K L

PAC
Angela Wee Kah Man
Cha Yun Xian
Chan Koon Qi
Cham Zheng Chee
Chia Keh Chian
Chin Shee Wei
Kok Xuan Ying
Michelle Wong Sook Yin
Kuala Lumpur
Performing Arts Centre K L
PAC
Designed by Ar. Baldip Singh & Ar. Ng Sek San, the
Kuala Lumpur Performing Art Center (KLPAC) was
established in month of May year 2004, located on
Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Kuala Lumpur.
Angela Wee Kah Man
The center opens 7 days a weekCha with
Yunno exception of
Xian
public holidays and holds various of events
Chan Koon Qiof different
genres including Drama, Musical, Lecture, Dance, Film
Cham Zheng Chee
Screening, Participatory, Workshops, Traditional
Chia Keh Chian
Performance as well as Press Conferences and
Opening Ceremonies.The overallChin Shee Wei Art Center
Performing
is well equipped with multiple Kok
functional
Xuan Yingand public
spaces such as: Michelle Wong Sook Yin
 Pentas 1

Kuala Lumpur
Performing Arts Centre

Designed by Ar. Baldip Singh & Ar. Ng Sek San, the

Kuala Lumpur Performing Art Center (KLPAC) was
established in month of May year 2005, located on
Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Kuala Lumpur.
Pentas 2
The center opens 7 days a week with no exception of
public holidays and holds various of events of different
genres including Drama, Musical, Lecture, Dance, Film
Screening, Participatory, Workshops, Traditional
Performance as well as Press Conferences and
Opening Ceremonies.The overall Performing Art Center
is well equipped with multiple functional and public
spaces such as:

Indicine

Studio
 Theatre Analysis Design

Pentas 1 is a rectangular shaped space with relatively narrow width. The walls are fully
maximized with acoustic materials along the auditorium’s length.

Pentas 1 consists of 504 auditorium seats arranged in a fan-shaped seating arrangement.

The seating arrangement and audience diffuses the sound, making existing physical sound
absorbers and diffusers highly efficient.

An ‘end stage’ seat levelling design is implemented

where seats descend towards the stage. The
stageless stage is merely a platform where
performers can get up-close to the audience.
 Sound Source

Classification of Sound Sources

In any event that is confined within a space in buildings, there are 3 prominent types of sound sources that can be determined:

Primary Sound Source | Occupant Activity

The main source of sound in the auditorium are dominated by sound systems that involves in fulfilling its primary purposes, such as sound waves that are
produced from the speakers and performers during an event, contributing to the audience hearing pleasure.

A. Speaker Position B. Performers on stage

Sound Source

The control room and control panels

To control and carry out adjustment of the
loudspeaker specific requirements through the
processor.

Two pairs of speakers, with each pair

positioned on both sides of the front
stage.
Placed horizontally above one another, facilitating
in the formation of a concave projection in sound
waves towards the audience.

Main speakers
Positioned vertically at a 30 degree angle facing
the audience seating area.

Side of stage
The speakers placed at the side of the stage
gives a 3-dimensional sound effect towards the
audience. In addition, it helps in enhancing the
performers sensory towards the rhythm in the
music.
 Sound Source

Secondary Sound Source | Operations in building

A. AC Vents

B. Spotlights

In the theatre, there were three types of secondary sound source that were identified:
a. AC vents can be found located at the right side of the backstage above the chiller room.
b. Air Handling Unit (AHU) located at the left side of the top-most position of the ascending audience seating, behind the walls.
c. The spotlights positioned above the centre stage.
 Sound Source

Tertiary Sound Source | Occupant Activity

The tertiary sound source that was identified is in minimum and produced mainly by the audience. A variety of audience movement,
such as walking steps entering and exiting the theatre, adjustment in seats and small chatter contributes to the tertiary sound waves
produced in the theatre.
 Acoustic Treatments & Components

Concrete - Both Walls

Concrete walls are good sound absorber as
porous surfaces with interconnected pores Sound Absorption Coefficient
works well for sound absorption. 125 Hz: 0.01
500 Hz: 0.01
The concrete walls are thinly layered with 1000 Hz: 0.02
special paint that is sufficient to increase sound
insulation, reducing noise from the exterior.
 Acoustic Treatments & Components

PVC Tubes - Left Wall

The convex shapes PVC tubes are filled with sand.

The PVC tubes help compress large sound waves and

absorb base sounds, helping distribute small Sound Absorption Coefficient
frequency sound waves and compressing large 125 Hz: 0.01
500 Hz: 0.02
frequency sound waves.
1000 Hz: 0.035

The variation in PVC tube lengths helps absorb

different sound waves and frequency depending on
the direction.
 Acoustic Treatments & Components

Corrugated Metal Sheets & Wooden Blocks - Right Wall

The wooden blocks are of a lightweight wood property which are

Corrugated sheets are used to increase audibility in noisy environments and reduce
well suited as good sound reflectors. The efficiency of wooden
noise from nearby spaces.
blocks is not 100% which results in a small percentage of scattered
sound waves being absorbed after hitting the block.
The convex and concave surface allows the material to act as a good sound reflector
where the surface is larger to reflect more sound waves.

Sound Absorption Coefficient

125 Hz: 0.15
500 Hz: 0.15
1000 Hz: 0.15
 Acoustic Treatments & Components

Flooring: Composite Timber Flooring - Stage Flooring: Carpet - Audience Flooring

The composite timber flooring is composed of Carpets improves the sound quality in the
recycled wood and a layer of polymer coated with auditorium as an effective sound absorber.
black paint.
This helps reduce the noise of audience entering
The stage uses an acoustic deck overlay system and exiting the auditorium or moving of furniture
designed to reduce downwards sound and equipment. Sound waves produced from
transmission where the sound is reflected and these actions are absorbed into the carpet
contained within the auditorium space. instead of being reflected on the surface.

Sound Absorption Coefficient Sound Absorption Coefficient

125 Hz: 0.01 125 Hz: 0.20
500 Hz: 0.015 500 Hz: 0.20
1000 Hz: 0.02 1000 Hz: 0.30

Acoustic Chairs - Audience Seating

Sound Absorption Coefficient
The acoustic chair determines the auditorium’s sound quality where each
125 Hz: 0.33
chair is covered with a sound absorbing fabric. 500 Hz: 0.64
1000 Hz: 0.77
This controls the unoccupied reverberation period of the space, ensuring
that the presence or absence of audience will not affect the reverberation
time.
 Acoustic Treatments & Components

Brick Wall - Stage & Backstage area

Sound Absorption Coefficient
The thick and dense brick wall helps block exterior sound waves from passing into the auditorium. This structural mass is 125 Hz: 0.03
the best defence against noise penetration which prevents external noise from entering the auditorium. 500 Hz: 0.03
1000 Hz: 0.05
 Acoustic Treatments & Components
Corrugated Zinc Sheets - Ceiling
The convex and concave surface
of corrugated zinc sheets acts as
a good sound reflector where the
surface is larger to reflect more
sound waves.
Acoustic Panels - Ceiling
The ceiling is a wrapped black fabric
Sound Absorption Coefficient that envelopes an additional gap of Sound Absorption Coefficient
125 Hz: 0.50 125 Hz: 0.15
air space in the ceiling. The
500 Hz: 0.15 500 Hz: 0.75
additional air space lowers the
1000 Hz: 0.05 1000 Hz: 0.80
impact on solids which prevents
sound reflection in large areas as well
as controlling different frequencies.
 Acoustic Treatments & Components

Wall Panels - Auditorium Rear

The acoustic wall panels are of acoustic foam
with a fabric finish which equips them with a Sound Absorption Coefficient
sound absorbing property. 125 Hz: 0.15
500 Hz: 0.75
1000 Hz: 0.80
These wall panels are directly mounted to the
wall which controls excessive reverberations
whilst delivering back premium sound quality.
 Sound Concentration

SIL measurement of the auditorium

The measurement of the sound intensity level (SIL) from the sound source show
that there is a distinct sound concentration zone can be found at the centre of
Pentas 1 with the reading of 49dB.

The SIL readings are high at the front right of Pentas 1 due to the location of the
speakers located on top of each respective sections resulting in amplified
sound in the specific area.

Sound from the speakers are more intense at the direction they are pointing at,
which in return cover its own area that overlap over another. This results
audiences sitting in the darker area in the diagram to receive a higher sound
amplitude which is recommendable to sit.
 Sound Concentration

Sound coverage and path of speakers Sound path and reflection from sound source on the stage

On the other site, seats in the corners of front right and left side of the hall is nearby diffusion walls. However, these diffusion walls reflect certain incident of
sound simultaneously whereby audiences get distracted while receiving direct sound from the stage.

Horizontal shape of plane walls reflects sound ray at constant angle under law of reflection. This is not efficient way of dispersing sound and does not
promote concentration of sound efficiency.
 Sound Incident

Direct Sound

The highest incident of sound amplitude with louder volume will be received by audience that sitting in the front row as they are nearer to the sound
source.Meanwhile, a moderate incident of sound amplitude and volume will be received by the audience who is sitting in the middle rows.Lastly. the
lowest incident of sound amplitude will be received by the audience that is sitting in the last row as they are the furthest from the sound source.
 Sound Absorption

Direct sound path towards absorbent materials

Absorption materials are placed throughout the hall to absorb excess sound energy,
reducing the amount of acoustic interference, it helps maintaining an optimum
reverberation time for multi-purpose hall.
 Sound Reflection

Reflection of sound horizontally and vertically towards the audience

Flat horizontal ceiling that span halfway through the theatre reflect sound waves to
the back of audiences.

For front row audience, reflected sound is mostly insignificant as they’re exposed
to great amount of direct sound from the sound source whereas for audience
sitting in middle and last back rows, they receive indirect sound reflected from the
ceiling.

Straight parallel walls with diffusers are used to reflect sound waves
against the walls towards its audience.

Reflected sound are concentrated at the middle portion of the theatre

as compared to other areas.
Sound Diffusion

Figure explains how sound diffusion can be achieved with the help of
surface scattering and irregularities elements. Sufficient sound diffusion is
essential in many types of rooms in order to promote uniform distribution of
sound,emphasize the natural qualities of music and speech and preventing
the occurrence of unpleasant acoustical defects. Unlike absorption, instead
of absoard sound energy as the act to preserve the liveliness of the room,
the diffusers disperse it, spreading the energy around the room.A sound
diffuser is an acoustic panel used to treat echoes and reflections. A diffuser
jumbles up these reflections to avoid reflected sound from returning back
into the room directly or having echoes.

The location of sound diffuser panels in Pentas 1

 Sound Diffusion

Application of Wooden Blocks as diffuser panels

An idea acoustic diffuser is a surface that causes an incident sound wave from any direction to be evenly scattered in all directions. Having the same function
as skyline diffuser, they are able to scatter sound across two planes horizontal (left & right) and vertical (up & down). This two-dimensional scattering broadens
the soundscape and provide greater distribution of amplitude of sound.

The diffusion panels are placed along the side walls of Pentas 1 all the way
up high to reduce echoes.
 Sound Diffusion

Application of Hollow Pipe as diffuser panels.

The PVC hollow pipes are arranged closely together leaving a small gap (highlighted in figure 4.5.4.7) in between to allow sound at certain frequency to be
dispersed into many direction when hitting the convex surface of the hollow pipes to provide better sound quality, especially to the right side of the hall.

When the sound is reflected from convex surfaces, the geometry of the
surface will push back the energy to disperse outwards and encourage
uniform distribution of sound.
 Echo & Sound Delay

Indirect sound reflecting towards audience

 Echo & Sound Delay

Indirect sound reflecting towards audience

 Echo & Sound Delay

Indirect sound reflecting towards audience

 Reverberation

Reverberation time calculation of Pentas 1

Volume of theatre (V)
= 10348.6 m³

Total absorption (A)

= 1422.48

Reverberation Time (RT)

= 0.16 x V / A
= 0.16 x 10348.598 / 1422.48
= 1.16s

Recommended reverberation time for large multipurpose theatre:

1.0s - 2.0s

Proper balance of absorption and reflection for a favourable acoustical environment suited for large scale production such as
musical, concerts and big dramas.
Conclusion