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Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Analysis of institutional authors

Garcia Sanchez, Maria TeresaAuthor

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February 21, 2020
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DESIGNING THE CITY SOUND: THE BELLS OF MADRID INTO THE HANDS OF LLORENC BARBER

Publicated to: Architecture, City and Environment. 14 (41): 109-130 - 2019-10-01 14(41), DOI: 10.5821/ace.14.41.8697

Authors:

Garcia Sanchez, Maria Teresa
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Affiliations

Univ Politecn Madrid, Dept Ideac Graf Arquitecton, ETS Arquitectura - Author

Abstract

Objective The monumental City Concerts for bells and bell towers devised by the Spanish composer Llorenc Barber have put into practice the sound aspect of more than two hundred cities around the world. Nowadays, they aim at properly precise margins concerning what would be possible to be produced in the city and how it would be received by the citizen. On that basis, the research intends to outline a reliable map of those opportunity domains that could be available for any architect interested in the city sound design. Methodology The three concerts for Madrid (1991, 2000 and 2007) serve as cases of study. Through their bells and towers, scores, images and recordings, the research identifies, classifies and analyses any aspect related with an architectural imagination of urban sound, assessing not only areas, weights, densities, distributions, and durations but also compositional strategies, execution techniques, and sound qualities. It is structured according to the potential sound design dimensions: from the bell space to the territory, going through the bell tower, the building, and the very space of the city. Conclusions The study offers an orderly catalog of sound effects in urban space. Moreover, it shows certain complexity thresholds from which certain sound strategies could no longer be effective and would not reach the spectator. Finally, it points out an elusive scope in which our analysis tools seem to stop working. Aspects such as chance, uncertainty or accident dilute any attempt to anticipate exactly the sonic experience of the city. Originality Focusing on a sole instrument: the bell, on a same urban space: the city of Madrid, and on the language of a single designer: Llorenc Barber, the research may contribute to the progressive definition of a project system concerning how to give sonic shape to the city.
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Keywords

ArchitectureBellSound designSustainable cities and communitiesUrban form

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Architecture, City and Environment due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2019, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Architecture.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-27:

  • Scopus: 3
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-27:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 6 (PlumX).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/92965/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 49
  • Downloads: 10
Continuing with the social impact of the work, it is important to emphasize that, due to its content, it can be assigned to the area of interest of ODS 11 - sustainable cities and communities, with a probability of 80% according to the mBERT algorithm developed by Aurora University.
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (GARCIA SANCHEZ, MARIA TERESA) and Last Author (GARCIA SANCHEZ, MARIA TERESA).

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Project objectives

La aportación persigue los siguientes objetivos: analizar los conciertos monumentales para campanas y campanarios diseñados por Llorenc Barber en Madrid (1991, 2000 y 2007) como casos de estudio; identificar, clasificar y evaluar aspectos relacionados con la imaginación arquitectónica del sonido urbano, incluyendo áreas, pesos, densidades, distribuciones, duraciones, estrategias compositivas, técnicas de ejecución y cualidades sonoras; determinar las dimensiones potenciales del diseño sonoro desde el espacio de la campana hasta el territorio urbano; establecer umbrales de complejidad a partir de los cuales ciertas estrategias sonoras pierden efectividad; y delimitar el alcance de las herramientas analíticas ante factores como el azar, la incertidumbre o el accidente en la experiencia sonora urbana.
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Most relevant results

El estudio analiza los conciertos monumentales para campanas y campanarios diseñados por Llorenc Barber en Madrid (1991, 2000 y 2007), explorando el diseño sonoro urbano desde múltiples dimensiones arquitectónicas. Los resultados más relevantes incluyen: la identificación y clasificación detallada de efectos sonoros en el espacio urbano; la evaluación de áreas, pesos, densidades, distribuciones y duraciones del sonido; la determinación de umbrales de complejidad a partir de los cuales ciertas estrategias sonoras pierden efectividad y no alcanzan al espectador; la catalogación de estrategias compositivas y técnicas de ejecución; y la delimitación de un ámbito elusivo donde factores como el azar y la incertidumbre impiden anticipar con precisión la experiencia sonora urbana.
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