WEEK 5

DISCUSSION

ACOUSTICAL
DESIGNS OF ROOM
LECTURE BY: AR. MARIA CHARLOTTE M. ONA , UAP
 PLANNING FOR GOOD ACOUSTICS

1 2 3 4 5 6
SELECTION OF NOISE SURVEY ARRANGEMENT SELECTION OF CONTROL OF DESIGN OF THE
SITE OF ROOMS/ PROPER SOUND THE NOISE SIZE OF EACH
SPACES WITHIN INSULATION WITHIN THE ROOM
THE BLDG. CONSTRUCTION BUILDING

7 8 9 10 11

DISTRIBUTION SUPPERVISION INSTALLATION INSPECTIONS OF MAINTENANCE

OF RFLECTIVE OF THE OF SOUND- THE FINISHED INSTRUCTIONS
AND ABSORPTVE INSTALLATION AMPLICATION WORKS
MATERIALS OF MATERIALS EQUIPMENTS

3/7/2023 2
DESIGN OF ROOM SHAPE
Good acoustical planning is based upon many
significant factors that affect the insulation,
generation, transmission, absorption, reflection,
diffusion and hearing of sound. Each element is
important; the neglect of any one may mar or ruin
an otherwise good design.
1. FLOOR PLAN
The design of an auditorium or a lecture room usually begins with the layout of the floor
plan. The seating should be arranged so that the audience is as near .the stage as is
consistent with the requirements set by the distribution of sound .from the source and
with those for good visibility. Thus, although an audience can be brought nearer the
speaker in a room having a square floor plan than in one in which the greater than the
width, the latter is preferable. One of the reasons for this preference can be visualized
easily by referring to this figure; which shows how sound is distributed around the head
of a person who is speaking.
WHAT SHAPES ARE NOT IDEAL FOR ROOMS
THAT NEEDS ACOUSTICS IMPORTANCE?
ELLIPTICAL

CIRCULAR
SOLUTIONS FOR ELLIPTICAL AND CIRCULAR
LAYOUTS?

In both elliptical and circular plans, the

acoustical conditions can be greatly
improved by the addition of cylindrical
diffusing surfaces, as in fig (c). And a
room having such wall surfaces.
 FLOOR PLANS
In order to bring a large audience as close as
possible to the stage of an auditorium, it is
advantageous to design a floor plan with
diverging side walls. Reflections from these walls
can aid in the establishments of a higher sound
level at the rear of the auditorium, but these
reflections must be carefully controlled.

It is good design to utilize the floor area

which has the best acoustical environment
for seating and to use the poorest areas for
non-listening purposes. Thus, whenever
possible, the area directly in front of a
speaker should be used for seating rather
for an aisle.

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 2. SEATS
Since an audience constitutes a highly absorptive surface,
sound waves which graze it are greatly attenuated. Hence, it
is good design in an auditorium, from the standpoint of
hearing as well as of seeing, to elevate the seats in order to
provide a free flow of direct sound from the source to the
listeners. A good line of sight will do this. The first few rows
can be level since they will have a good line for both sight
and sound. The higher the source is elevated, the farther back
the level area can be extended.
 FLOOR PLANS

The floor can begin to slope up at any

convenient distance which is nearer the
speaker. The angle of elevation of the room;
in an auditorium, it should not be less than
8°, in a demonstration lecture hall it should
be about 15°. It is advantageous not only to
elevate the seating area but also to stagger
the seats.

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 3. CEILINGS
The ceiling and walls should provide favorable reflections of
sound, especially for the seats far removed from the stage. In
some instances, the ceiling also should aid in the diffusion of
sound. However, if adequate means of diffusion are furnished
by the floor and wall surfaces, no additional diffusion is
needed for the ceiling; hence, it may be utilized to the
outmost for the advantageous· reflection of sound. ,Lecture
rooms chamber music rooms, council chambers, Christian
science auditoriums are type· of rooms which a low smooth,
highly reflective ceiling may be used to good advantage.
3. CEILINGS
In general, the ceiling height of a room to be used for speech
and music should be about one third to two thirds of the
width of the room - the lower ratio for every large rooms, and
the higher ratio for small rooms.
 RECITATION
Example:

Find the ceiling height:

1. A large room 33m. wide x 50 m.

2. A small room 6.00 x 8.00 m.

ANSWER:

⅓ (33.00) = 11 mts
⅓ (6.00) = 4 mts
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4. SIDE WALLS
The side walls should reinforce the sound that reaches t he rear parts of a
large room. This is especially desirable for auditoriums in which a sound-
amplification system is not utilized for all spoken and musical programs. The
location of the wall is, of course determined principally by the general
contour of the floor plans. The angle that any portion of the wall surfaces,
such as a splay makes with the wall contour line should be such to reflect
sound beneficially to those seats where the sound level is not adequate. The
law of reflection can be used to determine this angle. The side walls should
be designed so that the sounds they reflect to the audience will not be too
long delayed.
HOW TO SOLVE FOR UNDULY DELAYED
REFLECTIONS ON SIDE WALLS?
REDUCE REFLECTIVITY
1
2 “ACOUSTICALLY ROUGH”

HIGHLY ABSORPTIVE
MATERIALS 3
14
5. REAR WALLS
In the design of all rooms, large concave rear walls
should be avoided. Unfortunately, they are of
common occurrence because it seems so simple
and economical to most architects to have the rear
wall follow the curvature of the last row of seats.
Walls with this shape are responsible for
troublesome echoes and delayed reflections in
many theaters and auditoriums.
WHICH ARE THE IDEAL SOLUTIONS FOR
REAR WALLS?
ABSORPTIVE MATERIALS
1
2 SPLAYS IN BETWEEN
CEILINGS AND WALLS

ADDING BALCONY
RECESS 3
16
7. BALCONY
Good design of a balcony recess usually requires a
shallow depth and a high openings. For an
auditorium or legitimate theater, the depth should
not exceed twice the height of the opening.
(D <2(h)

This plan permits sound to flow readily into the

space under the balcony.