Very few architects are equipped with the skills to undertake even basic acoustic design, so it

is usually overlooked until late in the project, or not addressed at all. In some cases, the
acoustic consultant is asked to look at the completed plans and suggest some remedial
modifications. An even worse and more common scenario is to hold off on acoustic
consultation until after the project is completed and its design flaws have become all too
evident. Ideally, an acoustic consultant should be engaged at the same time as the architect,
saving redesign time and therefore money. Here are some basic acoustic parameters that need
to be discussed during the initial preliminary design stage.

Determining the Auditorium Floor Area

The required floor area of an auditorium can be calculated by multiplying the intended
number of seats by about eight square feet (the space typically required for each seated
person), then adding the required aisle space and the desired stage or platform area. Once the
required floor area has been calculated, the shape and layout of the auditorium should be
determined by acoustic requirements and the calculation of sight lines. Of course, there may
be some architectural and engineering controls on the available shape caused by site
constraints or certain construction methods, but these need to be discussed along with the
acoustic parameters.

Working on the Auditorium Volume

Some of the most basic auditorium design parameters have a significant effect on the acoustic
environment, which is why they must be discussed in the earliest design stage. The ratio of
the length to width for a typical auditorium should be between 1.2 and 1.7. Even more
important is the ratio of auditorium height to width, which should be between 0.4 and 0.7.
If the ceiling is too low, it restricts stage sound from reaching the people at the rear of the
room. If too high, sound reflected from the ceiling arrives much later than the initial direct
sound from the stage and affects intelligibility. Actual ratios should be an acoustically
informed decision based on required seating, auditorium dimensions, shape, layout and
internal angles.

One example of an acoustically sound auditorium is the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with

a length to width to height ratio of 1.5 : 1 : 0.63. Built in 1888, critics still consider it one of
the best concert halls in the world. Though not a church auditorium, the acoustic principles
still apply. The ceiling in the 2,200-seat auditorium is 58 feet high. This height requirement is
often difficult to explain to building committees because many would rather look at floor area
as opposed to interior volume. They often view auditorium volume as unnecessary; plus, it
costs money better spent on something people can see--a visual feature. To put this issue into
perspective, I often ask committees an anecdotal question: "If a blind and deaf person both
attended your programme, which of them would leave with a better understanding of what
the concert is about?" Hearing is more important to the worship experience than seeing.

The Auditorium's Plan Shape

Apart from dimensional ratios, the Plan shape of the room also needs to be considered in the
preliminary design stage. Numerous Plan shapes have been used in auditorium design, from
the traditional cruciform to rectangles, squares, circles, fans, pentagons, hexagons, other
polygons and various irregular shapes.

Of these, the most solid choices are fans, rectangles and modified polygons; square is
acceptable if the auditorium is large enough; while cruciform and round shapes are the
hardest to design for good acoustics. After all, the cruciform is actually four rooms joined
together in the form of a cross, so sound from each section affects hearing in other sections.
The problem with round or partially round rooms is that the walls will reflect the sound
waves to focus on a particular point. This is similar to the way a semicircular reflector in a
flashlight focuses light rays into a narrow beam. At the beginning, the committee must resist
the temptation to depart from acoustically tried and tested shapes in search of something
unique that runs the risk of favoring form over function.

The Auditorium's Internal Geometry

After dimension ratios and plan shape, the next most important acoustic parameter to
consider is the relationships between the auditorium's internal angles or its internal geometry.
The angles of the walls, floors, balconies and ceilings greatly affect how sound from the stage
or platform is reflected into other areas that may be receiving less direct sound. The
acoustically ideal room is one in which all seats receive the same sound level and frequency
spectrum. This is never wholly possible due to the attenuation of sound with distance, but by
carefully modeling the internal angles of the auditorium, the reflected sound can be "aimed"
at those areas that need it and kept away from those that don't.

These reflection calculations used to be done by building a plywood one-tenth scale model of
the internal shape of the auditorium and using mirrors and light rays to see where reflected
sound would concentrate. Modifications were made by adjusting wall and ceiling profiles and
testing again. Today, an accurate 3-D computer model of the auditorium is constructed and
ray tracing programs are run, showing the amount of direct and reflected sound for every seat
in the auditorium. By adjusting interior wall and ceiling angles (and wall and ceiling
materials) the level and concentrations of reflected sound versus direct sound can be
determined, as well as the frequency spectrum of that sound.

Reverberation Time

The physical characteristics of reflected sound bring us to another important acoustic

parameter: reverberation time. Reverberation time in an auditorium is the length of time it
takes for the reflections from an impulsive sound--like a sharp handclap--to die away or
decay a certain amount from its initial level. The physical expression of this parameter is
called RT60 which is the amount of time required for the reflected sound to drop by 60dB
from its initial level once the source is shut off. Apart from being a measurable quantity in
existing auditoriums, RT60 can also be calculated with relative accuracy from various
empirical formulae and through 3-D computer modeling prior to construction.
RT60 is controlled by the amount of absorptive material in an auditorium. A simple example
of a room with lots of absorptive material is a lounge room with plush upholstered seats,
thick carpets and heavy curtains. Its opposite would be a large, tiled bathroom or changing
room in a sports facility with dressing mirrors and porcelain bathroom fixtures. A loud shout
in each of these rooms quickly teaches you about the basic concept of RT60 and the effect
(or, conversely, lack) of absorptive materials. It should be noted that every material and item
used in construction has an absorption coefficient. Pews, people, brick, and even windows
absorb some sound, so they must be taken into account during RT60 computations for an
auditorium.

Not only does every material have an absorption coefficient, the amount of absorption varies
with the frequency of sound. Carpets, drapes and curtains absorb mostly high frequencies
while wood, sheetrock panels, and thin plaster on furring strips absorb lower frequencies.
The amount of absorption in an auditorium should be fairly even throughout the frequency
range to get a balanced spectrum in the RT60 although a slight bass rise is considered
musical. In practice, the lower frequencies usually require the greatest design control because
they are less likely to be absorbed by padded seats and carpet. Even concrete blocks absorb
some sound, so the precisely calculated use of a variety of general building materials can
result in excellent acoustics. Contrary to common belief, acoustic design does not mean
adding padding on the back wall after a project is completed!

The optimum RT60 for an auditorium is determinable by both the room's volume and its
intended use. For example, an auditorium to be used primarily for speech should have a
shorter RT60 than an equivalent volume room used mainly for music. Even the particular
music style and instrumentation must be taken into account when determining the optimum
RT60 for an auditorium. Contemporary music requires a lot shorter RT60 value than
orchestral music, traditional organ with choir requires a longer value, and acappella
Gregorian chant requires one of the longest. A lot of research is required to define the
optimum RT60s for a particular church auditorium because the space has to be used for a
number of different functions including speech, music, drama and also audience participation
during worship.

When discussing optimum RT60s, most texts on church acoustics provide three formulaic
curves based on the following delineations: Roman Catholic, High Church Protestants, and
Low Church Protestants. This is an antiquated concept carried over from an era when the
liturgies of each particular denomination were more uniform and predictable. Such
generalizations are no longer true, which means that new churches--especially evangelical
churches that use contemporary forms of musical worship--do not fit into any of the
categories.

Regardless of denomination, determining the optimum RT60 for any new church requires a
detailed study of that particular congregation's current and future trends. At the preliminary
design stage, the ministerial staff and building committee must sit down with the acoustic
consultant and clearly define their ministry style and future objectives. Once this is done, the
acoustic consultant can provide design specifications that will best meet the church's needs.
Areas to be considered include liturgy, forms and varieties of congregational worship,
different media used in presentations--contemporary band, choir and orchestra repertoire,
drama, plays and musicals--and the use of multimedia technology including audio-video
recording and even broadcast.

Other Factors in Auditorium Acoustics

Many other parameters affect the listening environment, like noise intrusion from outside
(roadways, airports and railways) and from other rooms within the building, as well as noise
from the mechanical equipment for HVAC. Even rain on the roof can be one such intrusion,
and persistent ventilation system noise is one of the biggest problems in speech intelligibility.
Still, surprisingly few churches consult an acoustics expert to help solve their noise problems.
An acoustic consultant can devise planning concepts that minimize unwanted noise and also
provide design measures to stop noise intrusion wherever necessary.

Finally, we come to the sound reinforcement system itself. While not a part of this article, the
sound system is so closely linked to the acoustics of the auditorium that its design should be
handled by the acoustic consultant. It should be noted that the installation of a sound system
cannot fix inherent acoustic problems in an auditorium. While the sound reinforcement
system does not alter the building acoustics, a good engineer will design the system taking
building acoustics into account. Sound system engineering formulae include a number of
acoustic parameters, but they affect the sound system design and not vice versa. So often,
churches are told that specialized acoustic design is unnecessary because the sound system
will "fix" any problems with the acoustics. This is inaccurate--some churches go through
three or four new sound systems before they realize that the room acoustics are to blame
instead. A clear orator in an acoustically well-designed auditorium should be able to address
700 people easily without the aid of any sound system. Installing a sound system does not
make the acoustics of an auditorium better or worse, but it can certainly amplify any existing
acoustic problems.

Needless to say, building committees should rely on expert acoustic advice in the very
beginning to avoid an acoustical monstrosity. It is usually during the preliminary design stage
when a project gets off-track. The final result: an auditorium (if one dare use the word) in
which the congregation has to strain to hear the message--or worse, cover their ears in self-
defense. Often the acoustic consultant is contacted when construction is almost finished and
then asked to help fix the potential sound problems. By this stage, many of the controlling
parameters are set in stone (more literally concrete), and even the best treatments will yield
mediocre results.

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