Dr Brigitte Schulte-Fortkamp is professor of Technical Acoustics at the Technical University, Berlin and 2011-2012 vice president of the Acoustical Society of America. She has long been an advocate for the idea of ‘soundscape’ as a way to understand our sound environment in contrast to the, until recently, more commonly held view (in official circles) that regards ‘noise’ as the only issue.
The main focus of the interview is the Nauener Platz redevelopment in Wedding, Berlin, which Dr Schulte-Fortkamp headed in collaboration with the Regional Office Berlin-Mitte. Beyond it’s significance locally, it is one of the very few examples (worldwide) where soundscape ideas and attention to the acoustic environment have played a major role in planning and design. Rarer still it has actually been built and people can experience for themselves how the ideas work in practice.
One of the main sonic features at Nauener Platz are the ‘audio islands’. These are benches or other seating designs where loudspeakers quietly play sounds of a shingle beach, city and forest birds into the urban environment.
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