COURSES
ARC 4620 Environmental Technology II - Fall 2019 & Spring 2020
Environmental Technology II, in building upon the foundation established in Environmental Technology I, continues to explore the relations among people, technology and the environments in which they dwell. Sensory percepts, physical properties and technological manipulation of sound, (artificial) light and building power systems will be examined through theoretical, conceptual and practical modes as integral components of architecture and the design process.
Impulse Response Measurement Experiment at the UF's School of Music
In this tradition of the course, class gives a visit to two performance spaces in the UF’s School of Music. During these visits students learn the principles of acoustic impulse response measurement, variable acoustics, and subjective evaluation. Students also enjoy watching some live performances.
RT and Higher-order Image-source Analysis in Room Acoustics
In this project each group of students are asked to perform reverberation time (RT) and higher-order image-source analysis for an existing performance space. The venues (a concert hall, a theater, or an opera house) are assigned to each group of students from the book “Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music, Acoustics, and Architecture (2nd Edition, 2004)” by Leo Beranek.
Artificial Lighting Simulation Project
In this project, students are asked to design the artificial lighting scheme for two different design scenarios for a floor of a commercial building which includes offices, meeting rooms, open plan workspaces, and some other spaces. The design is carried out through performing a series of artificial lighting simulations using DIALux software. The design goal is to meet the required illumination level for each space of this floor in accordance with US standards.
Luminaire Design Competition
Each year as a part of Environmental Technology II course, students participate in a design competition in which they design and build a full-scale working prototype of an artificial lighting system. Their design will be judges anonymously by a group of School’s design faculty members based on criteria such as design concept, quality of light, appropriateness to the context, and material.
ARC 6911 Architectural Acoustics Spring 2020
This is a lecture/seminar course that explores theories, principles and techniques that allow one to explore potentials for architectural acoustics to become part of the basis for creative architectural design. Organized presentations by the instructor as described in the course schedule will be made each week. Students will present the results of their homework assignments, readings and work-in-progress on their design project and scientific paper as part of their class work. Workshop sessions of acoustical computer modeling and measurement in the laboratory and several field trips will also be required of all students to become familiar with the process and results of research in acoustics.
Architectural Acoustics Paper Project
Students are exposed to a variety of research topics and sample papers in architectural acoustics during the first step of this project, after which by choosing their own topic of research, they start conducting their investigation under the instructor’s supervision. Through abstract, initial, interim, and final submissions, students refine and finally complete their papers which are encouraged to be submitted to conferences or journals in architectural acoustics by the end of the semester.
Architectural Acoustics Design Project
This design project will be submitted as a take-home test requiring the submissions of annotated plan(s), section(s) and other sketches over a period of 4 weeks as required to illustrate an architectural and acoustical design for an 800-1100 seat recital hall for the resident symphony orchestra of a medium-sized city. Performances will include full orchestra with chorus; orchestra; string orchestra; ensembles of various types; instrumental and vocal soloists and duets. The practice of the principles of Variable Acoustics is the key element of this design project. For simplicity, the design is limited to the performance hall and main audience seating areas of the building.
