AR301 ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS

ACOUSTICS
THROUGH
TIME
THE EVOLUTION OF SPACES

Group - 17
101119024 - I.Y.S. Adithya Varma
101119035 - N,Rajarajeswari Devi
 Contents of this template
01 Classical Greek theatres
02 Roman theatres
03 The Proscenium theatres
04 The Thrust-stage theatres
05 The Open stage theatres
06 Theatre in the Round
07 Opera Houses
08 Multi-purpose Halls
09 The Development of Concert Hall
10 The Classical Rectangular Concert Hall
11 The Directed Sound Hall
12 The British Concert Hall
13 Chamber Music & Recital Halls
Classical Greek theatres 01
 Introduction
For some, the Greeks are credited with an understanding of acoustics which still baffles modern science.

Roman Vitruvius (1960) from the first century BC. Interestingly his overriding concern is for acoustics, rather than
vision, and this even extends to the rules he gives for seating design. And it is probably rash to accept Vitruvius as
an authority on Greek thinking 300 years before he himself was writing.

Greek theatre developed from festivals of singing and dancing in honour of Dionysus, the Bacchus of the Greeks.

● A circular platform with an altar at its centre provided the focus, which could be witnessed by a large
crowd if they were placed against a hillside.
● Greek drama evolved with a chorus countered by first one, then three actors.
● First in timber and later in stone
● Circular platform, or ‘orchestra’, ..concentric seating scheme.
● The stage house behind the orchestra ..introduced at the time when the importance of the actors
increased at the expense of that of the chorus.

The development of the acoustics of the Greek theatre, which spanned more than two centuries, can be seen as
an equally logical empirical development. A similar trial-and-error process was responsible for the optimization of
the proscenium theatre design in more recent times.
Advantages
Sound propagation in the Greek theatre: (a) sound ray
paths

● Effect of the orchestra reflection is to make

speech carry 40 per cent further than without it.
● A distinctive characteristic in the Greek theatre of
acoustic significance is the steep seating rake
(typically 20°–34°).No doubt that higher angles of
incidence to the seating plane are beneficial.
(The situation could however be further
optimized: more uniform conditions are achieved
with an increasingly steep seating rake as one
moves away from the stage.)
● Used to be on quiet sites.
Epidaurus
The theatre at Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, Isolated site, dating
from around 350 BC, the most perfect of the Greek theatres and has
remained in a good state of preservation
Accommodated 14 000
● The furthest seat lies at 70 m from the front of the stage (or
the rear of the orchestra), much too far to allow facial
expressions to be observed. Greek drama employed masks,
which limits the visual problem for the audience to little
more than recognition. These masks also performed an
acoustic function by providing a short megaphone in front of
the actor’s mouth.
● Considerable symmetry. Such a fan shape in plan with an
angle of around 210° implies poor conditions both visually
and acoustically in the extreme seating areas to the sides of
the orchestra. The Greek solution was to reserve these seats
for foreigners, latecomers and women.

It is interesting to observe the development in some later theatres, where the rear seating extended much
less far to the sides.
Plan of theatre at Priene, with (superimposed) the equal voice level contour for an actor at the front of the
stage, facing forwards. The contour is plotted through the furthest seat on axis
Roman theatres 02
 Introduction
The Roman theatre differs in several distinctive ways from the Greek.

● With knowledge of vaulting techniques, later facilitated by the use of concrete, theatres could be
constructed as independent structures on level sites.
● The Romans developed a highly effective access and escape system beneath the upper levels of seating,
with vomitoria feeding into the auditorium.
● The plan of the theatre included a high stage house structurally linked to the semicircular auditorium. The
orchestra made semicircular, but since this was normally occupied by senators it could no longer perform
a useful acoustic role as a reflector.
● This in turn required a lower stage level (generally 1.5 m) to maintain visual conditions for those seated on
the orchestra. Both the high angle of seating rake (usually 30°–34°) and the smaller size than the large
Greek examples explain why the orchestra reflection could be dispensed with in the Roman theatre

The best preserved example is that at Aspendos near the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey
Audience of 7000
Distance between the stage front and the most distant seat of 53 m.
 Aspendos
In this and other Roman theatres there is evidence that a
velarium (or canvas cloth) could be drawn over the theatre to
shield the audience from the sun. Canvas is in fact mildly
reflective acoustically, but little reverberation would occur.

Enclosed Roman Theaters

It is not often appreciated that small enclosed theatres also existed in Roman times; for instance, remains survive of one at Pompeii
(Izenour, 1992). Structural limitations at the time prevented the Romans from enclosing large-scale theatres and thus avoided definite
acoustic problems. An enclosed theatre of the scale of Aspendos would have a reverberation time much too long for speech owing to
the excessive enclosed volume. Izenour also discusses another interesting enclosed auditorium: the Odeon of Agrippa in Athens (12
BC)..plan was rectangular ..estimated height of 40 m would give a RT greater than 5 s. But in this building, natural lighting was provided
by a substantial opening in the south-facing wall behind the audience; that opening would substantially reduce the reverberation time.

By enclosing the theatre space, the reverberant sound becomes the disturbing ‘noise’ and only much smaller audiences can be
accommodated.
 03
The Proscenium Theatres
Introduction
● A proscenium theater is a specific style of theater.
Several features define a proscenium theater, and
this particular theater layout is extremely
common;
● The classically defining feature of a proscenium
theater is the proscenium, an arch which frames
the stage for the audience. In addition, the
audience faces the stage directly, with no
audience on the sides of the stage, and raised
stage, allowing the audience to see more clearly.
Modern proscenium theaters sometimes lack the
proscenium, but they are still called “proscenium
theaters” because they retain the other
characteristics of this style of theater.
● 2d feel Some actors and crew find the
proscenium design very limiting.
Wyndham’s Theatre, London

● 1899 by Sprague, capacity of 724.

● Painted panels adorn both the balcony fronts and the glorious circular ceiling
● The proscenium design is at an ultimate stage of development.
● Stage sits behind a picture-frame,
● Design exploits the possibilities offered by cantilevered balconies. ..deep
overhangs RT 0.7s

● Remote seats Balcony lesser extent towards the rear of

the Stalls s cheap seats significantly quieter
● In this theatre early reflections are somewhat
compromised by the fan shape in plan.The elaborate box
arrangements in front of the proscenium will render this
acoustically crucial region poorly reflecting
● In a theatre of this modest size, the sound level at remote
seats is unlikely to be too quiet, and in Wyndham’s Theatre
it is indeed loud enough. The crucial concern is the
balance between early and late energy, which ensures
good intelligibility

Wyndham’s Theatre is an acoustical success as well as a visual

delight.
 04
The thrust-stage theatre
Introduction
● Invention of a new stage known as the thrust-stage, in which the
audience surrounds the stage on three sides.
● Guthrie’s dissatisfaction with the proscenium theatre sprang from his
observation that these theatres were trying to be more and more
natural by employing progressively more cunning. His argument
runs that at a time when cinema and television can provide more
effective naturalistic expression, the role of theatre must surely
move from creation of spectacle to concentration on the text.
● Providing more intimate contact between actor and audience.
Simultaneously, the thrust stage offers a three-dimensional
experience in which the actor can be at the focal point of an
enclosing audience rather than the two-dimensional arrangement of
spectators looking at a screen
● Not appropriate to all forms of drama, but it is particularly suitable
for the playing of Shakespeare and other pre-Restoration plays.
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Under the guidance of Tanya Moiseiwitsch, a longtime associate of
Guthrie’s, the designers of the Crucible Theatre (Renton Howard Wood
Associates) aimed to incorporate all the lessons learnt from earlier
thrust-stage designs.

● Instead of the hexagonal plan, they chose an octagon, which allowed

a 180° (or semicircular) fan.
● The seating capacity was set at 1000 instead of 1400, while the
seating rake was increased to 21–28°. The stage was made narrower
but with the same depth as Chichester. The centre of the octagon is
at the optimum position of command for an actor on stage.
● Problems with flexibility in the use of the stage were minimized by
making the whole stage demountable. An opening behind the stage
allows a high degree of freedom in this difficult transition area
between stage and auditorium
● High annual attendances, with performances of drama, dance,
music and, best known, snooker
● The success involves good acoustics, but the means employed to
achieve this are different from those in earlier thrust-stage theatres.
● The steep seating rake produces a large volume
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
● The predicted RT with a simple shell would be in excess of 2 seconds, much too long
for speech use. The ceiling, only substantial surface apart from the seating area, has
therefore to be made absorbent (Creighton, 1978). In the Crucible Theatre the ceiling
is of acoustically absorbent screeded wood wool.+ absorbent cork slabs ..upper
perimeter walls to reduce reflected sound energy into the ceiling level of the
auditorium.
● The acoustics of an enclosed space ..changed ..open amphitheatre. The transition is
far from complete though, since the resulting RT 0.8 seconds
● influence of the late reflected sound on intelligibility.
● Woodwool is a typical porous absorber little material absorb at the low frequencies.
● With a wide fan-shape plan the ceiling becomes the most valuable reflecting surface:
hence the need for a reflecting suspended ceiling in this design. Four suspended
reflectors in front of the stage.giving good reflections for all members of the audience
● A simple good auditorium design is that no seat should be too far from a reflecting
surface. Only 14 rows of seating.
● For audience close to the stage, acoustics good simply ...short distances to the
performers. This leaves an intermediate zone in the auditorium where problems can
occur. intermediate zone is kept small.Here in addition to the reflection from the
suspended ceiling there appear to be both a second-order reflection path involving
the stage floor and the suspended ceiling + scattered reflections off the rear wall.
 05
The open stage
Introduction
● Not a widely accepted
● Theatres with non-existent proscenium openings is useful.
● Hybrid between the proscenium and thrust stage theatres.
● Allowing for a high degree of flexibility in staging. In acoustic terms
the situation can be expected to be intermediate between the
proscenium and thrust-stage theatres.

Barbican Theatre, London

● Year 1982 Capacity of 1166
● This compactness has been promoted by having no aisles within the
theatre. Circulation is kept outside and each row has an entrance door.
● The auditorium has another novel feature: the balconies step forward
rather than back as they go up. In this obvious manner the distance from
the stage does not increase at the higher levels.
● In the balconies with no seats further than 18 m from the stage front. 16m
last three rows of the Stalls
Barbican Theatre, London
● The angle of the walls to the centre line is less here few people are at
extreme angles to the stage. exciting working theatre,
● RT in this theatre is a short 0.8 seconds.
● We know good early reflections to assist speech intelligibility..it does not
perform well early reflection ratio mean value of 2.3
● Yet the intelligibility is distinctly better performs well because it is a tight
design + overhung seating
● Remote seats are close to walls and other reflecting surfaces, so that
early reflections are present
● Weak late sound energy. a large opening into the stage house
contributes by ‘absorbing’ a lot of the sound energy which might
otherwise arrive late for the audience.
● Early reflection ratio of 2.3 is acceptable in the open-stage theatre,
● The visual screen in the form of slats suspended below the ceiling,
(absorbers) as used in this theatre, probably has the effect of inhibiting
rather than enhancing ceiling reflections.

The very compactness of the design would make insertion of specific acoustic
reflecting surfaces difficult. But it is this compactness which as much as anything
guarantees acoustic success in the Barbican Theatre,
 06
Theatre in the round
 The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London
Built in a converted circular railway engine shed (originally constructed in 1846), the Roundhouse Theatre always had a makeshift
air about it. Funds were always scarce. But in its heyday it was a popular venue, acclaimed for its avant garde productions.
Contemporary classical music, jazz and popular music were also performed; it was even used for some contemporary music
concerts as part of the BBC Promenade concert series.

● Conditions for speech were always a problem and when the theatre was converted into the round in 1978/9, the acoustics
were seriously considered. The shed itself has of course a huge volume but without funds to seal off the auditorium in
more solid materials, thick drapes round the perimeter and a stretched canopy over the central area contained the theatre
space.
● Only one obvious acoustically reflective surface in this theatre: the floor. The canvas canopy reflected a little, but its
transparency to sound waves was an obvious consequence of its low mass. In these circumstances it is perhaps surprising
that the theatre performed satisfactorily, with only seats in the balcony showing inadequate conditions when the actor
faced away.
● The acoustics of this theatre approached those of an outside space. This is not good for early sound, though the mean
measured early reflection ratio was 2.0. The late reflected sound is fortunately also very low, showing that the thick drapes
are effectively absorbing sound.
● The risk with ‘open-air’ acoustics is that the sound level may become too low. With the furthest seat only 15 m from the
centre of the stage the criterion level was in fact achieved here. However, background noise was a problem in this theatre,
sandwiched as it was between a railway and a busy road.
 The refurbishments

● Thick drapes are effective as porous absorbers, but do not

efficient at low frequencies.This led to an excessive
low-frequency reverberation time, somewhat detrimental to
intelligibility.
● The acoustics were never optimized in that form but the
acoustic demands for theatre in the round are more severe.
Closed in 1983 owing to inadequate turnover.
● the Roundhouse underwent a major refurbishment in 2006 as
a multi-purpose space for theatre, music of all varieties, dance
etc.; stage arrangements in-the-round, thrust and end stage
are available.
● A significant element of the acoustic treatment (designed by
Paul Gillieron Acoustic Design) was adding an isolated roof
weighing 220 tonnes, resting on 400 springs to match the
sound insulation of the 750mm brick walls.
● Large areas of fixed absorption have been added to the walls
and soffit to bring down the empty reverberation time without
seats to 3 seconds. Occupied reverberation times ranging
between 2 and 1 second (at 500 Hz) are now available using
curtains as the variable element.
Opera Houses 07
The London Coliseum
The London Coliseum of 1904 by Frank Matcham.

The Coliseum was to be the largest theatre in the country, with all its major
dimensions. The stage too was built on a grand scale with a 22.8 m revolve in three
independent concentric sections.

For the auditorium, Matchams solution to the problem of size without serious loss 65
of the sense of intimacy was to create a compact central volume surmounted by a
dome with three deep balconies .
55
The auditorium width steps out from that of the Stalls to 31 m in the balconies.
45
1968 large orchestra pit, English National Opera
35
Current capacity of 2354

Potential problem with the design of this theatre is the deep balcony overhangs.
The acoustic performance of this problem seating area

Relatively long reverberation time by UK standards of 1.4 seconds

the effect of the dome on the sound in the upper balcony

The London Coliseum
Subjective characteristics

● The acoustics of the Coliseum were sampled at four positions, three of them exposed to the main volume of
the house and one in the Dress Circle substantially overhung by the balcony above.
● Balance between singer and orchestra for the exposed seats was judged as uniform. All exposed seats were
judged overall as ‘Good’ regarding their acoustics. Relative to the exposed seats, the overhung seat was

●
65
assessed as non reverberant, less enveloping, the least intimate and the quietest in sound level.
The overhung seat is at an advantage, which was perceived subjectively: the balance of sound at this position
favours the singer at the expense of the orchestra. 55
In the Balcony (the highest level) the sound seemed quieter than expected, perhaps because the dome
45
●
obscures strong ceiling reflections.

Objective characteristics 35
● Acoustic measurements were made at 12 positions in the Coliseum in 1982 with an opera set on stage . The unoccupied reverberation
time is just over 1.5 s at mid-frequencies, estimated as about 1.4 s with audience.
● The Coliseum a significant proportion of the audience absorption is shielded by the deep overhangs and does not contribute absorption
that depresses the reverberation time. Speech intelligibility in the Coliseum covers a wide range,
● Worst positions being towards the front of the highest balcony (the dome may well compromise a good ceiling reflection).
● The balance between singer and orchestra is very well behaved

The acoustics of the Coliseum are impressive. Although designed as a variety theatre, it functions well for opera with a satisfactory reverberation
time and sufficient clarity in most locations. Overall the Coliseum is a testament to what must have been a deep understanding of acoustics
developed by its architect,.
Multi-purpose halls 08
The Hexagon, Reading
Derby, opened in 1977.

extremely diverse range of uses. function concert hall + theatre

...audience of 1500.

At the time of opening it used an electronic assisted resonance system to

enhance reverberation for music use.

is likely to have a seating design more appropriate to one than the other.

For concerts there is only minor concern for angle of view ..arena-type
arrangement has advantages for other events such as boxing. But this
leaves many seats unusable in a proscenium theatre configuration.

The adaptable components...retractable seating in the Stalls

...removable seats for the flat floor in front of the stage. ...Screens from
above and from the side provide a ‘picture frame’ proscenium opening

The suspended ceiling has been designed to provide strong acoustic

reflections, particularly to the balcony seats.
The Hexagon, Reading
Subjective characteristics

● Listeners to a chamber orchestra concert ..more enthusiastic about seats close to

the stage than seats in the rear Stalls and Balcony. Judgements ranged between
‘Reasonable’ and ‘Good’.
● average intimacy, spatial impression and loudness. To the author’s ears the assisted
resonance seemed inaudible in the Stalls but made a minor contribution in the
Balcony; the electronic system still leaves an inadequate sense of reverberation.

Objective characteristics

● The RT in this hall is short and the measured change due to the assisted resonance
is inadequate to convert between appropriate acoustic conditions for speech to
good conditions for music
● Objective clarity is high, in line with the reverberation time. Balcony seats have less
than expected values. .inadequate early reflections. The speech sound levels are
also low in remote seats.
● In the theatre configuration the auditorium volume is reduced and the reverberation
time falls to 1.0 second. The absence of early reflections is a minor deficiency with
music owing to the small auditorium size. With speech, inadequate early reflections
prove more serious.
● As usual there is no problem for actors facing into the auditorium, but for actors
facing across stage the expected intelligibility is marginal. In the Hexagon the mean
reflection ratio value is only 1.6, which is particularly low and provides the major
explanation for disappointing speech performance.
The
Development
of the
CONCERT
Hall
 Early Developments
Much of the early history of secular music was associated with court surroundings. Ballrooms were often used
for concerts and the so-called classical concert hall can be seen as a development from this building type.
Predictably ballrooms followed the rectangular plan form.

During Haydn’s employment ( lifelong musician in Austria) with the Esterházy

family, the principal halls for which his symphonies were composed are in the
Schloss Eisenstadt(Austria, 1760–65) and the Schloss Esterháza, Fertöd
(Hungary, 1766–84). Both halls still exist much as they were 200 years ago.
Haydn’s London symphonies were performed in the Hanover Square
Rooms(1791–94) and the King’s Theatre, Haymarket (1794–95). Neither was still
in use by 1900.

Altes Gewandhaus, Leipzig
The ceilings were nominally flat except in the case of the Hanover Square
Rooms which was vaulted. All the halls had flat floors and no significant
balconies. Owing to varying seat densities. The Hanover Square Rooms, built
in 1775 by a partnership which included the (London) J.C. Bach, was to become
the most famous concert hall for the next century. Its audience size was
intended as 800, which in an area of 200 m2 gives a density of 4 per m2
(compared with a typical 2.1 per m2 today).
 Plans of Haydn’s concert halls (courtesy of J. Meyer).
(a) Haydnsaal, Schloss Eisenstadt
(b) Musiksaal, Schloss Esterhàza
(c) Hanover Square Rooms, London
(d) King’s Theatre, London.
H = ceiling height, V = room volume
Details of the halls used for the performance of Haydn’s symphonies

The room volumes of Haydn’s halls varied from 1530

to 6800 m3 , and the calculated reverberation times
between 1.0 and 1.7 seconds. With audience at a
single level, we find the reverberation time closely
related to the ceiling height.
 The Classical
Rectangular Concert Hall
The Classical Rectangular Concert Hall
In small halls the room form matters relatively little for the acoustics. This probably applies to smaller
rectangular plan auditoria built in Britain as civic halls during the nineteenth century. Birmingham Town
Hall of 1834, closely based on the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome, is an important example. It has a
rich history which includes witnessing the premières of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Elgar’s Dream of
Gerontius.

It has a balcony on three sides and with seat capacity of 1086.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century the demand arose for large public
concert halls, and those that derived from the rectangular plans and dimensions
of ballrooms proved to have particularly favourable acoustics. The proportions
were roughly of a double cube, i.e. of 1:1:2, often referred to as shoebox-shape.
The balcony overhangs were modest and the style of the period led to highly
decorated room surfaces. The following will concentrate on the four most
significant of these classical halls plus the London hall contemporary with them.
Many other rectangular halls were built which also gained good reputations,
among them the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (1849–1933), the StadtCasino, Basel
(1876), the St Andrew’s Hall, Glasgow(1877–1962) and the Grosser Tonhalle Saal,
Zurich(1895). Their acoustic character was similar to their contemporaries.
Details of the four most renowned Classical Concert Halls.
(Reverberation times are for the occupied halls at 500/1000 Hz.)
Grosser Musikvereinssaal, Vienna
Seating in the Grosser Musikvereinssaal is at
three levels, though the gallery is basically a
rear extension. The Stalls seating is mainly on a
flat floor, surrounded by under-balcony seating
at the level of the stage. The balcony runs
around all four sides, enclosing the organ behind
the stage. All surfaces are highly profiled, with
the gilded caryatids along the lower side walls,
numerous door surrounds, recessed windows
round three sides at the upper level and a
coffered ceiling. Such surface decoration
produces a highly diffuse and blended sound
experience, which is a hallmark of the
Musikvereinssaal acoustics.
 Plan and Section of the Grosser Musikvereinssaal, Vienna

Indeed when seated in the side balcony with a view of only half the orchestra, the degree of
reflected sound is so high that the visual loss appears much greater than the acoustic one
The Directed Sound Hall
 The Directed Sound Hall
The arrival of the Modern Movement in architecture
after the First World War meant the end of all the
decorative mouldings, the statues in niches and the
coffered ceilings of the classical halls. These
decorated surfaces tend to create highly diffuse
acoustic conditions, which are regarded by some to
be a hallmark of the best acoustics. While acoustically
scattering surfaces can normally be considered a
safe expedient, there is enough evidence of
successful halls with major unprofiled surfaces to
indicate that fragmentation of all large surfaces is not
essential for good acoustic design. Yet the opposite
extreme of a hall with only large bare surfaces is
unlikely to be satisfactory for concert use. The change
of architectural style towards pure lines and smooth
planes makes consultancy more difficult, as a demand
for acoustic scattering surfaces may conflict with
visual preferences.
Gustave Lyon rose conducted some experiments to establish the
value of acoustic reflections.In design of the Salle Pleyel, Paris
(1927; architects Auburtin, Granet and Mathon),he profiled the
ceiling to optimize the reflection of sound onto the audience. He
had also conducted experiments to establish the acceptable
delay of a reflection, and applied the criterion of a maximum of
1/15th of a second, or 67 ms. For the stage of the Salle Pleyel he
perceptively applied this knowledge to limit the maximum
separation of performers on the diagonal dimension of the stage
to 23 m (the distance travelled by sound in 67 ms).M. Lyon has
applied mathematics to the solution of the problem of
constructing an auditorium capable of holding 3000 persons,
each of whom shall be able to hear every note played or sung on
the stage, and also be able to view the whole of it’. Andrade (1932)
recorded his personal experience of clearly hearing a lecturer
throughout the hall, including at the back of the gallery more than
45 metres away. These are impressive claims which the classical
hall could not make.
 Salle Pleyel, Paris
The long section clearly shows the logic of the design, whereas the
plan is an unexceptional modest fan shape.Each segment of the ceiling
(labelled AB, BC and CD) directs a reflection onto a separate section of
audience. The gross form approximates a cylindrical parabola, with the
property that sound from the focus is reflected out in a parallel beam.

The design is aimed at a single source position, a lecturer not an

orchestra. Unfortunately such concave ceilings are not without their
problems. An early reflection in a room only doubles the energy of the
direct sound. What the design of the Salle Pleyel achieved was to
project nearly all the energy which hits the ceiling onto absorbent
audience. This offers good transmission to the listener, but the
performer suffers because sound travels in both directions. Initially the
performers were frustrated by a strong echo off the ceiling and rear
wall. After this had been reduced by absorbent on the rear auditorium
wall, the performers found that so much audience noise was focused
on them they could barely hear each other. The acoustic character of
the Salle Pleyel was highly non-diffuse, almost the opposite extreme to
the classical hall. A loud clear sound was achieved but at the expense
of most other aspects considered important for music listening.
British Concert Halls
Watford Colosseum
Three town hall auditoriums built in the interwar years in London’s hinterland
were known affectionately as the three W’s. One among them is Watford
Colosseum. Previously known as the Watford Town Hall Assembly Hall, it
was renamed in 1994 as the Colosseum, a strange choice perhaps for a
rectangular plan hall. This hall has gross proportions close to the
often-quoted shoebox form of halls famous for their acoustics. Stalls seating
is removable and on a flat floor, which is carpeted to protect a dancing
surface. There is a single balcony with a flat balcony front. The walls contain
windows which unfortunately are now covered by curtains. These will
introduce extra acoustic absorption and have the effect of depressing the
reverberation time. The lower walls are timber panelled; together with the
ceiling cornice detail they were chosen on acoustic grounds.

There are relative merits of the fan shape and rectangular plan form. From
non-acoustic points of view the fan shape has obvious advantages by
bringing audience as close as possible to the stage. Its use as a common
form for cinemas at the time must have been persuasive. However, the
concert halls with the best reputations were rectangular in plan.The convex
splays at the stage and were thought to distribute sound uniformly overthe
hall. Likewise the convex cornice treatment was felt to have advantages of
distributing sound and cornice on the rear wall obscures surfaces which
would otherwise be responsible for a reflection returning back to the stage.
Large areas of wood panelling were also thought desirable at this time.
Subjective Characteristics
The clarity is good but this is at the expense of mediocre
reverberance. Source broadening and intimacy are both
smaller than one expects in a rectangular hall of this modest
size. Though the sound was judged as loud, uniform
throughout the hall and well balanced, the overall
judgement was of only ‘Reasonable’ acoustics. This requires
explanation because in traditional thinking a narrow
rectangular hall of this sort should score well. The major
deficiency would seem to be a lack of response from the
room, due to a lack of both reverberance and source
broadening. The sound was ‘looked at’, rather than there
being any sense of surround and without a real sense of
being in a large space. A couple of comments of false
localization in the stalls and of strange sound quality in
Plan and long section of the Watford Colosseum
the balcony were also made.
 Objective characteristics
The major peculiarity here, the short reverberation time in graph, explains the major criticism of its sound quality. The
occupied mid-frequency value below 1.5 seconds is too short for orchestral purposes and the rise in reverberation time in
the bass is too modest to be useful acoustically. Unless a major use was for unassisted speech, one would not nowadays
install so much timber panelling which limits the reverberation time rise in the bass. The Perceptually more important early
decay time (EDT)is also shorter than the reverberation time, implying an even lower sense of reverberance. Objective Clarity
and the early decay time follow closely the expectations from the reverberation time, so in this hall the traditional acoustic
measure explains much of its acoustic character. For the case of source broadening, objective and subjective results are in
agreement: values are less than one expects for a narrow hall of this sort. The Presence of curtains on sections of the
sidewalls will certainly be detrimental to the crucial early lateral reflections and the presence of low-frequency absorbing
panelling at lower wall levels is also undesirable for the same reason. Bagenal’s concern for good sound distribution has
however been achieved, at least in terms of level. The sound levels at the rear of the hall prove to be particularly high,caused
no doubt by the close proximity of reflecting ceiling surfaces.
Watford Colosseum: Acoustic and building details
Volume = 11 600 m3
Total hall length = 50.0 m
Number of seats = 1586
Volume/seat = 7.3 m3
True seating area = 660 m²
Stage area = 166 m²
Acoustic seating area = 822 m²
True area/seat = 0.42 m²
Volume/acoustic seating area = 14.1 m
Mean occupied reverberation time (125–2000Hz)
= 1.45 seconds (measured by Building Research
Station, 1949, from music)
Owned by Borough of Watford.
Building opened in 1940
Designed by C.C. Voysey
Acoustic consultant: H. Bagenal
Uses: concerts, recordings, dances, banquets,
boxing etc.
Construction:
Floor – carpet covering on timber boarding
(stalls) and concrete (Gallery)
Walls – plaster on brick pierced with windows,
recesses covered with curtain. At stalls level
timber panelling over airspace
Ceiling – fibrous plaster
Stage and choir enclosure – plaster and
perforated organ screen
Stage – timber boarding
Organ – located on either side of stage behind
transparent screens
Seating – upholstered tip-up, bases perforated
in the stalls only
 Colston Hall, Bristol
The Colston Hall design shares many similarities with
the two other British halls of the same year.Of particular
interest are the acoustic effects of the grosser
elements. Compared with the Festival Hall, the stalls
floor is much flatter, but the stage is raked steeply to
maintain sight-lines from the stalls, and there is a high
wall separating the orchestra from the choir seating
behind. The different balcony scheme has already been
mentioned, though what is not immediately obvious is
that the hall width is larger at the balcony level. The
ceilings are different. Whereas the Royal Festival Hall
ceiling is profiled in the longitudinal direction and the
Manchester Free Trade Hall had a highly scattering
ceiling, that of the Colston Hall is, from an acoustic point
of view, basically plane. No doubt serious consideration
was given to the ceiling design in each case. All three
halls had a reflector over the stage.
 Subjective Characteristics
Beranek (1962) quotes and obviously concurs with the then contemporary view
that the acoustics of the Colston Hall are the best of the ‘Festival of Britain’ halls.
He found it ‘almost excellent’, with clarity, brilliance, warmth and adequate
liveness. He raises the problem of poor balance, which can arise with imprudent
brass and timpani placed in front of the rear wall of the stage.
Clarity and source broadening were judged as good, reverberance and intimacy
reasonable and the sound as loud, in fact the loudest of the pre-1990 British
halls in the survey. At the concert we attended, there appeared to be no particular
balance problem associated with over-dominant brass. But There was a
weakness associated with the woodwind, especially in the stalls. The sense of
reverberation is still slightly lacking, with an absence of perceived sound from
above and beyond. This minor deficiency seems to occur both in the stalls and
balcony, though it must become severe well behind the overhang in the rear
Plan and long section of the Colston Hall, Bristol
stalls. One risk associated with frontal reflections off large plane surfaces, in
this case the ceiling, is a possible harsh tonal quality.
 Objective characteristics
A major contribution to the relative success of the Colston Hall is probably associated with the reverberation time, which
approaches the optimum value. Nevertheless the fact that the empty early decay time (EDT) is shorter than the equivalent
reverberation time at mid-frequencies means that the sense of reverberance may yet be below optimum. A low EDT often occurs
with high values for objective clarity, and this is the case here. The high values of the objective clarity (the early-to-late index) occur
predominantly due to a lack of later sound especially in the stalls. A plot of late sound vs. source–receiver distance is particularly
revealing that there is a clear subset of results for the stalls and only the values in the balcony follow theory. The extended balcony
appears to subdivide the space acoustically, mainly to the detriment of the stalls seating. The particularly low values for the
overhung seats of the late and total sound point to poor conditions there, with quiet non reverberant sound. The objective source
broadening is reasonable however. The overhead and ceiling reflections are obviously strong in this hall but the width is also small,
providing spatially balanced early reflections.
Yet it was judged as being particularly loud. One can suggest the relatively small size of the hall and the reasonable reverberation
time as contributory factors, but in addition there appears to be a tendency for listeners to judge sound as loud when there are
strong early reflections. This may be one more effect associated with the large plane surfaces in this hall.
 Colston Hall, Bristol: Acoustic and Building details
Volume = 13 450 m³
Total hall length = 47.7 m
Number of seats = 1940 plus 182 choir
Volume/seat = 6.3 m3
True seating area = 870 m²
Stage area = 111 m²
Acoustic seating area = 1037 m²
True area/seat = 0.41 m²
Volume/acoustic seating area = 13.0 m
Mean occupied reverberation time
(125–2000Hz) = 1.70 seconds (measured by
Building Research Station, 1951, with pistol shots)
Owned by the City of Bristol.
Building opened in July 1951
Designed by City Architect: J. Nelson Meredith
Acoustic consultant: Building Research Station
(H.R. Humphreys, P.H. Parkin and W.A. Allen)
Uses: classical concerts, popular music,
wrestling etc.
Construction:
Floor – timber on flat stalls, linoleum on concrete on raked
sections
Walls – at stalls level: timber panel over airspace up to about
1.5 m, above which are solid convex wooden panels
separated by slots with Rockwool behind. At balcony level
the walls are plaster on masonry with applied panels of 13
mm timber board in echelon fashion over mineral wool of
mean depth 125 mm. Rear walls are acoustic tile over 38 mm
airspace.
Ceiling – 19 mm plaster on metal lath with 38 mm
vermiculite concrete above
Ceiling cornices – exposed wood wool
Stage and choir enclosure – timber mainly over airspace
Stage reflector – plaster on metal lath
Stage – hardwood boarding with large airspace below
Organ – behind grill beyond choir seating, covered with
curtain
Seating – upholstered tip-up with plywood base
Chamber Music
&
Recital Halls
Wigmore Hall,
London
The auditorium plan form is rectangular with a
shallow balcony opposite the stage. Yet in two
respects the design differs from the ‘classical’
model, as epitomized by the Vienna
Musikvereinssaal. The ceiling is barrel-vaulted
rather than flat with a curvature capable of
causing focusing. Secondly the wall surfaces are
not particularly scattering. The seating capacity
is 544, while the stage is only 33m2 in area. This
restricts use to recital situations; performances
with more than six players are rare.
 Subjective Characteristics
At a recital in 1984 for solo piano, flute and piano and
finally string quartet, the sound was uniformly judged as
loud and intimate. Intimacy is particularly germane to
recital halls; the Wigmore Hall possesses this quality
and allows the listener to savour the sound of
individual instruments. Clarity was also judged as high
(except at a seat position towards the rear of the stalls)
Reverberance was judged as mid-way between ‘Live’
and ‘Dead’, which may imply an optimum value.
Source broadening was likewise judged as reasonable,
but not exceptional. Overall acoustic quality was rated
as ‘Good’. As regards background noise, underground
trains are unfortunately audible in quiet passages here.

Plan and Sections of the Wigmore Hall, London

 Objective Characteristics
With a measured reverberation time of 1.6 seconds, and
predicted value of 1.5 seconds occupied, the volume of the hall
appears to be well chosen for an appropriate balance between
clarity and reverberance. Variation of reverberation time with
frequency is small . Average objective clarity is as expected, but
high values occur in the balcony (and more predictably below it).
The reason for high clarity in the balcony is obvious from
measured impulse responses: these balcony positions receive
intense early reflections which are louder than the direct sound.
Focusing by the barrel-vaulted ceiling is clearly the cause, but
with reflection delays of 30 ms or less no echo is apparent. Within
the listener group, only one member seemed worried by the
harsh sound quality which can be perceived in these
circumstances. Total sound is a little less than expected, for
reasons that are not clear. (Perhaps the concave ceiling focuses
more sound onto the absorbent audience than normally occurs,
thereby starving the later reverberant sound.)
THANK YOU!
Reference Book:

Auditorium Acoustics and

Architectural Design
(Second Edition) By Michael Barron