HubPod: integrating acoustic simulation in architectural design workflows

This paper reports on research that seeks to integrate acoustic simulation into an architectural design workflow. The goal of this research is to develop rapid and accessible workflows for architects that allow them not only to tune the acoustic performance of designs at the scale of the room, but also at the level of the geometry and materiality of the surface. The project that serves as the test case is the HubPod, a semi-enclosed meeting room situated within an open working environment. As this study builds on previous research which investigates the acoustic properties of hyperboloid surface geometry, the main drivers for design were both the acoustic performance as well as the complex geometric and fabrication constraints involved with setting out and constructing the hyperboloid geometry. This paper focusses specifically on the integration of the acoustic simulation. Four design workflows were developed: two of these allowed for the investigation the acoustic performance of the room using acoustic simulation software; the other two allowed for the measurement and visualisation of the acoustic performance the surface using custom-written scripts to calculate and visualise sound scattering. This paper will present some of the data produced by these simulations, and reflect on the value of the different workflows and simulation methods to this architecture project.