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Acoustics
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In 1701, the French mathematician and physicist, Joseph Sauveur (1653 – 1716), defined acoustics as a scientific discipline for the first time. There was (and still is) no discipline of acoustics as such at that time, but rather a fragmentation of research fields of acoustics, as many of its aspects fall within the ambit of other disciplines. Scholars in these disciplines pursue research on sound without necessarily naming it ‘acoustics.’ An example would be phonetics or psychology, which actually generate crucial insights into the discipline of acoustics (See Tkaczyk, V and Ribac, F. Research in the history of modern acoustics accessed 2025 07 08 10:00 UTC+2).
In southern Africa the phenomenon of acoustics has been an aspect of human culture from time immemorial, as evidenced by, for instance, Gong Rocks that appear in the landscape.
In South Africa, an understanding of the acoustic properties of buildings became an area of particular concern in the design of the ‘preaching churches’ (preekkerk) of the Dutch Protestant denominations in the C20, hence engaged the attention of architects such as Wynand LOUW and Gerard MOERDYK. As a designer of Modern Dutch Protestant churches, Anthonie SMITH had a particular concern for understanding interior acoustics, initiated with his final year design of a theatre, a life-long interest which stood him in good stead in his future design of churches and auditoria. The development of the auditorium as a type in the Modern project further enhanced the importance of the field of study, particularly as those pursuing Modernity followed the dictum of ‘form follows function’. AL MEIRING, was also keenly interested in the field of acoustics, and introduced its study into the architectural curriculum of the Pretoria School of Architecture, a field of study given formal content by his successor, Alewyn BURGER and taught as an independent subject. At the neighbouring research institution in Pretoria, the NBRI of the CSIR, classroom acoustics for schools was an early and ongoing concern.
The Southern African Acoustics Institute held its inaugural meeting on 15 October 1975 in Pretoria where 45 scientists, engineers, and others interested in acoustics met [At this time (2025) it is not known if it is still active.]
The South African Bureau of Standards, at the time of the SAAI Congress in Pretoria, 1985, on the occasion of the organization's tenth anniversary, had formed an Acoustics Division and had opened its newly constructed National Acoustics Testing Facilities in Pretoria in October of that year. [At this time (2025) it is not known if it still operates as such].