Most sound design in architecture is centered around designing for silence. Buildings are trying to block out that constant stream noise from the street and insulate you from those jarring clangs of industry. Geoff Manaugh loves the intersection of sound and architecture, but he’s primarily interested in those cases where buildings and spaces are designed to harness environmental sounds and bring acoustics into the architectural equation in clever ways.

BLDGBLOG is a site about architectural conjecture, urban speculation, and landscape futures. Can you imagine anything better? It’s essential reading.

This episode functions a bit like a sequel to some of the ideas presented in Episode #1 of the show (99% Noise). Go check it out, if you haven’t already.

Nick van der Kolk from the amazing Love + Radio podcast (Vocalo.org) produced this piece. Love + Radio is the twisted underbelly of public radio. Nick studied neuroscience and he has exploited that knowledge of the human brain to crawl inside your head, through your ear, and needle your gray matter down dark pathways of sex and death. Not to be missed.