RESONATOR—An Iterative Approach for Designing Acoustically-Driven Morphologies

Abstract

The paper presents an iterative approach for finding spatial morphologies from timber plates based on room acoustic criteria. A genetic evolutionary algorithm is used to explore different design solutions. Additional algorithms are created and used to evaluate acoustic performance, for creating a spatial envelope and in the digital fabrication process.

In acoustic design, there is a gap between design environments used by architects for design exploration and those used by sound engineers for performance analysis. The research explores a decision-making process which combines a workflow for the generation of intricate and complex alternative designs with an exploration of their acoustic behaviour and fabrication constraints. The method allows the user to define design parameters, set acoustic performance objectives, and then simulate the acoustic behaviour of several spatial iterations of a design strategy. In order to validate the proposed framework, an experimental case study of a teaching space is explored and evaluated as a proof-of-concept. Project limitations and future research steps are then discussed.