Sketch where courtyard sounds appear to come from

Listen at the same time of day from places with different wall distances. Mark the direction of distinguishable sounds and note whether you can also see the source.

Listen from a quiet public courtyard where a nearby wall faces an opening toward the street. End with one practical observation based on the route as used and one point to check again. Include enough scale in the sketch for the reader to judge whether the feature affects a whole block or a narrow section. Take a comparison photograph only where you can stand without obstructing other people.

A recurring sound may appear to come from the wall at one point and from the entrance at another. Look at the part of the route immediately before and after the point you are studying. A feature may seem easy to use when viewed on its own and become awkward after a turn or a short wait. Mark what a person approaching from elsewhere can see early enough to act on it.

Use different lines for background hum, intermittent arrivals and short reflections. Keep location judgements approximate when two sources overlap.

Two similar sounds arriving close together can be mistaken for a single reflection. Keep the short-term conditions with the permanent features. Weather, an event and doors opening during a busy period can affect what you notice. A separate time note lets you compare layout and use even when the two visits feel very different on arrival.

Move to a second point before assigning a source direction. Give the observation an approximate extent. A short line can show the interruption of one paving joint, while a wider area may require several notes. Prepare a rough scale from a known object or a measured distance on a safe part of the route if estimating by eye leaves too much uncertainty.

Use distinct marks for a visible source and a direction inferred only from listening. Observe from the position a visitor can realistically reach, including any place where two routes meet. If a busy area makes close observation inconvenient, stand farther away and note the limits of what you can judge. A clear field record includes both the useful comparison and the parts of the space you could not inspect.

Bring only the information you can record without disrupting the route. A rough sketch and an image taken from a clear public position can preserve different details. Add the time, direction and landmark as soon as you finish the observation so anyone using the record can connect a feature to its place. Use the next visit to answer a specific question from the first one. Record how the observation itself changed alongside what was different about the site. Two visits taken at different hours can reveal something helpful about use, even when they are too different to support a direct comparison of the layout or surface. Make a separate note for sounds you heard at every station. A steady murmur has a different pattern from a short echo near one wall. A route can have one clear approach and another that gives a substantially different view. Draw one arrow for each plausible direction and put the landmarks beside the arrow they serve. This helps another person recognise which parts of your observation apply when they approach from somewhere else.

Return briefly after a change in activity and note which features of the map persist. Look back along the route after passing the point you intend to describe. Signs, shadows and obstacles can be clearer from a direction opposite to the one you first chose. Record which viewpoint revealed the detail and keep the earlier view if it explains why a visitor would initially miss it.