Impact of Indoor Soundscape Workshop on Sound Awareness of Interior Architecture Studentsa)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of attending a soundscape workshop on the awareness of sound as a design element for interior architects. The workshop is structured in three phases: theoretical lectures, practical applications, and discussions. In the first phase, fundamentals of architectural acoustics, the sense of place, and soundscape theory were delivered through theoretical lectures. In the second phase, participants were asked to design a sound environment for a restaurant and an office. In the third and final phase, participants discussed their sound designs from the perspectives of the lectures and sound-related topics. Additionally, participants completed an open-ended questionnaire to evaluate their workshop experience and provided suggestions for improvement. The effectiveness of the workshop in raising awareness was tested using a pre-test/post-test analysis method, with data collected through structured questionnaires completed by participants before and after the workshop. The results of the statistical analysis show that attending the workshop changed participants' evaluations of sound expectations and preferences, as well as their sensitivity to sound. The findings indicate that participating in an indoor soundscape workshop can positively influence interior architects' understanding of sound as a design element to be considered in their future work. (C) 2025 Acoustical Society of America.