Soundforms | Flanagan Lawrence

Soundforms is an acoustic shell developed to provide natural acoustic reinforcement for external ensemble performance. The prototype soundforms shell was used at the bandstand at the 2012 games. Designed from the inside out and based on intensive acoustic research, Soundforms propels sound, both music and spoken word, evenly across performers and directly out towards the audience. The shells will revolutionise external music performance, providing shelter and acoustic reinforcement. The dynamic and organic form delivers unparalleled acoustic projection – live tests have indicated a significant improvement in the broadcast quality of the sound produced for both performers and audience. Optimised acoustic reflectors installed onto the fixed overhead and vertical side stage wing trusses create an inner surface delivering a dynamic on-stage acoustic, enhancing the degree of ensemble between different sections of a band or orchestra, allowing the performers to hear one another and providing clearer broadcast sound quality from overhead mounted microphones. In most contexts, in order to achieve optimum conditions, a sound reinforcement system is required, depending on the specific location, background noise level and audience size. The projecting upper ‘peaked’ surface is the result of rigorous analysis of the acoustic performance of the shell. A 3D acoustic computer model using ‘Odeon’ software has optimised the shape of the platform, the side wall angle, the height above the stage and the peak dimensions. The shell provides the overall enclosure for the acoustic interior, and the technical equipment for the associated on-stage spaces. Offering protection from the weather as well as a proscenium for theatrical performance, the design is flexible enough to adapt to different environments and performance-specific criteria. In March 2012, the prototype was acoustically tested in London’s Docklands with players from the London Philharmonic, Nicola Benedetti, and Charlie Siem. The testing process was a great success – following which the shell was then selected by LOGOG for deployment in the Olympic Park for the 2012 London Olympic Games, where it hosted almost continuous performances for the duration of both the Olympic and Para-Olympic games. Engineering Malcolm Richards Andy Prescott Skin development Tensys Fabrication Total Solutions Group Fineline Architen landrell Acoustic Modelling Luca Dellatorre 3d Modelling Armando Elias Matthew Donkersley Andrea Vannini