Classroom acoustics can drastically affect the well-being of students in early education. Maria Klatte wrote in her 2010 field study on classroom architecture that “Poor acoustic design results in excessive noise that is disruptive to learning, negatively affecting speech perception, student behavior, and education outcomes.“ However, good acoustic design can reduce noise pollution while simultaneously providing places of purposeful amplification. This silent music school uses three variables: height of the ceiling, surface treatment, and landscaping to buffer excessive noise while amplifying sound where it is needed. The curvature of the roofscape manipulates both the intensity and frequency of sound waves, purposefully reducing the ceiling height in areas where sound needs to be diffused and raising the ceiling height where sound intends to be amplified. The aluminum panels fragment soundwaves by allowing air to pass through their slits, “disrupting soundwaves and creating better sound resonance” (Sokol, Soundproofing). While noise is diffused in the classroom to provide quiet learning environments, it is amplified in the spaces where music is celebrated. The amphitheater, dance studio, and music hall are designed to enhance the experience of sound. In conclusion, the “Silent Soundscape” aims to enhance and enable learning in the classroom while celebrating sound as an experience when the caliber of resonance has been carefully crafted.
