Listening in the Absence of Sight: The Sound of Inclusive Environments

Abstract

Sound provides information about our environment that is vital for social interaction, knowledge transfer and spatial orientation. Moreover, it has profound effects on our emotional responses to the world around us. Although a more conscious use of sound holds great potential to counteract the visual dominance in architecture, so far it received relatively little attention in designing inclusive environments. In exploring this potential, our study calls in the help of people with a visual impairment; forced to rely on non-visual senses, they learn to be more attentive to auditory information. After introducing Schafer’s notion of soundscape and categorization of keynotes, signals and soundmarks, we cross analyse 22 in-depth interviews with visually impaired people, focusing on auditory qualities and constraints in the environment. The analysis yields interesting insights regarding the amount and kind of sounds heard, the different roles sounds may play, and the way the soundscape can be manipulated. In the absence of sight, several sounds that most people categorize under keynotes, are upgraded to soundmarks or signals. We conclude with suggestions on how architects could integrate these findings with an eye to designing more inclusive environments.