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Acoustics
STRUCTURE & PHYSICSintermediate
Definition
The science of sound in buildings — covering how sound is generated, transmitted through air and structure, reflected off surfaces, and absorbed. Architects and acoustic engineers design for appropriate reverberation in concert halls, speech intelligibility in offices, and sound insulation between dwellings.
Example
The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg by Herzog & de Meuron (2017) contains a 2,100-seat concert hall clad in 10,000 uniquely shaped acoustic panels — individually CNC-milled to distribute reflected sound with precision.