Selected Articles on Contemporary Arab Architecture: A. Salama, K. Asfour, Y. Mahgoub, B. Kenzari, and Y. Elsheshtawy

Images (Ashraf Salama, 2006 - 2007)
From left to right
1. Barzan Tower, Doha, State of Qatar
2. View in Al-Azhar Park, Cairo, Egypt
3. Kuwait University Campus, Kuwait

These are selected articles published during the period between 2002-2007 by (A. Salama, K. Asfour, B. Kenzari, Y. Elsheshtawy, and Y. Mahgoub) in different Journals and Magazines. They are valuable to those who have an interest in understanding developments in Contemporary Architecture in the Arab World.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007
Ashraf Salama

Salama, A. (2007). Mediterranean Visual Messages: The Conundrum of Identity, ISMS, and Meaning in Contemporary Egyptian Architecture. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research (Online), Vol. 1. Issue (1), Archnet, MIT-Cambridge, USA. ISSN 1938-7806, PP.86-104
Click here>> http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.tcl?document_id=10069
Or here >> http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/7343/files_7081
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salama, A. (2007). Navigating Housing Affordability Between Trans-Disciplinarity and Life Style Theories: The Case of the Gulf States. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research (Online), Vol. 1. Issue (2), Archnet, MIT-Cambridge, USA. ISSN 1938-7806, PP. 57-76
Click here >> http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.tcl?document_id=10105
Or here>> http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/7344/files_7241
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007
Khaled Asfour

Asfour, K (2007). Polemics in Arab Architecture: Theory Vs. Practice. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research (Online), Vol. 1. Issue (1), Archnet, MIT-Cambridge, USA. ISSN 1938-7806, PP. 53-69
Click here>> http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.tcl?document_id=10067
Or here >> http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/7343/files_7081
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007
Yasser Mahgoub

Mahgoub, Y. (2007). Hyper Identity: The Case of Kuwaiti Architecture. Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research (Online), Vol. 1. Issue (1), Archnet, MIT-Cambridge, USA. ISSN 1938-7806, PP. 70-85
Click here>> http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.tcl?document_id=10068
Or here>> http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/7343/files_7081
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2006
Ashraf Salama

Salama, A. (2006). Symbolism and Identity in the Eyes of Arabia's Budding Professionals. LAYERMAG: Layer Magazine.
Click here>> http://www.layermag.com/
Or here>> http://www.layermag.com/feature_dubai_ashrafS.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003
Bechir Kenzari and Yasser Elsheshtawy
Best Paper Award by JAE – ACSA

Kenzari, B. and Elsheshtawy, Y. (2003). The Ambiguous Veil: On Transparency, the Mashrabiy'ya, and Architecture. Journal of Architectural Education, Vol. 56, Issue 4, May 2003, PP. 17-25
Click here>> http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1162/104648803321672924
Or here>> http://archnet.org/news/view.tcl?news_id=6204
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2002
Ashraf Salama

Salama, A. (2002). Contemporary Cairo Demystified: A Critical Voice on Architecture and Urbanism. ARCHIS, February 2002: Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Click here>> http://archis.org/plain/object.php?object=934&year=&num=
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research Volume 1 - Issue 2, July 2007 is Now Available

Archnet-IJAR
Volume 1-Issue 2 (July 2007)

ArchNet-IJAR provides a comprehensive academic review of a wide spectrum of issues, methods, theoretical approaches, and architectural and development practices.

_________________________________________________________

- ISSN - International (Online) 1994-6961
- ISSN - United States (Online) 1938-7806
- OCLC & World Cat (Online Computer Library Center) # 145980807
- Library of Congress Catalogue # 2007212183

Archnet-IJAR Vol 1 - Issue 2 features articles from Newton D'Souza (USA) on Design Intelligence; Crispino Ocheing (Kenya) on Affordable Housing in Pumwani; Joerg seifert (France/Germany) on the UN World Decade for the Eradication of Poverty; Ashraf Salama (Qatar) on Incorporating Lifestyle Theories into Affordable Housing Research and Practice; M. Alaa Mandour (Oman) on Mixed Reality and Virtual Architecture; Khokhi Maatouk (Saudi Arabia) on Airflow and pressure Simulation in High Residential Buildings. As well, the second issue introduces reviews and trigger articles from Besim Hakim (USA), Michael Crosbie (USA), Nikos Salingaros (USA), Abeer Hasanin (Egypt/Qatar), and Akhtar Chauhan (India).

- Click here to visit Archnet-IJAR website >> http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR
- Click here to visit Archnet-IJAR Vol 1 – Issue 2, July 2007 >> http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/7344/files_7241
- Or visit Archnet-IJAR on Archnet Digital Library >> http://archnet.org/library/documents/collection.tcl?collection_id=1543

Contents

Editorial: The Debate Continues- PP.11/14.
Ashraf M. Salama

Design Intelligences: A Case for Multiple Intelligences in Architectural Design -PP.15/34.
Newton D'Souza

Affordability of Low Income Housing in Pumwani, Nairobi, Kenya- PP.35/44.
Crispino C. Ochieng

386 Forgotten Ideas:
Architecture and the Eradication of Poverty-A Retrospective Account- PP.45/56.
Joerg Seifert

Navigating Housing Affordability Between Transdisciplinarity and Life Style Theories:
The Case of the Gulf States- PP.57/76.
Ashraf M. Salama

Mixed Reality: The Deconstruction of Time-The Restructure of the Future- PP.77/91.
M. Alaa Mandour

Airflow Patterns and Stack Pressure Simluation in a High Rise Residential Building in Seoul- Korea, PP.92/99.
Khoukhi Maatouk

Hakim's Work on Traditional Islamic and Mediterranean Urbanism- PP.100/105.
Besim S. Hakim

Book Review: Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future
Assessing Architectural Education's 'Crown Jewel' - PP.106/108.
Michael J. Crosbie

Book Review: Spaces Speak, Are You Listening ?- PP.109/113.
Abeer A. Hasanin

Nikos A. Salingaros: A New Vitruvius for 21st-Century Architecture and Urbanism? - PP.114/131.
Ashraf M. Salama

Comments on Ashraf Salama's Article:"...A New Vitruvius....?" - PP.132/134.
Nikos A. Salingaros

Conference/ Competition Announcements-IAHH 2008- PP.135/140.
Akhtar Chauhan

____________________________________________________________________________________
Archnet-IJAR Editorial Board:
...Chief Editor: Ashraf Salama, Advisory Board: Attilio Petruccioli; Besim Hakim; Hashim Sarkis; Henry Sanoff; Jamel Akbar; Mohamad Al-Asad; Michael Crosbie; Nasser Rabbat; Nicholas Wilkinson; Nikos Salingaros; Peter Rowe; Suha Ozkan; William Mitchell, Editorial-Scientific Board: Akhtar Chauhan; Aleya Abel-Hadi; Ali Cengizkan; Amer Moustafa; Anne Beamish; Budi Sukada; Dalila Al-Kerdani; Donatella Mazzoleni; Eman El-Nachar; Fuad Mallick; Hulya Turgut; Ihab Elzeyadi; M. Alaa Mandour; Malika Bose; Magda Sibley; Mashary Al-Naim; Peter Kellett; Rabee Reffat; Yasser El-Shehstawy; Yasser Mahgoub.

Assessing Building Performance: W.F.E. Preiser and J.C. Vischer (editors)

Assessing Building Performance

Edited by
Wolfgang F E Preiser
University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Jacqueline C Vischer
University of Montreal, Canada

0750661747 :
Paperback : 256 pages :
100 illustrations :
Autumn 2004, Published by ELSEVIER

Assessing Building Performance addresses building officials/administrators, facility managers, programmers, design professionals, and property owners/managers. Secondary readership is as a text for college courses in facilities management, environmental psychology, architectural programming, post-occupancy evaluation, and design methods.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword by Frank Duffy, DEGW, London, UK; Part I: Introduction and Overview - 1) The Evolution of Building Performance Evaluation (Editors); 2) A Conceptual Framework for Building Performance Evaluation (Preiser, and Ulrich Schramm, Fachhochschule Bielefeld, Germany); Part II: Performance Assessments in the 6-Phase Building Delivery and Life Cycle - 3) Phase I: Strategic Planning - Effectiveness Review (Schramm); 4) Phase II: Programming -- Program Review (Alexi Marmot, Joanna Eley and Stephen Bradley, AMA Associates, London, UK); 5) Phase III: Design -- Design Review (Vischer); 6) Phase IV: Construction – Commissioning (Michael J. Holtz, AEC Inc, Boulder, CO, USA); 7) Phase V Occupancy -- Post-Occupancy Evaluation (Bill Bordass, William Bordass Associates, and Adrian Leaman, Building Use Studies, London, UK); 8) Phase VI: Adaptive Re-Use/Recycling - Market/Needs Assessment (Danny S.S. Then, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China); Part III: Case Studies - 9) Benchmarking the 'Sustainability' of a Building Project (Sue Roaf, Oxford Brookes University, UK); 10) ASTM Methodology and Case Study (Francoise Szigeti and Gerald Davis, International Centre for Facilities, Ottawa, Canada); 11) Assessing the Performance 'Offices of the Future' (Rotraut Walden, Universität Koblenz, Germany); 12) High-Tech Office Building Evaluation in Brazil (Sheila Ornstein, Claudia Andrade and Brenda Leite, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil); 13) Organizational Lessons From a Government Building Evaluation in Israel (Ahuva Windsor, Colman College of Management, Rishon Lezion, Israel); 14) Building Performance Evaluation in Japan (Akikazu Kato and Pieter Le Roux, Toyohashi University of Technology, and Kazuhisa Tsunekawa, Nagoya University, Japan); 15) Technological and Management Innovation in Offices in The Netherlands (Shauna Mallory-Hill, University of Manitoba, Canada, Theo J.M. van der Voordt, Technical University Delft, Netherlands, Anne van Dortmont, van Wagenberg Associates, Eindhoven, Netherlands); 16) Evaluating Universal Design Performance (Preiser); 17) Facility Performance Evaluation in the Public and Private Sectors (Craig Zimring et al, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA); 18) The Human Elements in Building Performance Evaluation (Alex K. Lam, The OCB Network, Missisauga, Canada); Part IV - 19) Epilogue: Looking to the Future (Vischer); APPENDICES - Kit of Tools: Evaluation Instruments You can Use; Glossary of Terms; Author and Subject Index

For more information about Prof. Wolfgang Preiser, click here>> http://www.daap.uc.edu/people/profiles/preisewg or here>> http://www.daap.uc.edu/stories/Architecture_Professor_Builds_a_World-Renowned_Reputation_as_quot_Building_Pathologist_quot

For More information about Prof. Jacqueline Vischer, click here>> http://www.gret.umontreal.ca/an/team.htm#Vischer

To Download Leaflet of Assessing Building Performance, click here>> http://www.iaps-association.org/Documents/OtherDocs/AssBuildPerf_Preiser.doc

To Order from the Publisher, click here>> http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/703640/description#description

Assessing Architectural Education's 'Crown Jewel': Michael Crosbie's Review of Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future

Design Studio Pedagogy:
Horizons for the Future

Ashraf M. Salama & Nicholas Wilkinson,
editors (2007)

ISBN: 1-872811-09-04
The Urban International Press - P.O. Box 74 Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE9 5UZ, United Kingdom Contact: Carol Nicholson carol.nicholson@ribaenterprises.com


Assessing Architectural Education's 'Crown Jewel'

Michael J. Crosbie, Ph.D., AIA


Excerpts from the review published in Archnet-IJAR, Vol 1 - Issue 2, July 2007
Click here for Full Review http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/7344/files_7241/1.2.09-Michael%20Crosbie-pp106-108.pdf

"...Over the years, especially during the last half of the last century, much has been written about the architecture studio and its pedagogy. The turbulence of much of that period was reflected in the studio and its changing role in training architects for a society in flux. The studio continues to be a focal point for experimentation, reflection, invention, and reaction. A new publication brings together some of the most thoughtful, helpful, and provocative ideas about the architecture studio and how it can be adapted. Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, edited by Ashraf M. Salama and Nicholas Wilkinson (both of whom are architects and architectural educators), brings under one cover 23 contemporary articles by 25 architectural educators from around the world who consider the special nature of the design studio, how it is changing, and how it might change in the future..."

"...Salama and Wilkinson, both of whom have written extensively about architectural education, organize the collection under five chapters: 1. Theoretical Perspectives and Positions; 2. Critical Thinking and Decision Making in Studio Pedagogy; 3. Addressing Cognitive Styles in Studio Pedagogy; 4. Community, Place, and the Studio; 5. Digital Technologies and the Studio. Each chapter opens with a helpful and insightful essay by Salama and Wilkinson on the articles that follow. The book commences with two special contributions, one each by N. John Habraken and Henry Sanoff (both giants in the field of architectural education) that provide historical context for the five chapters that follow. Underlying both essays is the question of power—in the studio, and in the profession at large—woven as a theme throughout the book..."

"...Some of the most provocative articles in this book take on the perennial problems of the studio—such as how knowledge gained in support classes can be incorporated in studio to achieve a truly integrative learning experience. Yassar Mahgoub’s article about curriculum structure and positioning the design studio as a “capstone” instead of the “core” invites one to reconsider the very nature of the studio in education. Jeffery Haase presents a new paradigm—that of installation art—as a format for studio explorations. And Stephen Kendall calls for an approach to design that is open-ended and distributive, which he believes more faithfully reflects the role of the architect and the nature of how the built environment evolves..."

"...The design studio’s resilience amid social and educational tumult suggests that it will not soon disappear. But this valuable collection assembled by Salama and Wilkinson of observations, ideas, theories, and experiments centered on the design studio will surely provoke new discussions, patterns, and paradigms concerning the crown jewel of architectural education..."


Michael J. Crosbie is the Chairman of the Department of Architecture at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, USA, and writes extensively about architecture, design, and education. More information on Michael Crosbie's writings and contributions to the contemporary debate on architecture can be found in this link http://eng.archinform.net/arch/11039.htm?scrwdt=1024

Henry Sanoff's Three Decades of Design and Community

Three Decades of Design and Community
Henry Sanoff (2003)


A book that documents efforts and works of the Community Development Group (CDG) which was led for over three decades by Henry Sanoff, of the College of Design, School of Architecture, North Carolina State University.

The book presents analytical descriptions of the work of many graduates of CDG program/NCSU under Henry Sanoff's guidance, and sets an example of how service learning and outreach and programs can benefit the surrounding communities, and can be incorporated into studio pedagogy. Former graduates enrolled in or associated with the studios of the Community Development Group includes many academics and practitioners who are currently occupying distinguished positions throughout the US and the world. Some of the graduates I knew, met or came into contact with in different events are: Afsaneh Mirbaha; Arthur Chen; Ashraf Salama; Celine Pasalar; Chris Humkey, David Alpaugh; David Shelton; Donna Duerk; Farid Dowlatshahi; Gary Coates; Graham Adam, Greg Centeno; Holly Grubb; Jay Garrott; Jehan Yassin; Jennifer Amster; Jennifer Sisak; Jim Griffen; Jim Rice; John Lucas; Ken Lambla; Laurie Hegvold; Linda Jewel; Michael Layne; Michael McNamara; Mine Hashas; Mona Bultman; Newton Watson; Ramona Lewis; Sharon Graeber; Shiela Gobes Ryan; Umut Toker; Vicki McCourt; Wes Chapman; Zeynep Toker.



The Book was printed by North Carolina State University Office of the Vice Chancellor for Extension and Engagement and the College of Design.

A limited number of copies are available for the cost of postage, for more information contact hsanoff@bellsouth.net

Archnet-IJAR: Some News

Archnet-IJAR: News

Archnet-IJAR: The International Journal of Architectural Research
has successfully received a number of recognitions. In addition to the excellent feedback received from scholars and colleagues worldwide,

Archnet-IJAR is archived and classified in
Archnet Digital Library.
Visit http://archnet.org/library/documents/collection.tcl?collection_id=1543

Now, Archnet-IJAR has two ISSN as follows:
International: ISSN 1994-6961 (online)
United States: ISSN 1938-7806 (online)

Archnet-IJAR is also part of
OCLC-Online Computer Library Center # 145980807
http://worldcat.org/oclc/145980807
http://worldcat.org/oclc/145980807?tab=details

Archnet-IJAR is classified and part of the
Library of Congress Database, LOC # 2007212183
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v3=1&ti=1,1&SEQ=20070707054126&Search%5FArg=Archnet%2DIJAR&Search%5FCode=TALL&CNT=25&PID=8874&SID=1

Archnet-IJAR website
http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR

Archnet-IJAR is edited by Ashraf Salama

Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?

Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?:
experiencing aural architecture
By: Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter

(MIT Press, 2007)
ISBN 0262026058
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10947










A Review and Compilation by Abeer A. Hasanin, Ph.D.
(Painter, Graphic Designer)
Assistant Professor of Art Education

This review is published in the Second Issue of Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, Vol 1, Issue 2, July 2007, (Archnet, Cambridge, 2007)
http://worldcat.org/oclc/145980807
http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR


Intrigued by the arguments introduced in Spaces Speak, as an environmental graphic designer and a visual artist I find myself need a moment of reflection about the responsive arguments and the knowledge qualities offered by Dr. Blesser and Dr. Salter. They are discussing some of the missing components that continued to receive little or no attention from those who are working in built environment related fields. Thus, soon when I knew about the book I decided to do this review for Archnet-IJAR. However, because am not an architect or spatial designer, I also decided to rely on what was written about the book. In this sense, this review should be regarded as a collection of reviews.

"Spaces Speak, Are you Listening" is constituted in nine chapters that address critical issues of concern to the design community. The first chapter introduces issues that pertain to aural architecture and how it can contribute to a better experience of spaces. The second chapter introduces a number of issues under the heading of the auditory spatial awareness including hearing spaces, navigating spaces by listening, and the social components of aural architecture. In the third chapter a number of social and cultural issues are explored by reflecting on some evolutionary aspects of aural space from antiquity to modern times. It discusses how social forces influence the aural experience of space while critically analyzing how emerging trends such as industrialization has a dramatic impact in terms of the way in which it can create new aural attitudes.

Chapters four, five and six introduce aural arts and musical spaces and inventing new virtual spaces for music while at the introducing some scientific perspectives on spatial acoustics. These three chapters can be seen in trans-disciplinary terms as while discussing spatial issues the cross the boundaries of different art and engineering disciplines. While chapter seven critically analyzes how social values may contribute to careers in the field of aural architecture, under the heading of spatial awareness as evolutionary artifact chapter eight argues for the notion of hearing as a means of navigating and communicating. Again, it can be seen in trans-disciplinary terms as it covers issues that pertain to the interdependence of biology, nature, and culture. Chapter nine offers highlights and concluding comments on how aural architecture can contribute to a better understanding of space. In fact, crossing the boundaries of disciplines is one the important qualities of "Spaces Speak …"

I tend to see the book in terms of corresponding to the complexity that characterizes our current thinking and research when discussing, analyzing, or designing spaces. Now, we are witnessing a shift in the grounds of research in both the sciences and the arts from a concentration on disciplinary needs and history of things/issues, to an emphasis on how needs of one discipline are connected to knowledge goals and aspirations of other disciplines. In other words, it can be argued that no one theory will have the upper hand is solving spatial problems and no discipline can make strong claims anymore about its own direction, value, and output in isolation from what is happening in other areas of research. In essence, the book does not take aural architectural in technical terms, but involves a trams-disciplinary thinking, where the study of auditory spatial awareness of aural architecture in introduced in a manner that covers concepts stemming from music, acoustics, perception, psychology, anthropology, engineering, theology, archeology, biology, neuroscience, history, and architecture. This is not all; a number of concepts are introduced to cover issues derived from the accumulated cultural traditions over the years.

In introducing aural architecture, the authors argue that "We experience spaces not only by seeing but also by listening." This means that there is a possibility to navigate a room in the dark, and "hear" the emptiness of a house without furniture. Our experience of music in a concert hall depends on whether we sit in the front row or under the balcony. The unique acoustics of religious spaces acquire symbolic meaning. This is evident in most religious buildings of various faith traditions including churches and mosques. Strikingly, the argument of the authors goes beyond the physical experiences of human beings in space but introduce the social component. They argue, and rightly so, that social relationships are strongly influenced by the way the sound is changing in space.


"The audible attributes of physical space have always contributed to the fabric of human culture, as demonstrated by prehistoric multimedia cave paintings, classical Greek open-air theaters, Gothic cathedrals, acoustic geography of French villages, modern music reproduction, and virtual spaces in home theaters. Auditory spatial awareness is a prism that reveals a culture's attitudes toward hearing and space. Some listeners can learn to "see" objects with their ears, but even without training, we can all hear spatial geometry such as an open door or low ceiling. (Blesser and Salter, 2007)"

Based on the trans-disciplinary quality of the arguments of the book, it establishes the concepts and language of aural architecture. These concepts provide an interdisciplinary guide for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of how space enhances our well-being. Aural architecture is not the exclusive domain of specialists.

Unlike pure psychological studies on hearing which are focusing only on the perceptual qualities of intensity, frequency, temporal effects, tonal attributes, this book places aural architecture in context. It critically views the components of aural architecture to include many types of spatialtity. However, five of these are emphasized: social, musical, navigations, aesthetic, and symbolic, all of which enhance our understanding of how human hearing and the power of sound contribute to the experiential quality of space.

Discussing the ideas and concepts presented in this book with many academic and professional spatial designers I come into contact with, I would like to add my voice to those who have endorsed the book, and call for a rethinking of the introductory courses in schools of architecture and environmental design. Beginning design students are typically introduced to the visual paradigm of space and only the visual, and this is apparent in design fundamentals or basic design courses. These courses are to develop students' abilities of articulating abstract visual principles, and comprehend design elements based on these principles, but the aural component is dramatically missing. As aural architecture should be seen as an indispensable component when discussing design fundamentals, these courses should benefit from such the book and the way in which sound and hearing influence the qualities of space design. As well, environment-behavior courses that are introduced in both undergraduate and graduate programs are focusing only on the human experience in visual, functional, and behavioral terms. Still, the aural component is missing. Therefore, I would suggest this book to all design educators who are either teaching basic design courses or environment-behavior courses. It is a must read as it covers one of the ignored or oversimplified issues in space design.



What Was Said about "Spaces Speak,…"

Endorsements of Spaces Speak:
Retrieved from Spaces Speak Website
(http://www.blesser.net/index.html)

"Blesser and Salter have thoughtfully synthesized a wide range of technical, aesthetic, and humanistic considerations of aural architecture to create a valuable interdisciplinary resource for anyone interested in thinking about sound, space, and society."
Emily Thompson,
Professor of History, Princeton University,
and author of The Soundscape of Modernity:
Architectural Acoustics and the Culture of Listening in America, 1900-1933


"This wide-ranging, articulate, and probing investigation of how humans listen helps us to appreciate the value of natural and constructed acoustics. It also shows that our sense of the space of sound has largely been lost in the vast library of recorded music. This book will change how you listen. Well done!"
Floyd Toole,
Vice President of Acoustical Engineering, Harman International Industries


"The authors present a groundbreaking synthesis of auditory spatial awareness as it has developed from cave acoustics through the modern concert hall to digital simulations of virtual spaces. Drawing on numerous disciplines, they summarize the scientific and cultural knowledge of the subtleties of acoustic spaces in a clear and readable manner, while challenging our social values about the optimal design of those spaces. A must-read for every student of architecture and aural culture."
Barry Truax,
Professor and Composer, Simon Fraser University


"At last, a book that reveals that spaces are meaningful beyond their acoustics! I was captivated by this impressively well-documented book, and recommend it to anyone with an interest in acoustics or architecture."
Jean-Dominique Polack,
Professor of Acoustics at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris.


"This book is a serious overview of aural architecture and its growing importance in our world. Its comprehensive range--from historical essay to technical and social aspects of the field--makes it an important addition to the existing literature on this subject."
Karen Van Lengen,
Dean and Edward E. Elson Professor,
School of Architecture, University of Virginia


Selected Resources

A lecture by Dr. Barry Blesser in Belmont library, Belmont, Massachusetts
http://www.blesser.net/downloads/Lecture_edited_64.mp3

Association of Integrative Studies – Newsletter (May 2007)
http://www.blesser.net/downloads/AIS%20May07.pdf

Research Design Connections (Winter 2007)
http://www.blesser.net/downloads/RDC%20Review.pdf

List of Published and Unpublished Articles
http://www.blesser.net/Articles.html

Glossary of Terms for Aural Architecture
http://www.blesser.net/downloads/Glossary.pdf


Who are the Authors of "Spaces Speak,…"

Biography of the authors as retrieved from Spaces Speak Website (http://www.blesser.net/index.html)

Dr. Barry Blesser has spent the last 40 years exploring the influence of cognitive and perceptual psychology on the design and implementation of technology. His doctoral thesis, the perception of spectrally rotated speech, conclusively demonstrated the existence of a variety of cognitive strategies that are available for decoding speech. As one of the pioneers of digital audio technology during the 1970s, he transformed his fantasy of a portable concert hall into the first commercial artificial reverberation system, which was used extensively in the creation of recorded and broadcast music. He demonstrated the relevance of perceptual strategies in his study of the diagnostic accuracy of medical radiologists. In the early 1980s, his research on how humans read handprint resulted in the creation of a startup company that developed an automated recognition system. While Dr. Blesser has focused on creating and implementing technology as a technical and management consultant, he also integrates the arts and social sciences into the design process. As an independent scholar, he has spent the last 5 years researching the new concept of aural architecture, which led to his current passion: the social consequences of functional deafness when in corrosive acoustic environments. Acoustics is an inseparable combination of the hard and soft sciences. See also his extended biography for more information.

Dr. Linda-Ruth Salter was a pioneer in crossing discipline boundaries when she obtained a Ph.D. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Boston University in 1984. Her doctoral dissertation examined the nature of sacred space in secular societies. Additional research showed the significance of place and spatial memory in maintaining group identity. Dr. Salter has consulted in the area of research and planning for a successful built environment in public housing, educational and business spaces, and has taught urban studies at Boston University. As a consequence of living in Asia, studying Sumi-ink painting, and her interest in the symbolic meaning of material culture, Dr. Salter created a specialty in promoting historic indigenous crafts by founding an international Asian fine arts business. Recently, Dr. Salter co-authored the first scholarly article on Qing Dynasty belt ornaments, which emphasized their symbolic and social role in Chinese society. Presently she is Asst. Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences at New England Institute of Technology, where she contributes to the fine and performing arts curriculum in a technology context. Fusing and integrating the fine arts, technology, and social science is her specialty.

Drs. Blesser and Salter, a husband and wife team of 35 years, fused their collective knowledge and experience of the physical and social sciences to create the concepts of auditory spatial awareness and its manifestation as aural architecture. Spaces Speak embodies their shared philosophic bias: technology changes the social and artistic aspects of culture, while at the same time, culture influences the properties of technology, invention, and innovation.