My design is a social space for people with hearing loss.
It acts as a place for people to get together and catch up, but also a place for people with different levels of hearing loss to experiment it’s acoustics.
The concrete drum tower can be accessed from many levels and people can experiment with the reverberation of sound inside.
The cube shaped room at the bottom is made of cork and has sound insulating panels inside which acts as a more silent room which feels very contained.
As the structure raises each room gets more open and outside noise can be let in more.
The final space is on top of the cuboid shaped room where it s completely open.
Acoustics are extremely important for people with less severe hearing loss, as background sounds and echoing can disorientate and confuse people. Hearing aids also struggle to aid someone’s hearing ability when these sounds interfere.
My intention was to provide different levels of acoustic balance in each of the rooms so people can see which one is right for them.
The ramps seen all over the structure are wide enough to provide the opportunity for
people who use sign language to converse.