inside the soundbox

Enrique de Solo

Inside the Sound Box- St. Louis

Inside the Sound Box- St. Louis

DT Instructor: Pablo MoyanoDT TA:Megan Roy Spring 2012

Introduction_____Sound & Space___new instrument___making music

pg. 8

pg. 16

pgs. 18-21

pgs. 37-39

pgs. 10-13pg. 6

pgs. 22-25

pgs.40-43

pgs.54-57

pg. 14

pg. 36

pg. 52

(PART 1)__Making a soundbox____Psychoacoustics/ synaesthetics____Material________________Form/Precedents

(PART 2)-__The Soundscape___Psychoacoustics___City_______Nature________User

(PART 3)___Making Music in St. Louis___Delmar_______Site

pgs. 22-25

pgs.40-43

pgs.54-57

pg.84 pg.86-89 pg.90-93 pg.94-97

pgs.44-47

pgs.58-65 pgs.66-77

pgs.48-51

pgs. 26-35

pg. 78

(PART 1)__Making a soundbox____Psychoacoustics/ synaesthetics____Material________________Form/Precedents

(PART 2)-__The Soundscape___Psychoacoustics___City_______Nature________User

(PART 3)___Making Music in St. Louis___Delmar_______Site

(PART 4)-_Urban soundbox___soundscape_______Program____Main Theater___Soundbox

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Sound and space form a critical couple in our everyday environment: no sound exists outside of space, and no space is ever truly silent. Sound and space mutually reinforce one another in our perception; the qualities of a space affect how we perceive a sound and those of a sound affect how we perceive a space. Space and Sound are inextricably linked in our experience of what it is to exist in the world.

-Ripley

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Acoustic Mirrors- acoustic mirrors were built as early warning devices around the coasts of Great Britain, with the aim of detecting airborne invasions. These particular ones still stand in Kent, England

A “new” musical instrument

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Can an Architect “make music”?

City sounds People sounds

Nature sounds

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Part I

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Making a Soundbox

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Making a soundbox

is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which modifies the sound of the instrument, and helps transfer that sound to the surrounding air.

A Sound Box

The architect can make music, but must first make the instrument

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Material

Instrument

Form

+

=

Hand-held Inhabitable

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PsychoacousticsTimbre

Psychoacoustics

Is the scientific study of sound perception. More specifically, it is the branch of science that studies the psychological responses to sound- including speech and music.

Timbre

In music, timbre, also known as tone color, is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and mu-sical instruments, string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments.

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sound

color

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Synesthesiasound-color-feeling

Color, like sound can evoke a certain feeling. Such as this painting by Rothko. The combination of the colors orange, yellow and red give the painting a certain feeling of warmth.

Mondrian’s “Boogie Woogie” shows the appearance of col-ors in movement. Rythm can be not only heard, but seen as well.

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The senses are interconnected. Here we can see how the brain can interpret auditory information visually as well as other sensory combinations

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MaterialMaking a Soundbox

wood

nylon string

steel string

brass

canvas drum

steel drum

Musical instruments can be made with string, wood, canvas, or brass; each mate-rial serving a specific pur-pose in order to manipulate sound in a certain way.

Timbre/Color

hot cold

low pitch high pitch

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MaterialMaking a Soundbox

Buildings too, function this way; transmitting sound that correlates to the mate-rials that make them up.

wood

Fabric/Insulation

Stone

Aluminum

Steel Cables

Timbre/Color

hot

low pitch

cold

high pitch

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FormMaking a SoundboxPrecedents

Inside a guitar

Each musical instrument is different. The trumpet curves air through its twisted shape creating a timbre unlike any other. The drum is a musical instrument that uses its air cavity in order to vibrate heavy sounds outward. The guitar, with its strings and wooden sound box, vibrate sound from each string into the air cavity and out again to the listener. Each building is also shaped to control and express particular sounds and style of music. Through formal operations we can begin to understand how the shape of a space relates to the type of sound being produced.

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FormMaking a SoundboxBarbican Theatre- Caruso St. John

The concert hall in the Barbican Centre in London is a performance theater designed by Caruso St. John (2000-2001). Unlike the other case study buildings, this is an installation to an existing concrete shell. In order to control sound in the performance the-ater, acoustic reflectors were installed.

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The Municipal Library in Vyborg, Russia, is an internationally acclaimed design by Alvar Aalto. The library is particu-larly famous for its wave-shaped ceiling in the auditorium, the shape of which, Aalto argued, was based on acoustic studies. The shape of the ceiling works best for listening to speeches.

FormMaking a SoundboxViipuri Library- Alvar Aalto

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Le Thoronet Abbey is a former Cister-cian abbey that was built in the early 1200’s in Southeast France . In this early stage of architectural technology, most structures were built out of one material. In this case it not only served as the enclosure for the Cistercian monks but also as the aural reverbera-tor. Cistercian monks were known to have made a vow of silence, so the art of hearing was an integral aspect of their faith.

FormMaking a SoundboxLe Thoronet Abbey

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FormMaking a SoundboxRed Rocks Amphitheater

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure near Morrison, Colorado, where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a seating area for up to 9,450 people in between. The amphitheatre is owned and operated by the City and County of Denver, Colorado and is located in Red Rocks Park, part of the Denver Mountain Parks system.

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Part II

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The Soundscape

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Psychoacousticsdecibels and frequency

lower pitch

120 db - Airplane

20 db - leaves rustling

higher pitch

freq

uenc

yde

cibe

ls

A sound’s frequency or pitch can be used as a facilitator for meditation. Studies have indicated certain frequen-cies that promote high levels of focus, rest, or sleep.

Loudness can be understood through many examples in daily life. Humans can percieve sound as low as a whisper and as high as an airplane on the run-way. Depending on what the sound is of course, humans have a distinct prefer-ence to decibel level.

Sound can be captured and manipulated in order to cater to the listener’s needs. City sounds can be manipulated and formed into “background music”.

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sound waves

loudness and pitch

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CitySounds of the city

buzzing lights transit bridge bus transport

20 db

30 db

70 db

Some sounds of the city can be quite calming if heard from the right distance. It could be the rythmic sounds coming from a highway or the deep sound of a train running on the tracks.

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highway train open water

20 db

70 db

100 db

90 db

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PinkNoise

CitySoundscape of St. Louis

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PinkNoise

voices

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NatureSounds from nature

light rain bird chirp water-large body

30 db 30 db

90 db

The sounds of nature are often used in areas of meditation for their calm-ing effect. For some, its the wind that blows through the leaves of a tree and for others it might be the deep sound of water falling from a cliff.

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sawgrass wind-trees still water

30 db

20 db

90 db

70 db

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NatureSoundscape of Nature (St. Louis)

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UserSoundbox of people sounds

running biking conversation

30 db

20 db

50 db

Without realizing it, people make up a soundscape too. The rythmic tones of people walking or the loud hum of a talking audience can alter the experi-ence of a space.

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singing walking crowd

20 db

80 db

90 db

50 db

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UserSoundscape of people

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Part III

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Making music in St. Louis

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Making Music

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...there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require.

-Edward Elgar (composer)

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St. Louis is located in the center of the country. The city has become a melting pot of different musical styles, embrac-ing all of them. Known as one of the birthplaces of the blues and ragtime, St. Louis has still kept its musical heritage and is a musical haven for musicians across the country.

“When the earliest forms of the blues migrated north from their birthplace in Mississippi Delta, they melded with the ragtime strains popular in St. Louis at the time and the result is what’s known as the St. Louis blues.” - explore St. Louis

MusicSt. Louis- at the crossroads of America

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St. Louis

Motown from Detroit Hip Hop from New York

Blues from New Orleans

Country from Tennessee

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The

Page

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Blu

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Hill

Vin

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Was

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MusicSt. Louis- music venues/ music districts

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Shel

don

Con

cert

Hal

l

Fox

Thea

tre

Pow

ell H

all

Peab

ody

Ope

ra

Hou

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Bea

le o

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Arc

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Fire

bird

Delmar loop- What makes Delmar different from other “music” districts is that its also a “shopping” district. The loop consists of 6 blocks of retail, restaurants, live music venues, and outdoor public spaces. Throughout the week, Delmar loop remains active, consistently taking in visitors of all ages.

For this reason, musicians from all over St. Louis come here to perform along Delmar boulevard. Throughout the week, it becomes a very active public space where street perform-ers and visitors make up the soundscape of delmar.

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Delmar Loopmusic venues

6 - Music Venues2- Public Music Venues

Blueberry HillVintage VinylCicero’s Market Pub Chuck Berry Statue

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The PageantWashU School of Music

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Delmar Looppublic attractors

Bar/Restaurants

Tivoli Theater

Retail

30- Restaurants35- Retail stores6- Bars1- Theater1- Hotel1-Gym* Metro Station

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Pin-up Bowl Moonrise Hotel Delmar Transfer Station

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Delmar EastEdge of the loop

The Loop spans from Kingsland to Des Peres. Not much life extends past Des Peres due to the conditions of the neighborhood. The social status of the residents also changes result-ing in a more barren urban fabric devoid of culture, art, and social activity.

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Proposed Site

The Delmar Loop The edge of the loop (little to no activity)

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Delmar EastExtending the loop

long section metro link site location

RESIDENTIAL

RA

ILWAY

Site

Site

76,000 sq ft

Park

80,000 sq ft

465’

276’

M

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Lucier Park

site location park

COMMERCIAL

RESIDENTIALSCHOOL

DELMAR AVE

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M

site locationdelmar blvd.cross section

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metro linksite location

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Park edgeSite

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Residential edgeSite

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Street edgeSite

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Delmar EastEdge of the loop

Most activity ocurring east of Des Peres Avenue is the Metro link transfer station. Currently, the bus stop is used primarily for job commuting. This transit stop is rarely used to transport visitors to the Delmar loop.

The Metrolink transfer station is a great opportunity to attract a heavy flow of visi-tors to the area if the appropriate attractor is put in place.

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What can serve as the catalyst for the expansion of Delmar East?

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Part IV

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Urban Soundbox

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Urban SoundboxThe performer & The user (visitor)

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The Urban Soundbox combines the actions of the user with the performance of the artist_ the city soundscape serves as the backdrop.

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Urban Soundboxamplifier for Delmar East

City sounds

extract sound from site

mix as “background music”

People sounds

Nature sounds

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amplify performance

restaurant/bars

retail

music library

radio station

theater/amphitheater

insert street performers

urban soundbox

insert public attractors

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moving trainresidential sound

traffic chunk

nature sounds along tracks

moving trainresidential sound

traffic chunk

nature sounds along tracks

moving train

nature sounds

Site Soundscape

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park sounds

residential sound

park sounds

residential sound

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Urban Soundboxhow to treat the edge

metro link train

plaza/acoustic mirror

Sound buffer

amphitheater/acoustic mirror

MAIN THEATER

amphitheater/acoustic mirroramphitheater/acoustic mirror

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Delmar edge

Park edge

Residential edge

Railway edge

80-90 db

20-70 db

40-70 db

30-90 db

street performer sounbox/plaza

metrolink transfer station

Delmar avenue

music library/ recording studios

Retail/ Restaurant/Bar

Radio Station

M

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ProgramUrban Soundbox

Main Theater

Retail/Restaurants/Cafe -Retail -Bars/Restaurant

Music Library -Listening boxes -Recording studios Radio Station Public -Amphitheater -Plaza/ Street Performer Space

5, 000 sq ft

20, 000 sq ft

10, 000 sq ft

25, 000 sq ft

30, 000 sq ft

90, 000 sq fttotal sq ft.

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STREET PERFORMER BOX 2

MUSIC LIBRARY/RECORDING STUDIOS

RETAIL/RESTAURANT

CAFE

RADIO STATION

STREET PERFORMER BOX 3

MAIN THEATER/AMPHITHEATER

PLAZA/ACOUSTIC MIRROR

STREET PERFORMER BOX 1

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Main TheaterUrban Soundbox

The main stage will be a flexible perfor-mance space. The connection between the theater and the landscape can be made direct or indirect. On ordinary days, the amphithe-ater can be used as a plaza where one could listen to nature’s soundscape

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THEATER AMPHITHEATER

The theater will feature an adaptable stage that could engage an outdoor audience as well as the audience in the interior. Sounds from the exterior and sounds from the performance will blend into one aural performance

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The main stage in this project was specifi-cally designed to be a flexible performance venue that can open up to the environment. This felxibility allows for the artist to have a free range of expression through the use of the venue.

Wyly TheaterRex/OMA

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The wyly theater feautures a free-flowing stage that has the ability to open up to the exterior.

free-stage: stage is free of seats. the stage is almost as large as the building’s footprint.

proscenium: the audience is set to the west side and the east side of the theater is set for the stage.

thrust: stage is in the cen-ter of the audience. (like an amphitheater)

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Street Performer soundbox Urban Soundbox

concave acoustic mirror- reverber-ates the sound of the street performer

sound filter- filters sound from adjacent soundscape...such as the nature soundscape

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outdoor eating is just one example of an attractor that can unite the street performer with the city dweller.

Street performers don’t all use the same instrument. A rapper will not want the same venue space as a guitarist. Materials help define specific instruments through tone and volume. By using different matierials for each acoustic mirror, it can enhance the performance.

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Peter Zumthor, architect and Daniel Ott, a musical composer joined forces during the Hanover exposition to create the Swiss sound box; a pavilion that combines music with archi-tecture.

Swiss Sound BoxPeter Zumthor

The use of wood made it possible for musicians to share the same tempo and collaborate in a new wave of freestyle music.

Swiss Sound Box by Peter Zumthor

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composition by Daniel Ott

The Swiss sound box is created through a sequential process. “For example, the timeline based dimension (153 exhibition days: 153 sounds; 23 exhibition weeks: 23 eruptions); or architectural num-bers: twelve stacks, three courts, the number of beam layers within a stack (4,5,6,8,10,or 11), proportions of the floor plan, etc.” This means that the outer shell is mimicking the proportions created by the musical composition composed by Daniel Ott.

The musicians that inter-acted with the space followed this proportion and created improvisational music based on the rhythmic system. “The speculative –mathematical moment of joint sound-space proportions is doubtless present- and yet, at the same time, Ott’s concept is open to the moment, and open to the individuality of the musicians, and open to the idiom that resonates through them.”

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Music allows the individual to experience deep and intense emotions. Sound is a 'unifying' sense —creating an immediacy of effect.

-Dr. Hugo Heyrman

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Bibliography

“Barbican Concert Hall (London, UK) « Caruso St John Architects.” Caruso St John Architects. Web. 17 Dec. 2011. <http://www.carusostjohn.com/projects/barbican-concert-hall/>.

Deon, Luca, and Michael Goodward. Caruso St John: Knitting, Weaving, Wrapping, Pressing ; [Katalog Zur Ausstellung: Adam Caruso & Peter St John “knitting Weaving Wrapping Pressing” (stricken Weben Einhüllen Prägen), Architekturgalerie Luzern, 13.10. - 17.11.2002]. Basel U.a.: Birkhäuser, 2002. Print.

Grantham, Andrew. “Sound Mirrors.” Sound Mirrors. Web. <http://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/soundmirrors/>.

Grueneisen, Peter. Soundspace: Architecture for Sound and Vision. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2003. Print.

Heyrman, Dr. Hugo. “”Art and Synesthesia: In Search of the Synesthetic Experience” by Dr. Hugo Heyrman.” “Art and Synesthesia: In Search of the Synesthetic Experience” by Dr. Hugo Heyrman. Universidad De Almeria, 25 July 2005. Web. <http://www.doctorhugo.org/synaesthesia/art/index.html>.

Hintsanen, Paivi. “The Building: Viipuri Library.” Alvar Aalto. Viipuri Library. Viipurin Kirjasto. Alvar Aalto Foundation. Web. <http://www.alvara-alto.fi/viipuri/building.htm>.

Leeds, Joshua. “Psychoacoustics.” The Power of Sound. Sound- Remedies. Joshua Leeds, 2001. Web. <http://www.sound-remedies.com/psyc.html>.

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Quiros, Luis. “Achieving the Metaphysics of Architecture.” Quirpa. Web. 17 Dec. 2011. <http://www.quirpa.com/docs/achieving_the_metaphys-ics_of_architecture__peter_zumthor.html>.

“Red Rocks History & Geology.” Red Rocks History & Geology. Red Rocks Park. Web. <http://www.redrocksonline.com/ABOUTUS/Histo-ryGeology.aspx>.

Ripley, Colin, Marco Polo, and Arthur Wrigglesworth. In the Place of Sound: Architecture, Music, Acoustics. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Pub., 2007. Print.

Saieh, Nico. “Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre / REX | OMA.” Weblog post. ArchDaily. 13 July 2011. Web. <http://www.archdaily.com/37736/dee-and-charles-wyly-theatre-rex-oma/>.

“Standing At The Crossroads: St. Louis Music History.” Explore St. Louis. 16 Aug. 2010. Web. <http://explorestlouis.com/media-page/news-releases-newsroom/releases/at-the-crossroads-st-louis-music-history/>.

“Visit The Loop.” Visit The Loop. Delmar Loop. Web. <http://visittheloop.com/>.

Zumthor, Peter, and Plinio Bachmann. Swiss Sound Box: a Handbook for the Pavilion of the Swiss Confederation at Expo 2000 in Hanover. Basel [Switzerland: Birkäuser, 2000. Print.

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