Neighbourhood - Hunters Point Zoning - R10,Special Southern Hunters Point District Street Width - 75 ft Building Height - 37 Stories Building Material - Glass, Metal Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Light Pedestrian Traffic - Light Parked Cars - Medium
1-50 50th Ave @ 2nd St Material Detail
Neighbourhood - Hunters Point Zoning - R10,Special Southern Hunters Point District Street Width - 75 ft Building Height - 37 Stories Building Material - Glass, Metal Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Light Pedestrian Traffic - Light Parked Cars - Medium
1-50 51st Ave @ Borden Ave and Center Blvd
Neighbourhood - Hunters Point Zoning - R10,Special Southern Hunters Point District Street Width - 92 ft Building Height - 5 Stories Building Material - Brick Veneer, Metal, Glass Organic Material - Low Car Traffic - Medium Pedestrian Traffic - Light Parked Cars - Light
Gantry Plaza State Park
Neighbourhood - Hunters Point Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - Medium Car Traffic - Light Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Hunters Point South Ferry Terminal
Neighbourhood - Hunters Point Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - Metal Organic Material - Medium Car Traffic - Light Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Prospect Park
Prospect Park Hill 01
Neighbourhood - Prospect Park Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - High Car Traffic - N/A Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Prospect Park Hill 02
Neighbourhood - Prospect Park Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - High Car Traffic - N/A Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Prospect Park Hill 03
Neighbourhood - Prospect Park Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - High Car Traffic - N/A Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Prospect Park Hill 04
Neighbourhood - Prospect Park Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - High Car Traffic - N/A Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Prospect Park Lake 01
Neighbourhood - Prospect Park Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - High Car Traffic - N/A Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
Prospect Park Lake 02
Neighbourhood - Prospect Park Zoning - Park Street Width - N/A Building Height - N/A Building Material - N/A Organic Material - High Car Traffic - N/A Pedestrian Traffic - Medium Parked Cars - N/A
References
Works Cited
Kang, Jian. Urban Sound Environment. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis, 2007.
Novak, David, and Matt Sakakeeny. Keywords in Sound. Durham: Duke University Press, 2015.
Oliveros, Pauline. Deep Listening: A Composer's Sound Practice. IUniverse, 2005, https://monoskop.org/images/2/2c/Oliveros_Pauline_Deep_Listening_A_Composers_Sound_Practice_2005.pdf.
Thomas, Pieter, et al. "Reverberation-Based Urban Street Sound Level Prediction." The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, vol. 133, no. 6, 2013, pp. 3929–3939., https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4802641.
Schafer, Raymond Murray. The Soundscape Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World. Rochester: Destiny Books, 1994.
Schulze, Holger. The Sonic Persona: An Anthropology of Sound. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.
Slagwerk Den Haag, Michael Gordon. Timber. MP3. Den Haag, Netherlands, 2009.
Truax, Barry. Handbook for Acoustic Ecology. Simon Fraser University, and ARC Publications, 1999. http://www.sfu.ca/sonic-studio-webdav/handbook/index.html.
Works Referenced
Davis, M.J.M., et al. "More than Just a Green Facade: The Sound Absorption Properties of a Vertical Garden with and without Plants." Building and Environment, vol. 116, 2017, pp. 64–72., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.01.010.
Fahmy, Ziad. Street Sounds: Listening to Everyday Life in Modern Egypt. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2020.
Guthrie, Annie. "Tune in: Soundscapes of New York." Urban Omnibus, 31 Oct. 2017, https://urbanomnibus.net/2015/05/tune-in-soundscapes-of-new-york/.
Mansell, James G. "New Histories of the Urban Soundscape." Journal of Urban History, vol. 44, no. 2, 2017, pp. 341–348., https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144217705648.
Pinch, Trevor J., and Karin Bijsterveld. The Oxford Handbook of Sound Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Schwartz, Hillel. Making Noise: From Babel to the Big Bang & Beyond. New York: Zone Books, 2011.
Wellington, Ben. "Mapping New York's Noisiest Neighborhoods." The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2015, https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/mapping-new-york-noise-complaints.
Wissmann, Torsten. Geographies of Urban Sound. Burlington: Ashgate, 2014.
