Architecture is Frozen Music

Goethe called architecture frozen music. And I guess as the human with highest estimated i.q., no one’s really going to call him on it. This probably falls under the "out there" category but I have spent a bit of time being fascinated by the potential connection between sound and architecture.

Above is Westminster abbey in London, as well as the Southwark tube station. Both have been credited with being directly influenced by sound and music in particular. In the deep thought of the day, we always think of space as a prerequisite to sound, but how can we reverse the process to create space out of sound? Architecturally, what would that look like? The second row of pictures show architectural objects inspired by sound, and also a map I created to define the narrative applications of sound within architecture.

As someone who works primarily screen based I understand the power of this medium in storytelling. But what happens to sound as it moves from a hard linear based narrative to a soft non-linear based narrative. Odd and ephemeral stuff, but outfits like Imaginary Forces, Norman Foster and Partners, and even Disney are pushing interesting boundaries between sound and architecture.