SPACE STANDARDS

AUDITORIUMS
Introduction
CHARACTERISTICS
An auditorium with tiered seats enables large
numbers to be accommodated together in comfort with
good acoustics, clear views and a close , individual
relationship with the platform and presentations.
Visual Considerations
Facial expressions can be discerned up to about 20m
( 18 rows ) away.
For larger halls , cameras with video projection may
need to be installed to show an enlarged view.
SCREEN VIEWING REQUIREMENTS

LOCATION Viewing distance Times image width

 Public access separation from other conference Maximum 6

activities. Absolute minimum 1.4
 stage performer access and back stage provisions. Preferable minimum 2
 noise entry shielded by outer meeting rooms and Optimum seating 3-5
double skin construction.
 vibration - structural design , use of mountings.
 daylight - in foyer and break out areas.

SIZE & CAPACITY

  Large congress centers usually include two auditoria

to cover the size ranges up to 2500 ( exceptionally up
to 3500 - 4000 ).
  In medium sized venues ( one main audi seating
1000 ).
  Space requirements depend on the seat geometry,
seating density, number of floors and platform design.
  For well spaced seating on one floor and including
gangways, apron and booths ,an auditorium area of
0.8 - 0.9 m² per seat ( excluding the stage ) may be
used for preliminary planning. Optimum viewing areas for rectangular and fan shaped
  Seating densities should be more generous than the rooms within 30° of center line and a distance of 2 to 6 x
minima for the theatres , and are usually in the range of screen width W.
0.55 - 0.65 m² per person for self lifting seats. Fringe areas indicate the limit of 45° ( 40°
barely tolerable ) from the flat edge of the screen and
distances extreme of 1.4 w and 7w.

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 SPACE STANDARDS
AUDITORIUMS
PLAN ARRANGEMENT

Vision and acoustic

criteria define the horizontal
proportions of the room with
reference to the stage
configuration and proscenium
width.

HOUSE WIDTH

Sight lines from the side

seat limits the practical distance
between the side walls. Width of
the proscenium opening is a
function of Critical dimensions for plan arrangement in a
the kind of production. theatre

ROW CURVATURE STAGGER

Accomplished by non uniform placement of
The center of curvature is located on the centerline of the seats of varying widths in succeeding rows.
auditorium approximately the depth of the house behind For given row spacing x and seat spacing y,
the proscenium. the unrestricted width of view of stage(a) seen from any
seat is proportional to distance (d) of seat from stage i.e
a = kd
S A
eating rrangements K= y-t/x, t= thickness of 1 head (200)
Flexible seating allows greater capacity and variation,
and slide away rows can be used to expose larger floor
surface.
§Various seating row layouts are :
§ Straight
§ Straight with curved ends
§ Curved
§ Angled
§ Straight rows in blocks at
§ Different angles

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 SPACE STANDARDS
AUDITORIUMS
A) LAYOUT : Traditional B) LAYOUT : Continental
The maximum number of seats with 405mm The continental seating has more than 22 seats
gangways at both ends is 22 , and with a gangway at one per row , extending to gangways each side and more
end is 11. The maximum travel distance along the exists.
gangway to an exit is 18m (59 ft ).

Normal proscenium widths are :

M ft
For drama 9 - 12 30 -40
Concerts 12 -1 8 40 -60
Opera 18 - 24 60 -80

Limiting distances are:

M ft
For drama 15-23 50 -75
Concerts & opera 30-38 100-125

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 SPACE STANDARDS
AISLES
§ Optimum aisle width is 3’0”and is determined by the
number of seats.
§ Grows towards cross aisles – about 45”
§ Maximum legal number of seats, usually 14, into
each row in every section.
§ Clear distance between front of seats is 1’9”.
§ A center aisle wastes the most desirable seating area
in the theatre.
§ When the aisle is steeply raked, steps must extend to
the full width of the gangway.
Straight aisles are better than curved aisles.
AUDITORIUMS
Vertical Arrangements
ELEVATION OF STAGE
The stage should always be below eye level of
patrons sitting in the first row ideal height is between 2’6”
and3’6” from the floor at the first row of seats.
SECTION
The vertical angle of 30degrees at the
spectator’s position establishes the distance from the
closest seat to the screen or to the highest significant
object on the stage.
The highest seat in the balcony must be on a line which is
not more than 30 degrees to the horizontal from the
stage floor at the curtain line.
§ Lowest seat must be located where the patron can
just see the stage floor.
§ The standing patron at the back of the orchestra level
should be able to see the top of the screen.
§ Each spectator must be able to see the whole stage or
screen over the heads of those in front.

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TO DETERMINE THE FLOOR SLOPE
Establish the eye position of spectator in first row
on centerline by approximately 30 degree vertical angle
above.
The height of the stage floor above the first row
typically ranges from 30 to 42 inches.
The eye point of the first row is established at 3feet 8
inches above the floor level.
Step 1: draw a sight line from the downstage edge of
the stage to the eye point of the second row.step off
horizontal seat spacing (34to 38inches) , and draw
vertical lines at the points thus established for
subsequent seating rows.
Step 2: establish a point 5” above the intersection of
the sight line and the eye point and extend to the next
vertical line.
Step 3: the intersection of these lines is the eye point
for the next seat row and the floor level at this row is 3’8”
below the eye point.
Repeat steps, and draw in the floor slope.
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AUDITORIUMS
Where the slope exceeds 1:8, steps are required and
steps can be no less than 4inches.
The standing spectator’s eye level behind the
rear row of seats is assumed to be 5’6” above the floor
level of the last row. Sight line from this level to top of
the screen establishes the minimum height of the
ceiling under balcony.
The balcony slope can be determined by the
similar procedure.
To maintain the constant pitch in the balcony,
sight lines should be determined for the last row using
the above procedure. This is based on the fact that the
sight line from the last row should clear over the head
of the person seated immediately in the front. If this
slope is provided throughout, all other seats will have
clear sight lines
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 SPACE STANDARDS
AUDITORIUMS
SIGHT LINES HORIZONTAL SIGHT LINES

§Containment of audience within a 130 peripheral
spread of vision fro a performer will promote
maximum visual and aural communication.
§The limit of the centre of action is defined by a 60 of
normal, polychromatic vision fro seats at ends of
the front rows.
§Allow 60 seat angle horizontal
§30 maximum vertical from centre of screen or head
height of performers
§Horizontal angle of polychromatic vision is 40.
§Horz. Angle to centre line at which objects on stage
cease to bear intended relationship to other objects
and background is 60
§Locations beyond a line approx 100 to curtain of
proscenium are not feasible.
§Centre of curvature for rows is located at the centre
line of auditoriums at an approx. depth of house
behind proscenium.

VERTICAL SIGHT LINES

§The lowest seat must be located where the patron stage

can just see the stage floor.
!The highest seat must be on a line that is not more
than 30 to the horizontal.
audience seat
!
!METHOD
! The horz. Angle at which the object on stage
§Fix the eye position for front row of seats (A) and ceases to bear any relation with other
the depth (L) to eye position for back row. objects is 60 degree.
§Vertically above A find pt. X such that AX = L/10
§ Draw line P (on stage) through X to cut the vertical
projection
through X to cut the vertical through eye position of screen
back row at O.
§Maximum slope with steps is 35 (optimum is 20)
§There ay be no slope in seating at a distance D
audience
from stage where D=R(2.5H-1)
§R =row to row distance
§H = height of observer
seat

The horz. Angle to the projection screen at

which distortion on the screen becomes
intolerable is 60 degree

stage

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audience will not limit for acoustical

choose beyond this reasons

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 SPACE STANDARDS
AUDITORIUMS

Vertical sight lines

Comfortable angle of vertical Assuming: Height of a std. seating person is 3'-8"

vision is max. 30 deg.
Rows Last row First row (built) First row (chairs
S.No.
Angles (built) arranged)
Angle permitted above 4 deg. 30 deg. 30 deg.
1 horizontal (Uptil the top of the stage (Uptil the top of the stage
opening) on the back wall)
Angle permitted below 21 deg. _ _
2
horizontal
Total angular vision 25 deg. 30 deg. 30 deg.
3
permitted
Angle to the top of the 11 deg. 1 deg. Below 3 deg.below
4 stage platform

STAGE Open stage –

It is at floor level, or can be raised, and surrounded by
Proscenium stage –
the proscenium opening is the one in which the the audience..
audience faces the performing area on one side only
and sees the performing area through an architectural Horizontal sight lines
opening. It can project out a nominal distance into the S.no. The lines Angles
auditorium in the form of what is called apron or 1 Angle between the 100 deg.
forestage. extent of seating &
Thrust stage – the stage plane
This extend from the proscenium bringing the 2 Angle of 40 deg.
performance into the audience area, come in variety of polychromatic vision
forms and sizes : 3 Angle of audience 60 deg.
Oval or quarter circle vision to the stage
Square or rectangular plane with no
Long and thin, with seats on either side distortions

Proscenium Open Thrust Arena Shape

Stage Stage

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 SPACE STANDARDS
AUDITORIUMS
Design of Rooms for Speech Visibility of speech max. Distance
supporting element (m) (ft)
Facial expression 12 40
Primary requirements for these spaces is that Gestures 20 65
speech should be intelligible without an undue strain on Large body movement 30 100
listener.
Secondary requirement is to retain the natural The maximum suggested distance between the
character of speaker and voice. farthest seat and the stage is 25m (80ft).
§ Speech intelligibility is maximized by increasing the
signal to noise ratio, that is , by maximizing the STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE SPEAKER
loudness of speech, and minimizing the ambient noise LISTENER DISTANCE
level.
§ Acoustic design of rooms for speech reduces to Balcony and hall depth
consideration of five factors: For a large auditorium with capacity increasing 800,
§ Providing optimum reverberation time. balcony has to be provided to control speaker - listener
§ Eliminating acoustical defects such as distance.
§ Echoes and flutter echoes
§ Maximizing loudness, in the audience
§ Minimizing noise level in the room.
§ Providing speech reinforcement system where
needed.

SPEAKER LISTENER DISTANCE

§Attenuation of direct sound along the speaker – listener

path consist of two parts
§ By distance as per inverse square law,
§ And to a small extent attenuation due to absorption by The depth of the balcony overhang (D) should not be
air more than 2 times the height of the balcony opening(H)
§ Speech intelligibility decreases rapidly with distance.
Therefore, an obvious acoustical design
strategy is to minimize speaker – listener distance.

HEARING AND SEEING

If one can see the speaker well, one can hear the
speaker well.
Also depends how well listener is able to see the
performer.

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AUDITORIUMS

Parapet profiled to diffuse the sound

sound from the

stage
sound from the
stage

Balcony parapet can be a source of delayed reflection ROOM SHAPE

causing echo in the front part of the house.
Use a fan shape room. As a side wall splay
increases the audience area increases. Another
advantage is that, the reflections fro side walls are
directed towards the rear of the room

It may be treated with an absorbing material, such as

fiberglass covered with a protective screen, or it may be
profiled to diffuse the sound.

ROOM VOLUME

The smaller the volume per seat, the greater the sound
energy available to each listener. It also means that
smaller amount of absorption is needed. Consequently ,
greater area of a room’s surface area can be reflective,
which helps to boost the loudness.
Area per seat = 0.55 to 0.7 sq. m
(6.0 to 75 sq ft)
Vo l u m e p e r s e a t = 2 . 0 t o 5 . 7 c u b i c m
(70 to 200 cubic feet)

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30degree, the absolute maximum being 65 degree.

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AUDITORIUMS
Lighting
STAGE LIGHTING

Diagrammatic section showing relative positions of

spotlights to a suitable tinn of lighting (within 40° and
S3°)Jor different positions on stage. The light angles arc
measured from actor's eye level. Allowance is made for
the side crossing of lights. Lighting may be suspended
from screened bridges spanning over the auditorium
above the ceiling. Side lights may also be housed in
perches, wall slots or suspended from hangers within.

The figures here show two types of lighting typically

used in auditoriums.

¡ Suspended
¡ Hanged on truss

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