Ian Knowles
Director
- UKIMEA Acoustic Consulting Leader
Ian is an acoustic consultant specialising in performing arts work and broadcast and recording facilities. He advise on acoustics, multi-use venues, space planning and technical issues. Having joined Arup in 2002, he became leader of the acoustics, AV and theatre teams for the UKIMEA in 2015.
Ian has worked on many prestigious and acoustically challenging projects including several projects for the BBC, Sir George Martin’s AIR studios, studio HQs for Sky and several national and international concert halls, including Milton Court, Barbican, The Sage, Gateshead, and Stormen in Norway.
He was responsible for building and delivering the first Soundlab in the UK for the London office. Soundlab is a purpose-built 3D sound studio, that has transformed the way in which we design not only concert halls, but infrastructure and building projects. By centering the listener in 360-degree sound, we can test and demonstrate changes to a project in collaboration with our clients.
Following the success of Soundlab, Ian was responsible for the creation of the Experience Lab - Arup’s first visually immersive facility incorporating 26 channels of audio, without the need to wear head mounted displays. Experience Lab features VR position tracking in unobtrusive 3D glasses as well as AR capabilities. It offers the next step to designing in collaboration with our clients, offering further clarity to projects by bringing them to life.
Ian is a chartered physicist and a member of the Institute of Physics, an associate of the University of Surrey, and a fellow of the Institute of Acoustics.