Three Albanian cultural centers in comparison under an acoustic perspective

Abstract

After the World War II, Albania was governed by a dictatorship that lasted for about 50 years. The cultural life restarted to be one of the main centers of the society community. Many buildings styles reflected the influence of governors as leaders of countries, in combination with the spread of armed concrete used as the main material for new constructions, given its flexibility compared to brickwork that was not yet developed as it is nowadays. In Albania, many cultural centers were constructed for the local community where citizens can have access to libraries, coffee shops, and auditoria. These latest ones represent the places where live shows are performed, along with international conferences. This paper deals with the assessment of the acoustic response gathered within three auditoria as part of cultural centers in Albania. The acoustic measurements were carried out in accordance with ISO 3382-1. The acoustic response recorded inside the three case studies indicate a good listening condition for both speech and music performance. This outcome has been found in all three auditoria, despite the room volume between each other is different