The Biometric Evolution of Sound and Space

Auditoria in the late 20th and 21st centuries have evolved into a series of spatial conventions that are an established and accepted norm. The relationship between space and music now exists in a decoupled condition, and music is no longer reliant on volumetric and material conditions to define its form (Glantz 2000). This thesis looks at a series of novel approaches to investigate how the links between music and space can be reconnected though evolutionary computation, parametric modelling, virtual acoustics and biometric sensing. The thesis describes in detail the experiments undertaken in developing methodologies in linking music, space and the body. The thesis will show how it is possible to develop new form finding and musical generation tools that allow new room shapes and acoustic measures to inform how new acoustic and musical forms can be developed unconsciously and objectively by a listener, in response to sound and site

Acoustical Environment of the Al-Rabat Concert Hall in Baghdad

The acoustic parameters (RT30, EDT, C80, G) and noise rating curves for evaluating background noise levels are measured in the Al-Rabat Concert Hall in Baghdad. The aim of the measurements is to investigate the acoustical environment of the hall and compare the results with ISO 3382. The measurement results indicate that all the parameters that were measured in this concert hall are greater than the typical values in ISO 3382. This research resulted in a recommendation to develop the acoustical environment for the audience and the musicians in the Al-Rabat Concert Hall. Keywords: acoustical environment, concert hall, reverberation time, early decay time, clarity of sound, strength of sound

Predicting the acoustic performance of concert halls

Predicting the acoustic outcome and acceptance of a concert performance hall by its users could be a difficult and onerous task even for an acoustician. This paper discusses a process of how previous research findings from expert authorities have been assembled into a method of evaluating acoustic hall performance. Several parameters of acoustic qualities and quantitative measures have been identified in the literature. These relate to Beranek&rsquo;s acoustic variables of performance. Existing famous concert halls which have been previously evaluated and rated are now studies in terms of their results from a computer simulation. The research findings suggest that the use of a simulation program can be extremely accurate in the prediction of acoustic performance of new non-existing concert halls.<br /

Advances in Architectural Acoustics

Satisfactory acoustics is crucial for the ability of spaces such as auditoriums and lecture rooms to perform their primary function. The acoustics of dwellings and offices greatly affects the quality of our life, since we are all consciously or subconsciously aware of the sounds to which we are daily subjected. Architectural acoustics, which encompasses room and building acoustics, is the scientific field that deals with these topics and can be defined as the study of generation, propagation, and effects of sound in enclosures. Modeling techniques, as well as related acoustic theories for accurately calculating the sound field, have been the center of many major new developments. In addition, the image conveyed by a purely physical description of sound would be incomplete without regarding human perception; hence, the interrelation between objective stimuli and subjective sensations is a field of important investigations. A holistic approach in terms of research and practice is the optimum way for solving the perplexing problems which arise in the design or refurbishment of spaces, since current trends in contemporary architecture, such as transparency, openness, and preference for bare sound-reflecting surfaces are continuing pushing the very limits of functional acoustics. All the advances in architectural acoustics gathered in this Special Issue, we hope that inspire researchers and acousticians to explore new directions in this age of scientific convergence

Shoe Box: An Analysis of the Concert Hall and its Adaption to Small-Scale Music Performance Space

In the first 150 years after 1600, western music was traditionally performed in palace ballrooms which were mostly rectangular in shape. In the following two centuries a change in social conditions led to the first halls especially built for public concerts. Although the audience capacity of these halls had increased exponentially, those that derived from the rectangular plans and dimensions of the ballrooms in the century before proved to have particularly favourable acoustics. The proportions of which are roughly that of a double cube, 1:1:2. Today this rectangular form is widely ascribed throughout acoustic literature as the shoebox. Although the shoebox has proven a popular paradigm in all time periods, until the late nineteenth century little was known of the scientific reasoning for its acoustic success. Therefore much of the contemporary literature regarding the model has focused on the large-scale designs of the nineteenth and twentieth century. Comparatively, less is written about the adaption of these design concepts to smaller-scaled concert facilities with audience capacities up to 400 persons. This thesis analyses a number of highly celebrated large-scale concert halls, with audience capacities between 1,500-3,000, and tests the application of their design principles to small-scale concert spaces with capacities ranging between 100-350 persons. The aims of this thesis are applied to a design project, which seeks to adapt the traditional shoebox archetype to a series of small-scale concert spaces, initiated by a design brief for the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM). The design project relocates the NZSM to an existing building on a disused site in central Wellington. Acknowledging the programmatic need for acoustic performance in conjunction with the social component inherent to the occupation of an urban territory, this thesis investigates two strands of design logic: technical and contextual. One strand investigates the acoustic performance of the concert hall; the other investigates its response to site context. The findings from this thesis are substantiated through a method of proportionate variation whereby the acoustic principles of large-scale concert halls are adopted to small-scale music halls. In addition, the findings established from a site analysis of contemporary large-scale concert halls are then downscaled to inform the integration of the NZSM programme with the proposed inner city site