The beginning

I grew up loving music and spent more than half of my life thinking that I would make a career out of it. Whether I played piano, sang, or taught, I knew I would always surround myself with music. In college, my life started to take a different direction, but I took the time to sing in the University choir. Even without the typical theory classes that most of these musicians took, I gained a deeper understanding of the circumstances in which my voice sounded best. I recognized certain spaces that would work for my voice, but I never understood the science behind why it worked. Now I have to opportunity to merge my two loves: music and architecture.  I hope to take the concept of a typical acoustical shell and take it down to a personal, more intimate scale. I want to create a shape that can be used for one or two performers. My hope is to create a space that will highlight the voice of anyone that uses it, allowing for a better experience for the performer and the audience.

The first step was to learn the music. Beck's unique pieces created a great deal of inspiration: a great starting point.

Next I looked for examples of creative acoustic shells. I wanted to learn about what works now before trying to create something new.

Source: www.etnow.com

Concept sketches

Concept sketch overlaying a diagram of human vocal production anatomy