i

MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE – A COLLABORATIVE

DESIGN APPROACH

School: Lovely School Of Architecture And Design

Course code: ARC 407
Course title: Dissertation

Name of student: Anwesha Baruah

Registration number: 11405078
Section number: A1403
Roll number: RA1403A12
Academic year: 2017-2018
Batch: 2014-2019

Name and signature of Head of Department: Ar. Narinderjit Kaur

Name and signature of Head of school: Ar.Atul Kumar Singla
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Acknowledgement

I, Anwesha Baruah, student of Lovely Professional University, am extremely grateful to the

Lovely School of Architecture and Design for the confidence bestowed on me and entrusting
my project entitled “MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE – A COLLABORATIVE DESIGN
APPROACH”.
I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me

throughout the course of this dissertation project. I am thankful for their aspiring guidance,

invaluably constructive criticism and friendly advice during the project work. I am sincerely

grateful to them for sharing their truthful and illuminating views on a number of issues

related to the project. I express my warm thanks to Ar. Sunaina Kapoor ma’am for her

support and guidance throughout the process. I would also like to thank all the people who

provided me with the facilities being required and conductive conditions.

Thank you

Anwesha Baruah
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Certificate

This is to certify that the Field Study entitled “MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE – A
COLLABORATIVE DESIGN APPROACH” submitted by Miss. Anwesha Baruah in partial
fulfilment for the award of degree of Bachelors of architecture from Lovely Professional
University, is a record carried out by her in our supervision and guidance. The matter
embodied in this dissertation work, other than that acknowledged as reference, has not been
submitted for any other degree or diploma.

Recommended by:

................................
Name of supervisor: Ar. Sunaina Kapoor
Designation: Assistant Professor
School: Lovely School of Architecture and Design,
Lovely Professional University,
Phagwara, Punjab
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Declaration

I, Anwesha Baruah, author of the dissertation “MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE – A

COLLABORATIVE DESIGN APPROACH” hereby declare that this is an independent
work carried out in partial fulfilment for award of Bachelors degree in Architecture at Lovely
Professional University, Punjab.

This work has not been submitted to any other institute for award of any degree/ diploma.

Date: 8 Dec, 2017 Anwesha Baruah

Place: Lovely Professional University 11405978

Punjab B. Architecture
LSAD
Session: 2014-19

Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................1
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Encroachment:............................................................................................................................3

Flora...........................................................................................................................................4

Proposed flora............................................................................................................................6

Requirements............................................................................................................................10

Proposal 1.................................................................................................................................11

Cost Estimation:.......................................................................................................................16
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ABSTRACT
Different branches of art fuse together in different fields to give out productive results. The
vocabulary of every art form comprises of harmonic elements, unity & rhythm that forms
their basic entity. Among them the two prominent art forms architecture and music are such
that its relationship can be speculated from its very origin. In the 1 st century BCE itself it was
said by Vitrivius that an architect should possess the knowledge of every art form be it the
history, philosophy or music. Again in the 18 th century J.W. von Goethe has described
architecture as the frozen music. In the recent years of 20 th century, Iannis Xenakis created his
own model of musical composition based on mathematical principles and geometric
compositions which was deduced by understanding the simple structuring of Music and
Architecture. The main motive of this study is to understand every relationship which makes
the architecture meets the music arts, that has been analysed since the ancient period to the
present day and how each art is affecting the others. The world is so engrossed with
modernity that both mankind and representation has been alienated from reality. The pace of
modernity is such that mankind has lost the ability to perceive things deeply which was once
done in a regular basis during the ancient days. Therefore, Architecture in Motion is an
attempt to create design system to allow the aural properties of enclosed space travel to time
via scientific approach.
“Music awakens in us emotions that are hard to explain and so do architecture.”
“Architecture is a frozen music. Really there is something in this, the tone of mind produced
by architecture approaches the effect of music.”
By J.W. von Goethe
“The fundamental phenomenon of sound is its development in time. Architecture is basically
static; time is introduced through changes in daylight, periods of different intensity of noise
and above all, through the movement of people. Sound-architecture is in its essence an event
of temporal development. Space is developed gradually in time. But it is not a space, it is a
constant sequence of spaces”.
By Bernard Leitner
Keywords: harmonic elements, unity rhythm, frozen music, sound-architecture.
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INTRODUCTION
Throughout history, many analogies have been made concerning music and architecture
“along the narrow channels of interaction: number, rhythm, notation and proportion”.
Traveling through the history of this theme is very interesting, especially when it is possible
to identify the social and cultural aspects that are interpreted in the different forms of
composition: pictorial, poetic, musical and architectural. Both the art forms are the medium
of expressing creativity. Through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony and colour, music
expresses the ideas and emotions in significant form. Therefore, known as the art of sound in
time. A creative idea expressed through one medium, such as music, can be expressed
through another medium, such as architecture. To have an extraordinary impact on the
audience both the mediums should be incorporated together by the composer as well as the
architect. A successful piece of artwork can be created only by understanding the very
fundamentals of expressions applied to both music and architecture. As such the music
should be understood as a metaphorical structure requiring translation into visual terms
before becoming available to architecture. The relation between music and architecture are
probably as old as both arts themselves and thus they occur on two levels: the intellectual
and the phenomenological. The first interpretation dates back to ancient Greek thought and
is linked with the problems of form and structure i.e., the theory of “harmonic proportions”.
In the second interpretation, originating from 18th century aesthetic relativism, the expressive
quality of art which arises from its aesthetic effect and immersive power. This immersive
quality derives from the fact that both arts deal with space. Therefore, it can be
comprehended that the metaphorical device of harmony when applied to both music and
architecture can create a bond between the same. Music, as a performing art, transports us to
distant moments and spaces than those we are in the present time. By exploring the
seam between music and architecture and its metaphorical representation within the built
environment, new modes of formal translation and a new paradigm of musical space can be
identified.
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AIM
The study aims at understanding if music can be taken as a medium or a source for evolving
design ideas in order to build liveable space which are intimidating enough to the users.

OBJECTIVE
The study aims at understanding whether the application of music in architecture only retains
the conceptual value of design or can it be applied for evolving into practical means by
creating intimidating spaces.

NEED
The need of this study is to comprehend if musical elements can be articulated into an
architectural design process to create an intimidating space.

METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
Music and architecture throughout history has been creating channels of
interactions through its design elements of harmony, unity, rhythm, notations
and proportions. Thereby if the design elements of both the form can be alma
gated together, a very intimidation space can be created.

NEEDS
The need of this study is to comprehend if musical elements can be articulated
into an architectural design process to create an intimidating space.

Methodology

NEEDS
The need of this study is to comprehend if musical elements can be articulated
into an architectural design process to create an intimidating space.
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About Music https://www.theodysseyonline.com/music-as-art

The word Music has been derived from a Greek word “mousike” which means that an art
form is born out of the muse. Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is
sound organized in time. It is a unique art form that beholds the capacity of story
representation lyrically and through auditory skills. Music through its patterned construction
of words, rhythm and instrumental collaboration, provides the listeners an insight about its
personal experience and an in- depth interpretation of the world around. It does not only
possess the ability of entertaining people but also tell a story and sculpt message implicitly
and creatively that makes it the most powerful forms of art. Music is such an art form that can
radiate harmonic frequencies. It can be defined as: an emotion case affecting one person who
uses his talent to translate it to a musical art. Music representing an extension of self simply
means that music has the ability to take the form of something larger than itself. It transcends
the limits of expression and provides a piece of art that is unique to each individual that
interacts with it. There are infinite ways of experiencing music but it is moulded by the ways
in which we experience it. It links people, generations, history, and meanings to each
other in a way that cannot accurately be represented by words.

About Architecture
Architecture can be defined as the art or practice of designing and constructing a liveable
spaces. It is both the process as well as the product of planning, designing and constructing
buildings or any other structures. It can also be defined as a system for the manipulation of
shapes, forms, space and light to change our environment. Such architectural works in the
building material form are often perceived as a symbol of cultural heritage or as a work of art.
Architecture has always been the best medium of understanding history of the various
civilizations through their architectural achievements. It could be frozen music since
architecture generates a journey in time, just as music does. It is the tone of mind which when
produced by architecture approaches the effect of music. Although architecture also generates
a journey in the space that it creates.
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Music and Architecture

https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/35914/Sheppard_M_T_2011.pdf;s
equence=1
SIMILARITIES DISSIMILARITIES
Music and architecture are the only arts that Architecture is the art of designing through
surround us. space, music is the art of designing through
time
Like in music, architecture makes us live, A piece of played music is an event in time,
puts you through a journey ephemeral almost.
Search for Harmony in both SYMMETRY A piece of Architecture could last centuries.
AND ASYMMETRY
Notation: music’s scores [five line staff] and
architecture’s plans.
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INTERRRELATIONS BETWEEN MUSIC AND AURAL

ARCHITECTURE THROUGH HISTORY

Relationship between Music and Architecture

 Music as an Art of Space:
https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/340882/1/
The intermediate thing between music and architecture is that of mathematical
proportions and the concept of space.
Modular System: A system used to organise time based on Fibonacci Series and
Golden Ratios. It is metric system which was introduced by architect Le Corbusier
using a Neo Pythagorean Wave. Rhythmic patterns could be created which proved
useful for designing the undulating facades along with balancing the economy. It was
applied in the project of Monastery of La Tourette.
Realizing that an endless repetition of identical glass panes would result in a dull
façade, Le Corbusier asked Xenakis to play with the distances between the concrete
casings so as to give the façade an asymmetrical appearance. Similar to the way he
organized the temporal development in Le Sacrifice, Xenakis first experimented with
permutations of a set of window panes of different widths to obtain certain rhythmical
motifs. Again Xenakis realized certain limitations therefore, Rather than considering
the individual distances between the upright casings, he now demarcated zones in the
façade where a higher or lower number of casings per length unit would be required
and then decided how the transition between these two states would occur: fluently or
abruptly. To this aim Xenakis drew up a table with progressions of rectangles with
increasing widths in golden sections drawn from the Modulor
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 Abstract View: In this very method flexible architectural models are created by
integrating wave frequencies using computer stimulations and dynamic
architectural models by deconstructing forms into separate free pixels.
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Transferring of music into graphs which in turn is then transformed into architectural
elements such as edges, volumes, cluster, open spaces and axis is then put to use. One
such example of such application is the Busan Opera House in South Korea by
Christoph Klemmet.
- in it, he has directly transferred into physical model out of the musical note.
- the project is based on simple strip morphology where the twelve tone rows itself
created the façade, structure and musical rhythms.
-repetitions were carried out in space than in time through the usage of strips that
formed the façade structure.
-the shifting and the alteration of the strips were so maintained that its form created
rhythmic patterns that could control the lights, views and shading properties.

- Musical Architecture – Layers of Sound and Space

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Layering of sound in space occurs through four mediums i.e., density, structure,
material and emotional interpretation.
- Density: Like in every musical compositions different instruments are used to
produce sound which in itself has the ability to configure different layers thus
shaping them into one.
- Similarly, architectural density refers to size, shape and volume of space in which
sounds are perceived differently in each designed space, thus density being
responsible. An alteration to any single entity will change the space dynamics.
- One such example is Sound Garden by Douglas Hollis, a total of 11 sound units
each with a height of 26 feet. The tuned wind organ pipes are embedded in the
structure which re sounded when the wind used to blow across their apertures.
Varying tones were created due to varying wind speed. The design created a
meandering path with a sequence of changing views with varying sounds
effects due to its exposure to different grades of wind.

- Structure and Organization: Music has its own integrated subsystems such as
rhythms, melody, harmony and form which when organised thoroughly can
produce a good symphony of music.
- Similarly, the architectural spaces created should be structurally organised as the
spaces itself produce sound such as the walkways, corridors, HVAC etc which is
an identity in itself.
- One such example is the Listening Vessel by Douglas Hollis which is a hearing
aid tool used to extend the capacity of listening. It is an ephemeral sound space
with two large parabolic forms which is 115 feet apart from each other that
allows private conversation to travel across a wide open space.
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 Material: Different instruments made of varying material produces different types

of sound such as a wooden instrument will produce mild and soft sound whereas a
metal instrument will produce bold sound adding melody.
 Similarly, in architecture with the usage of different types of material various
feelings and emotions can be evoked along with the provision of acoustical
variation.
 One such example is Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum in which on the exterior
façade zinc panels are used whereas in the interior there are very little allowance
of light to penetrate thus giving a feeling of remoteness.
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 Emotional Interpretation
Music Architecture
To evoke tension use of inconsistent Creation of small, dark and loud space
rhythm
To portray joy , use of simple and Spaces designed to be well lit, large and
consistent rhythm proper acoustical value

To understand the emotional value in order to touch the inner soul. The composers of
space should have the ability to shape and mould environment into appreciable and
enjoyable experience.
One such example is the Echo Chamber by Hali Wrise, a Holocaust Chamber sunk to
ground. It consists of a large echo chamber which has been constructed out of rough and
thin steel plates and is supported by underground coils. It creates the same feeling of
uneasiness response of the holocaust days while walking through the chamber.
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Figure 2: Ilegal encroachment at site

The houses are encroached illegally from the rear side. The back doors of the houses are

opening toward the park.