The fundamental physical concepts needed in any appreciation of acoustical problems are discussed by a scientist and an architect. The major areas of interest are--(1) the nature of sound, (2) the behavior of sound in rooms, (3) the design of rooms for speech, (4) the design of rooms for music, (5) the design of studios, (6) the design of high quality speech-reinforcement systems, (7) general principles of sound insulation and noise control, (8) sound insulation and noise control practice, (9) sound measurement and calculation, and (10) criteria for noise control and sound insulation. Many building plans, sketches, tables, graphs, and photographs aid in explaining the basic concepts of the acoustical environment. (TC)