VITAL Inc.
Acoustic Textiles Materials Research
This past summer, I had the opportunity to delve into design research on acoustic textile objects for interior use. What kinds of acoustic problems exist in the spaces we occupy today and how can they be solved using textile objects and solution?
Throughout this process, I learned about building regulations for installing in interior spaces, sound behavior, current acoustic textile solutions, and possible new spaces for new solutions.
Click on the images below for captioning on the process.
1- Building Regulation & Sound Behavior Research
With little background in architecture or interior acoustic solutions, I began by familiarizing myself with the formal fire-code requirements of interior textiles and sound behavior through spaces and building materials.
2- Initial Material & Form Studies
As I gathered more information about sound properties, I began looking at what was currently being used in the market and how these products worked. I also started drawing inspiration from everything I saw around me, thinking about how their form affected the way sound traveled through the space.
How soft or hard would my product have to be? What material would it be made of? Would it be plush or smooth or faceted or spiky? How would all of these properties change the way sound interacted with this object?
Observing these forms around me, I began creating forms of my own using various weaving and textile construction methods.
3- Application and Use Case
I mocked up various use cases for the textile prototype forms I created. I wanted the use case to allow freedom for interaction with the forms, while also being a functional acoustical installation. What are different "noisy" spaces or spaces that would value noise-dampening solutions? I thought about arcades, subway stations, garages, and galleries before settling on a child's playroom or daycare classroom.
I then mocked up possible configurations that these forms could have within the daycare space, playing with scale and methods of interaction.
4- Making a Final Prototype
