Acoustics in Architecture: Are We Thinking Too Simplistically?

This presentation compares modern interiors with the outdoor environments where our hearing evolved. To what physiological needs are we still not responding? For example, would mimicking the forest canopy in a classroom ceiling heighten attentiveness or cognition? How might neuroscience help investigate the role of architectural complexity in our aural well-being? How might material science and new fabrication technologies translate that knowledge into buildings that enhance the clarity, intimacy, and presence of our everyday communication and, thereby, the quality of our lives?