Designing a Music House for the Elderly with an Approach to Environmental Comfort and Enhancing Social Interactions

Abstract

Music has long been regarded as one of the most important cultural symbols in any society. Modern societies are no different, as music, as an art form, plays a vital and influential role in people’s everyday lives, cultural events, and leisure activities. As a result, civil society managers have consistently sought to promote and showcase this valuable art through effective planning and investment, considering their available resources. A key aspect in this effort is the planning and design of spaces that not only symbolically and directly reflect the cultural values of a society but also address the basic needs of enthusiasts, especially the elderly. This research adopts an analytical and descriptive approach. The results suggest that the quality and nature of sound depend on two factors: the resonance chamber and the materials used in musical instruments. Elements such as size, shape, resonance chamber, and material quality impact the sound characteristics. This explains why metal-string guitars differ from nylon-string guitars and why both have a distinct sound compared to an oud. Any change in either of these factors affects the vibration duration and sound quality. This idea is also relevant to architecture. A musical instrument amplifies the sound it creates, and architectural spaces can similarly be seen as large-scale instruments. The design of a musical instrument is based on two essential components: the quality of the materials and the resonance chamber for sound vibration. When architecture is viewed as a musical instrument, the sounds produced within or by the space contribute to the overall architectural experience. This perspective is in line with either the Apollonian or Dionysian viewpoint, depending on its implementation. The key factor in this method is acoustics.