University of Salford student Faraz Falahi has helped put the importance of acoustics on the map to an international cohort of architecture and built environment students, as part of a unique programme in Vienna.
Faraz has recently completed Green.Building.Solutions. (GBS) in the Austrian capital, a UNESCO-awarded summer university dedicated to sustainable architecture and urban development.
Held over three weeks in Vienna, the internationally recognised programme – organised by OeAD student housing – combines lectures at TU Wien, site visits, interdisciplinary collaboration and hands-on design work, bringing together students from around the world to develop practical solutions to today’s urban challenges.
Faraz, who is studying for a BEng (Hons) in Acoustical and Audio Engineering with professional experience at the University of Salford, has just completed his second year of studies and is preparing to begin his industrial placement.
He attended GBS as part of the long-standing collaboration between the University of Salford and the Association of Noise Consultants, which has enabled acoustics students to participate in the programme for several years.
His interest in the GBS programme was sparked while undertaking noise testing at the University’s acoustics laboratories, where Danny Wong-McSweeney, Head of the Centre for Acoustics of the Built Environment, recognised the opportunity the summer school would provide to broaden his understanding of how acoustics contributes to the wider built environment.
In Vienna, Faraz was able to learn from fellow participants, as well as share his own expertise, introducing many students to acoustics for the first time and demonstrating its importance in the planning and design of future buildings and cities.
Faraz said: “At GBS we learned about energy, urban planning and architecture, and it opened my eyes to the much bigger picture of sustainability.
“It was incredibly rewarding to introduce acoustics to students from different backgrounds, many of whom had never realised it was even a specialist field.
“This experience has strengthened my passion for acoustics and shown me how essential it is in creating sustainable buildings, healthier cities and a better future.”
Barbara Mayr, Programme Manager of Green.Building.Solutions, welcomed the contribution that acoustics brings to the programme’s international and interdisciplinary environment.
She said: “This is the third time we have welcomed an acoustics student who can help their peers understand how sound influences wellbeing, liveability and the overall quality of the built environment.
“Every year GBS brings together talented students from around the world to learn from one another and to explore the many dimensions of sustainable development.
“This year we had participants from 64 students from 34 countries, creating a truly international exchange of ideas.
“Having an acoustics student as part of that mix was invaluable and we hope to see the partnership with the Association of Noise Consultants and the University of Salford continue to develop.
“Sustainable buildings and cities are about much more than energy performance alone. They are also about creating healthy, comfortable environments for the people who live, work and learn within them, and all our participants from around the world are finding out how important acoustics is in achieving that.”
Chair of the Association of Noise Consultants, Ismail Alli-Balogun, added: “It’s superb that acoustics are playing a part in this international programme.
“Faraz and other acoustics students who have taken part in GBS are playing a key role in communicating to architects and other built environment professionals at the start of their careers on the important role our sector plays in creating living environments that aid the well-being and comfort of building users.”
