Architectural Buffering Techniques

Sight

• Architects occlude visually offensive elements by creating a visual barrier or physical partition. The most common visual buffer is trees and other landscaping. Trees and landscaping provide a buffer but also beautify a building site. Other buffering techniques include partition walls and changes to ground elevation to provide a visual barrier, such as the walls and platforms of local power stations.

Sound

• Today, noise pollution is one of the biggest problems in our cities and suburbs. Unfortunately, objects that create visual barriers, such as trees and walls, do not deflect or buffer sound completely. Instead, architects use angled earthworks or battered walls to deflect some sound into the sky. This technique is commonly used near airports and some large factories. Other ways architects can diminish sound transmission are double-glazed windows on structures, weatherproofing windows and doors, using carpets and veneers to dampen sound, and creating nonorthogonal (not right-angled) walls with a great deal of surface variation. Noise generators, such as water fountains and "white noise" machines, help buffer noise pollution.

Smell

• Smells are pervasive, so architects try to mask and contain smells. Perfume has been used for thousands of years to hide odors. Air fresheners and fragrant plants are usually used in structures to buffer scents. However, in some cases, such as around bathrooms and kitchens, architects use interstitial spaces called vestibules to contain odors. Because vestibules create a spatial barrier and more complex surface geometry in a structure, they also help buffer sound.

Touch

• Objects and conditions that can hurt or bother an individual are separated and insulated from a building's inhabitants. For example, boilers in large buildings and complexes are secured behind locked doors and vented to uninhabited exterior spaces; tenants do not come into contact with the hot water and steam. Furthermore, heat is contained in or repelled from a structure using reflective materials and insulation, providing a comfortable interior environment.