Experimental Characterization and Acoustic Correction of a Multipurpose Performance Hall: The Italian Theatre “Cavallino Bianco”

This study presents the retrofit acoustic dq1esign of the Italian theatre "Cavallino Bianco". In its historical configuration, the hall had a curved roof with a pressed-plant fiber ceiling, which was demolished and replaced with a wooden roof without a false ceiling, leading to an increase in volume and a worsening of the reverberation time. This study proposed the realization of a wave ceiling and the application of sound-absorbing and reflecting panels on the walls, which have already been implemented. These modifications have affected the acoustic characterization of the theatre, as shown both through on-site measurements during the main construction phases and through numerical simulations. The reverberation time, clarity index, and speech transmission index (STI) are evaluated considering all the variations in the hall over different construction times, and the optimal solution is identified with regard to different specific uses. The final configuration with the new roof, by reducing the volume of the hall and using sound-absorbing materials, significantly reduces the reverberation time (e.g., at 2000 Hz, this reduction is from 2.33 to 1.47). In addition, the hall at full capacity with chairs and people shows evident improvement in terms of the clarity index, allowing the theatre to be used for a wide range of musical genres such as instrumental, symphonic, and opera performances. As regards the Combos 00 (concrete roof without vertical sound acoustic panels) and 01-a/b/c (wooden roof with draped curtains), the STI values are never lower than 0.42 and never higher than 0.70; therefore, the room never experiences poor or excellent conditions at any point. The Combos 01-a and 01-b, which have a non-performing C80, have a good STI index, confirming the difficulty of achieving a configuration that can be optimal a variety of uses. Combo 01 (wooden roof without vertical sound acoustic panels and no draped curtains), which has a good C80 value, presents a lower STI value, with an average performance. The STI values of Combo 02-a (characterized by wave false ceiling and vertical sound acoustic panels) are never lower than 0.52 and never higher than 0.60; therefore, neither poor nor excellent conditions are experienced in the room, but there is still a slight improvement over the combos 00 and 01

Acoustic design of a multipurpose hall inside a former church

The present work is about an acoustic design for a former church converted into a multi-purpose auditorium. The current status of the hall has been classified by means of an acoustic measurements campaign complying with technical standards requirements. A numerical model, which has been calibrated through the measured values, led to the development of the acoustic design that includes sustainable and not-invasive interventions. In contrast with the practical habits, which would use a large amount of sound absorbing materials, an array of suspended reflecting panels over the musicians positions has been introduced. Exploiting the reflecting and scattering properties of those objects, sound clarity and speech definition improve. All the treatments are validated using numerical simulation softwares in order to estimate the efficiency of the whole improvement proposal

Acoustical performance analysis of Bilkent University amphitheater "Odeon"

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The aim of this study is analyzing the acoustical quality of Bilkent University Amphitheater ODEON by means of assessing the fundamental acoustical parameters for both speech and music. Defining the problems, specifying the causes of the problems and providing a foundation for the ongoing suggestions are within the frame of the analysis. The parameters such as reverberation time, early decay time, clarity, definition, lateral fraction, sound pressure level and sound transmission index are calculated by the computer simulation technique for their assessment to be carried out. Initially, the results of the simulation software are compared with the previous real-size measurements of Bilkent ODEON for the unoccupied condition of the amphitheater, in order to ensure the accuracy of the software. Proving to be a valid tool, the software namely ODEON Room Acoustics Program, is used in the calculations for the occupied condition of the amphitheater as a basis of the study. The results are evaluated from the acoustical design standpoint of a multipurpose hall, which are followed by the suggestions for the improvement of the existing acoustical performance of the amphitheater. Finally, the suggestions are supported through the simulation results of the new hall that is acoustically renovated.Sü, ZühreM.S

Multipurpose room interior noise control for owners and facility managers

Master of ScienceDepartment of Architectural Engineering and Construction ScienceJulia A. KeenThroughout recent years, to minimize the cost of construction, a large number of multipurpose spaces have been built using lightweight, less expensive materials without considering or designing for noise control to mitigate any sound that is loud, unpleasant, unexpected, or undesired yet after construction is completed, noise issues are often evident within the space and, if severe enough, may render the intended function of the structure useless. To address this problem, this report is intended to introduce Owners and Facility Managers to some of the common solutions to resolve noise issues in multipurpose rooms. The report focuses on solutions for existing projects primarily, but it is also sensitive to budget constraints and the impact of renovation. Typical multipurpose rooms researched have a volume of 50,000-150,000 cubic feet and are expected to be used for speech activities, small music functions, and some physical sports activities. Therefore, this report will introduce the fundamentals of sound and room acoustics including interior surface materials and construction. Also included are typical noise issues from interior sources, solutions that can be taken within the building to attenuate noise, and the trade-offs associated with each solution

Evolution of acoustical design in football stadia in the last 60 years

Stadia acoustics have seen tremendous evolution in the last decades. Ranging from their geometry and consequent impact on sound propagation to state-of-the-art sound system designs. In fact, the way sound will function in these stadia will have a profound impact on the spectators and surrounding community. It will influence the spectators’ enjoyment and determine the successful outcome of a newly inaugurated stadium, as it will reshape the soundscape its inserted in. Careful acoustical design will determine the quality of speech intelligibility in the advent of needed announcements and improve overall atmosphere. This dissertation will strive to understand past and current trends of stadia acoustics and engineering so we can understand where we are heading. We will be discussing the origins of the football stadium, its conceptual and construction phases, choice of materials and different installation approaches. These aspects will then be supported by diverse case studies made on stadia acoustical properties throughout these last couple of centuries. Several interviews were also conducted with experts in the field of stadia design and engineering so that their methodology and vision can be further discussed. A sustainable and environmentally friendly mindset is clearly a 21st century phenomenon and football stadia do not stray away from it. This is a predicted trend for future stadia design and also applicable to their acoustical capabilities

Listeners Sensitivity to Different Locations of Diffusive Surfaces in Performance Spaces: The Case of a Shoebox Concert Hall

Diffusive surfaces are considered as one of the most challenging aspects to deal with in the acoustic design of concert halls. However, the acoustic effects that these surface locations have on the objective acoustic parameters and on sound perception have not yet been fully understood. Therefore, the effects of these surfaces on the acoustic design parameters have been investigated in a real shoebox concert hall with variable acoustics (Espace de Projection, IRCAM, Paris, France). Acoustic measurements have been carried out in six hall configurations by varying the location of the diffusive surfaces over the front, mid, and rear part of the lateral walls, while the other surfaces have been maintained absorptive or reflective. Moreover, two reference conditions, that is, fully absorptive and reflective boundaries of the hall have been tested. Measurements have been carried out at different positions in the hall, using an artificial head and an array of omnidirectional microphones. Conventional ISO 3382 objective acoustic parameters have been evaluated in all conditions. The results showed that the values of these parameters do not vary significantly with the diffusive surface location. Moreover, a subjective investigation performed by using the ABX method with auralizations at two listening positions revealed that listeners are not sensitive to the diffusive surface location variations even when front-rear asymmetric conditions are compared. However, some of them reported perceived differences relying on reverberance, coloration, and spaciousness

Minutes of a Regular Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, October 28-30, 2002

28279-2833

Sound concentration caused by curved surfaces

In room acoustics the focusing effect of reflections from concave surfaces is a well known problem. Although curved surfaces are found throughout the history of architecture, the occurrence of concave surfaces has tended to increase in modern architecture, due to new techniques in design, materials and manufacturing. Among other things, focusing can cause high sound pressure levels, sound coloration or an echo. Although the problem is known, the amount of amplification that occurs in the focusing point and the sound field around the focusing point are not. It has been found that geometrical methods cannot be used to calculate the sound pressure in the focusing point. This pressure can only be calculated using wave based methods. This work provides mathematical formulations for sound reflections from concave surfaces, based on the Kirchhoff Integral. This method is verified with an experiment. An engineering method is given to approximate the sound field in and around the focusing point. This enables designers to evaluate and thereby improve or redesign the geometry. In the focusing point the pressure depends on the wavelength. The width of the peak pressure is also related to the wavelength. For small wavelengths the amplification is high but the focusing area is small, while for lower frequencies the amplification is lower, but the focusing area is larger. The focusing caused by surfaces that are curved in two directions (sphere, ellipsoid) is much stronger than that caused by surfaces that are curved in only one direction (cylinders). Generally, the possible reduction of the focusing effect that can be achieved by using absorbers or diffusers is not enough to eliminate the focusing effect of double curved surfaces. However, these methods might be sufficient to reduce the focusing caused by single curved surfaces such as cylindrical shapes. If absorption or diffusion is not sufficient, designers can consider either redirecting the reflections or more drastically revising the geometry. It would be preferable to consider the focusing caused by concave surfaces from the early design stages

Indiana State University Campus Facilities Master Plan 2000

Indiana State University master plan for campus facilities development

Sustainable design guidelines for new and existing schools in Egypt

As a global society, we are faced with an ever-growing number of sustainability challenges in the social, environmental and economic sectors. Visions for addressing such challenges have been put forward in international blueprints and policy agreements on advancing sustainable development. In these documents and agreements, education has been identified as a crucial avenue for pushing forward sustainable behaviors. Education is the fundamental element for the development of any nation, and its shortage has a direct effect on the social, environmental and economic development of the country (El Baradei & Baradei, 2004). Turning schools into sustainable schools has been a research and policy focus for years, especially throughout the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Building codes and practices play an important role in turning schools into places of sustainable learning and behavior. Previous research has addressed the concept of sustainable schools extensively, in the lights of the sustainable school design criteria and the positive impacts of having sustainable physical spaces for education. However, none cater for the Egyptian context, and are simultaneously based on building assessment standards, as well as the integration of appropriate social, environmental, and economic sustainability themes. The research project explores the requirements of Egyptian schools in the implementation of sustainable school designs and architectural changes. The thesis takes a qualitative research method with an inductive approach, in which theory development is based on and evolves with the study\u27s findings. The thesis will make suggestions for the content of a new guideline, based on the available literature as well as on the analysis of detailed data collected based on the observation of school grounds and daily school routines and procedures during a series of school visits. The directing parameters of the guideline are based on sustainable building assessment guidelines, Egypt\u27s pressing social, economic and environmental concerns, pedagogy of educational environments, students\u27 social, psychological, and developmental needs, in order to develop a holistic framework. The guideline is divided into two main sections; new and existing schools. The guideline is further divided into three main sustainability categories: energy, water, and habitat; which is following the same category division adopted by EGGBC in the Tarsheed guidelines. The procedures of the research use a case study approach that focuses on one public school in Cairo, Gamal Abd El-Nasser which is located in Boulaq El Dakrour (BD), one of the poorest informal areas located in the western urban area of Greater Cairo within the boundaries of Giza Governorate. Criteria for selecting the school as a case study included choosing a preparatory school where the overall school infrastructure and conditions were of medium quality standards, making the school a potential candidate for upgrading its school infrastructure and processes to become a sustainable school in the future. The developed guideline is implemented in the case study school to demonstrate the flexibility, affordability and simplicity of attaining the required credits within the guidelines. The school scores a total of 9 out of 26 points in the Energy category, 7 out of 18 points in the Water category, 3 out of 12 points in the Indoor Environmental Quality sub-category, 6 out of 6 points in the Materials sub-category, and 36 out of 41 points in Sustainable Sites sub-category. This provides a sum of 56 out of 100 points, which awards the school a silver rating