Multisensory Design · Spatial Experience
2026
Chromatic Echoes
Discovering small sounds together.
Discovering small sounds together.
Multisensory Design · Spatial Experience
2026
Chromatic Echoes
Discovering small sounds together.
Brief
Chromatic Echoes turns TU Delft’s anechoic chamber into a shared listening experience. Visitors move from everyday sounds to a space where small sounds shape light and vibration.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Arduino · Sound-sensing wristbands with vibration
Bluetooth · Links wristbands to a computer
Web interface · Shows participants’ location and movement
Integration · Wristbands, LED tower installation and web display (code on GitHub)
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Arduino · Sound-sensing wristbands with vibration
Bluetooth · Links wristbands to a computer
Web interface · Shows participants’ location and movement
Integration · Wristbands, LED tower installation and web display (code on GitHub)
Role
Spatial design, sensory research & prototyping
Timeline
Feb – Jun 2026
Team
5-person team
Platform
Anechoic chamber · Spatial installation
Role
Spatial design, sensory research & prototyping
Timeline
Feb – Jun 2026
Team
5-person team
Platform
Anechoic chamber · Spatial installation
Brief
Chromatic Echoes turns TU Delft’s anechoic chamber into a shared listening experience. Visitors move from everyday sounds to a space where small sounds shape light and vibration.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Arduino · Sound-sensing wristbands with vibration
Bluetooth · Links wristbands to a computer
Web interface · Shows participants’ location and movement
Integration · Wristbands, LED tower installation and web display (code on GitHub)
Role
Spatial design, sensory research & prototyping
Timeline
Feb – Jun 2026
Team
5-person team
Platform
Anechoic chamber · Spatial installation
Experience demo
Experience demo
Experience demo
A room without echoes
01 / BACKGROUND
Our first visit: absorbent wedges surround the walking grid.
What is the Dead Room?
The Dead Room is TU Delft’s anechoic chamber — a room designed to absorb sound reflections. With very little reverberation, it makes direct sound easier to study.
A separate foundation isolates the room from building vibration. Glass-wool wedges absorb sound on the walls, ceiling and floor; visitors stand on a suspended metal walking grid.
What changes inside?
Without the usual reverberation, voices and small sounds feel more directional. Turning the body changes what can be heard clearly; in darkness, subtle sounds and light cues become more noticeable.
TU Delft · Building 22
Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, Netherlands. On the university campus, beside the Aula and TU Delft Library.
Built for acoustic measurements
Built in the early 1960s, the chamber allowed researchers to study sound waves and frequencies with minimal interference from echoes. It offered a controlled environment for measuring direct sound.
From silence to curiosity
We wanted visitors to explore the room through shared listening. Before entry, the experience would draw attention to everyday micro-sounds, then continue inside through collective exploration.
A room without echoes
01 / BACKGROUND
Our first visit: absorbent wedges surround the walking grid.
What is the Dead Room?
The Dead Room is TU Delft’s anechoic chamber — a room designed to absorb sound reflections. With very little reverberation, it makes direct sound easier to study.
A separate foundation isolates the room from building vibration. Glass-wool wedges absorb sound on the walls, ceiling and floor; visitors stand on a suspended metal walking grid.
What changes inside?
Without the usual reverberation, voices and small sounds feel more directional. Turning the body changes what can be heard clearly; in darkness, subtle sounds and light cues become more noticeable.
TU Delft · Building 22
Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, Netherlands. On the university campus, beside the Aula and TU Delft Library.
Built for acoustic measurements
Built in the early 1960s, the chamber allowed researchers to study sound waves and frequencies with minimal interference from echoes. It offered a controlled environment for measuring direct sound.
From silence to curiosity
We wanted visitors to explore the room through shared listening. Before entry, the experience would draw attention to everyday micro-sounds, then continue inside through collective exploration.
A room without echoes
01 / BACKGROUND
Our first visit: absorbent wedges surround the walking grid.
What is the Dead Room?
TU Delft’s anechoic chamber absorbs reflections, making small sounds easier to notice.
What changes inside?
Voices feel more directional; turning the body changes what you hear.
From silence to curiosity
Listening with the body
02 / SENSORY EXPLORATION
Absorbent wedges above the springy walking grid.
Listening with the lights off
Small sounds stood out in darkness; the springy floor brought calm and unease.
Four listening tasks
Locate a sound
Point towards a hidden sound, exploring how clearly its direction can be heard.
Rotate a source
Compare loudness as a phone rotates, noticing how the sound changes with orientation.
Walk between tracks
Walk between four corner tracks, facing the walls to identify each sound.
Follow two sources
Follow two sounds played in opposite directions, comparing what stands out while moving.
Three design opportunities
Directional sound
Facing a source changed its clarity and loudness.
Turning to listen
Turning made different sources stand out.
Subtle cues
Quiet and darkness drew attention to small sounds and light.
Listening with the body
02 / SENSORY EXPLORATION
Absorbent wedges above the springy walking grid.
Listening with the lights off
Small sounds stood out in darkness; the springy floor brought calm and unease.
Four listening tasks
Locate a sound
Point towards a hidden sound, exploring how clearly its direction can be heard.
Rotate a source
Compare loudness as a phone rotates, noticing how the sound changes with orientation.
Walk between tracks
Walk between four corner tracks, facing the walls to identify each sound.
Follow two sources
Follow two sounds played in opposite directions, comparing what stands out while moving.
Three design opportunities
Directional sound
Facing a source changed its clarity and loudness.
Turning to listen
Turning made different sources stand out.
Subtle cues
Quiet and darkness drew attention to small sounds and light.
Listening with the body
02 / SENSORY EXPLORATION
Absorbent wedges above the springy walking grid.
Listening with the lights off
Small sounds stood out in darkness; the springy floor brought calm and unease.
Four listening tasks
Locate a sound
Point towards a hidden sound, exploring how clearly its direction can be heard.
Rotate a source
Compare loudness as a phone rotates, noticing how the sound changes with orientation.
Walk between tracks
Walk between four corner tracks, facing the walls to identify each sound.
Follow two sources
Follow two sounds played in opposite directions, comparing what stands out while moving.
Three design opportunities
Directional sound
Facing a source changed its clarity and loudness.
Turning to listen
Turning made different sources stand out.
Subtle cues
Quiet and darkness drew attention to small sounds and light.
From experiments to an experience
03 / DESIGN DIRECTION
Phone sketches for light and vibration.
Virtual chamber for directional audio.
Testing sensory substitutions
PHONE + VIRTUAL PROTOTYPES
Phone sketches linked sound, footsteps, light and vibration. A virtual chamber explored directional audio.
Micro-sound concept sketch.
Everyday micro-sounds
Typing and paper handling linked familiar actions with amplified sound.
Familiar objects offer an accessible starting point for active listening.
DIAGONAL
HEAD-ON
5 speakers
Listener
Five sound sources, two listening positions.
Listening orientation
We compared five distinct sounds from head-on and diagonal positions.
Head-on listening helped locate the source; diagonal listening clarified direction.
Sound–light mismatch concept sketch.
Conflicting cues
Listeners tried to locate sounds while light pointed elsewhere.
Listeners first followed sound; conflicting cues could encourage closer attention.
Designing a transition in attention
We shaped one journey: notice everyday sounds before entry, then explore sound together inside.
EVERYDAY HEARING
Notice familiar sounds
FOCUSED LISTENING
Explore with the body
SHARED EXPLORATION
Make sounds together
From experiments to an experience
03 / DESIGN DIRECTION
Sketches for light and vibration.
Virtual chamber for directional audio.
Testing sensory substitutions
PHONE + VIRTUAL PROTOTYPES
Phone sketches linked sound, footsteps, light and vibration. A virtual chamber explored directional audio.
Micro-sound concept sketch.
Everyday micro-sounds
Typing and paper handling linked familiar actions with amplified sound.
Familiar objects offer an accessible starting point for active listening.
DIAGONAL
HEAD-ON
5 speakers
Listener
Five sound sources, two listening positions.
Listening orientation
We compared five distinct sounds from head-on and diagonal positions.
Head-on listening helped locate the source; diagonal listening clarified direction.
Sound–light mismatch concept sketch.
Conflicting cues
Listeners tried to locate sounds while light pointed elsewhere.
Listeners first followed sound; conflicting cues could encourage closer attention.
Designing a transition in attention
We shaped one journey: notice everyday sounds before entry, then explore sound together inside.
EVERYDAY HEARING
Notice familiar sounds
FOCUSED LISTENING
Explore with the body
SHARED EXPLORATION
Make sounds together
From experiments to an experience
03 / DESIGN DIRECTION
Phone sketches for light and vibration.
Virtual chamber for directional audio.
Testing sensory substitutions
Phone sketches linked sound, footsteps, light and vibration. A virtual chamber explored directional audio.
Everyday micro-sounds
Familiar objects invite active listening.
DIAGONAL
HEAD-ON
Listening orientation
Head-on listening made sources easier to pinpoint; diagonally, direction was clearer than the exact speaker.
Conflicting cues
Listeners initially followed sound, suggesting conflicting cues could prompt closer attention.
Designing a transition in attention
EVERYDAY
Notice sounds
FOCUSED
Listen closely
SHARED
Explore together
Connecting the experience
04 / CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
These experiments became a connected journey: prepare, preview, explore together, then reflect.
Prepare
01 / WAITING AREA
A familiar soundscape and listening stations tune visitors’ attention.
Preview
02 / INTRODUCTION
A poster explains sound, colour and vibration; a virtual room previews the interaction.
Explore
03 / DEAD ROOM
Three visitors make sounds together. Wristbands, the light tower and the shared display respond.
Reflect
04 / ECHO ARCHIVE
The proposed Echo Archive invites visitors to reflect on what they heard and felt.
Brochure
Introduces the chamber and listening activities.
Wearable prototype
03 / PERSONAL RESPONSE
A wooden housing and fabric straps hold the mic, LEDs and vibration components.
Central light tower
03 / SHARED RESPONSE
LEDs in the tower make the group’s shared response visible.
Connecting the experience
04 / CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
These experiments became a connected journey: prepare, preview, explore together, then reflect.
Prepare
01 / WAITING AREA
A familiar soundscape and listening stations tune visitors’ attention.
Preview
02 / INTRODUCTION
A poster explains sound, colour and vibration; a virtual room previews the interaction.
Explore
03 / DEAD ROOM
Three visitors make sounds together. Wristbands, the light tower and the shared display respond.
Reflect
04 / ECHO ARCHIVE
The proposed Echo Archive invites visitors to reflect on what they heard and felt.
Brochure
Introduces the chamber and listening activities.
Wearable prototype
03 / PERSONAL RESPONSE
A wooden housing and fabric straps hold the mic, LEDs and vibration components.
Central light tower
03 / SHARED RESPONSE
LEDs in the tower make the group’s shared response visible.
Connecting the experience
04 / CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
These experiments became a connected journey: prepare, preview, explore together, then reflect.
Prepare
01 / WAITING AREA
A familiar soundscape and listening stations tune visitors’ attention.
Preview
02 / INTRODUCTION
A poster explains sound, colour and vibration; a virtual room previews the interaction.
Explore
03 / DEAD ROOM
Three visitors make sounds together. Wristbands, the light tower and the shared display respond.
Reflect
04 / ECHO ARCHIVE
The proposed Echo Archive invites visitors to reflect on what they heard and felt.
Supports 01 · Waiting Area
Brochure
Introduces the chamber and listening activities.
Supports 03 · Dead Room
Wearable prototype
03 / PERSONAL RESPONSE
A wooden housing and fabric straps hold the mic, LEDs and vibration components.
Central light tower
03 / SHARED RESPONSE
LEDs in the tower make the group’s shared response visible.
Sound becomes a shared activity
05 / EXPERIENCE IN USE
01 · Prepare
02 · Explore
03 · Play
04 · Recall
01
Prepare by listening
WAITING ROOM · BEFORE ENTRY
Visitors read the introduction, listen to familiar micro-sounds with headphones and compare what they hear. This short exercise shifts attention before entering the chamber.
Listening with headphones and printed microsound cards.
Read
Listen
Compare
Compare the sound with its familiar source, then notice the small details.
Brochure · experience guide
Introduction · The Isolated Listen
Listen & compare
Writing
Cloth friction
Breathing
02
Explore the Dead Room
01 · Wearable light
Personal colour · captured sound
01
02 · Wristband vibration
Feel the captured volume
02
03 · Hearing
Hear your own small sounds
03
04 · Central light tower
See the group’s colour mix
04
05 · Projected game
Follow the shared sound mix
05
Three participants exploring sound in the Dead Room.
Three participants explore the chamber together. Each person’s small sounds activate a wearable response, while the central light and projection reveal the group’s changing sound mix.
01 · Wearable light
Your colour and captured sound.
02 · Wristband vibration
Feel the captured volume.
03 · Hearing
Hear the small sounds you make.
04 · Central light tower
See the group’s colour mix.
05 · Projected game
Follow the shared game.
03
Play and find a balance
Players speak, hum, clap or whisper while listening to one another. Live Mix asks the group to balance sound levels in real time; Fill Mode lets contributions accumulate into colour.
05 · Projected game view
Live Mix · individual sound contributions become a shared colour.
04
Recall what you made together
Players adjust their sound levels to reach a shared colour target. The closing screens compare the group’s mix with the target and gather the outcomes into an Echo Memory.
Participant conversation during the listening study.
After each round
Round complete · an example Teal colour match.
At session end
Complete session summary.
Interface examples from different sessions · scores describe colour matching within the game.
Shared listening needs nuance
TAKEAWAY
Making small sounds visible and tangible helped participants coordinate. The interviews also revealed a limit: feedback based on loudness alone encouraged steady blowing over varied material exploration. I learned to design for both shared understanding and sensory nuance.
Sound becomes a shared activity
05 / EXPERIENCE IN USE
01 · Prepare
02 · Explore
03 · Play
04 · Recall
01
Prepare by listening
WAITING ROOM · BEFORE ENTRY
Visitors read the introduction, listen to familiar micro-sounds with headphones and compare what they hear. This short exercise shifts attention before entering the chamber.
Listening with headphones and printed microsound cards.
Read
Listen
Compare
Compare the sound with its familiar source, then notice the small details.
Brochure · experience guide
Introduction · The Isolated Listen
Listen & compare
Writing
Cloth friction
Breathing
02
Explore the Dead Room
Three participants explore the chamber together. Each person’s small sounds activate a wearable response, while the central light and projection reveal the group’s changing sound mix.
01 · Wearable light
Personal colour · captured sound
01
02 · Wristband vibration
Feel the captured volume
02
03 · Hearing
Hear your own small sounds
03
04 · Central light tower
See the group’s colour mix
04
05 · Projected game
Follow the shared sound mix
05
Three participants exploring sound in the Dead Room.
01 · Wrist light
Your colour and captured sound.
02 · Vibration
Feel the captured volume.
03 · Hearing
Hear the small sounds you make.
04 · Light tower
See the group’s colour mix.
05 · Projection
Follow the shared game.
03
Play and find a balance
Players speak, hum, clap or whisper while listening to one another. Live Mix asks the group to balance sound levels in real time; Fill Mode lets contributions accumulate into colour.
05 · Projected game view
Live Mix · individual sound contributions become a shared colour.
04
Recall what you made together
Players adjust their sound levels to reach a shared colour target. The closing screens compare the group’s mix with the target and gather the outcomes into an Echo Memory.
After each round
A colour-match result shows how close the group came to the shared target.
Round complete · an example Teal colour match.
Echo Memory · the group’s final colour mix.
At session end
The final view compares target colours and group mixes, then keeps a visual memory of the shared activity.
Final summary · target colours, group mixes and Echo Memory.
Interface examples from different sessions · scores describe colour matching within the game.
Shared listening needs nuance
TAKEAWAY
Making small sounds visible and tangible helped participants coordinate. The interviews also revealed a limit: feedback based on loudness alone encouraged steady blowing over varied material exploration. I learned to design for both shared understanding and sensory nuance.
Sound becomes a shared activity
05 / EXPERIENCE IN USE
01
Prepare by listening
WAITING ROOM · BEFORE ENTRY
Read the introduction, listen to familiar micro-sounds and compare them before entering the chamber.
Listen with headphones and read cards.
Read → listen → compare
Brochure · experience guide
Introduction · Isolated Listen
Listen & compare
Writing
Friction
Breathing
02
Explore the Dead Room
Three players make small sounds together, with light and vibration revealing their shared mix.
01
02
03
04
05
01 · Wrist light
See your sound colour.
02 · Vibration
Feel sound volume.
03 · Hearing
Hear your small sounds.
04 · Light tower
See the group’s mix.
05 · Projection
Follow the shared mix.
03
Play and find a balance
Three players balance their sounds in Live Mix, or build a shared colour in Fill Mode.
05 · Projected game view
Live Mix · individual sound contributions become a shared colour.
04
Recall what you made together
Adjust sound levels together to match a colour target, then review the group’s mix.
After each round
See how closely the group matched its colour target.
Round colour match.
Echo Memory detail.
At session end
Compare colour mixes and keep an Echo Memory.
Session summary.
Examples from different sessions; scores show colour matching.
Shared listening needs nuance
TAKEAWAY
Light and vibration helped participants coordinate, but loudness alone narrowed exploration. The next iteration would improve sensory pacing, microphone sensitivity and feedback for different sounds.
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