Sabrina Cheung

BETWEEN SOUND

Environmental Design

2026

This thesis defines a sonic gateway along the underpass of Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, transforming this undesirable, noisy infrastructure into a vibrant public corridor through varied sound experiences. Characterized by reverberation, diffusion, and absorption, three differentiated zones are established at key intersections. Together, these zones create a continuous experience that gradually shifts both visually and sonically, functioning as noise barriers that modulate distinct soundscapes.

“Within the dense urban fabric, the Gardiner Expressway stands as one of the city’s most sonically intense infrastructures, defined by the constant vibration of traffic, the revving of engines, and the friction of movement between vehicles and pedestrians. Rather than treating this noise as something to be eliminated, the project begins with the understanding that noise is inevitable, an inseparable byproduct of a living, evolving city. Instead of resisting it, sound is approached as a material to work with, something that can be modulated, shaped, and reinterpreted through form. This series of sculptures do not just simply mitigate noise, but also engages with it by turning noise into a spatial and sensory experience of wayfinding where sound becomes a way of knowing where you are within the city.”