Name: Karen Van Lengen and Jim Welty: Soundscape Architecture
Start: 2026-01-16T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-16T20:00:00-05:00
Location: New Dominion Bookshop

Karen Van Lengen and Jim Welty: Soundscape Architecture

Karen Van Lengen and Jim Welty will speak about their new book, Soundscape Architecture. An audience Q&A will follow. This in-person event will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.
About the Book: Soundscape Architecture explores the relationships among sound, architecture, and landscape through historical examples, design projects, and artworks. Originating from the authors’ fascination with uncovering unique sonic qualities that define places, the work approaches this complex design characteristic by focusing first on the act of listening. The authors capture recordings of iconic architectural and landscape spaces, transform these sounds into new compositions, and then visualize them through both hand-drawn and digital renderings. These visualizations are then animated and reinterpreted as digital paintings that serve as a record of that creative process. In addition, the book showcases sonic installations and artistic projects that exemplify how attentive listening can deepen our experience of the acoustic atmospheres of both natural and built environments. The graphic design of the book was created by Kiri Van Lengen-Welty.
About the Authors: Karen Van Lengen, FAIA, is an architect and the Emeritus Kenan Professor of Architecture at UVA. She served as the dean of the UVA School of Architecture from 1999 to 2009. Her current research highlights the importance of sonic perception as an integral part of the architectural experience of space. With artist Jim Welty, they have created interpretive visualizations of the soundscapes of iconic buildings and landscapes. Their work is included in the permanent collections of several international museums. Van Lengen has authored several books and articles related to the sonics of space, and other architectural themes. She began her professional career as an associate of I.M. Pei & Partners before founding her own award-winning firm in New York City, Karen Van Lengen Architects. She is a graduate of Vassar College and Columbia University School of Architecture.
Jim Welty is a sculptor of large metal and copper constructions, and an animator of ideas and sonic spaces. With his partner, Karen Van Lengen, they have established a unique artistic process that celebrates the sounds of iconic buildings and landscapes. This work has been exhibited internationally and collected by major national institutions. Welty began his career as the “master printer” (1975–1987) for Frank Stella. During this period, he developed his own body of sculptural work that received high acclaim. His large-format copper wall sculptures were represented by the John Davis Gallery in New York and inspired a retrospective exhibition at the UVA Fralin Art Museum. Welty was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from Rochester and the Ruskin School of Drawing at Oxford University.