Narrative

The conference hall has a total of 108 seats, arranged in 12 rows of 9 seats each. Both in the
initial version of the hall, without acoustic treatments, and in the final one, with acoustic treatments,
we chose an occupancy of 50%, more precisely 54 seats occupied. We chose the sound transmitter to
be positioned centrally on the stage relative to the width of the room, and not relative to the stage
(which is asymmetrical). The hall has windows on the wall behind the hall (facade facing the street)
and on one of the two side walls. The chairs are made of wood, and the initial finishes of the room
are ordinary finishes, such as plaster painted on the walls and ceiling and parquet in terms of
flooring. The initial volume of the room is 447 m3, which corresponds to a RT = 0.7 seconds,
approximately, according to the table with the recommended reverberation durations, a value that is
not met.
1. Hall geometry:
The geometry of the hall is simple, parallelipipedic. It is characterized by a large level height
and, therefore, by a large free height. The stage is asymmetrical to the hall, 30cm high, with an
access in the area opposite to the access of the hall.
Starting from this geometry from the architecture project, we made various changes. First of
all, we made the spectator area in steps, in order to respect the visibility curve. In order to reduce the
volume, the rapid reflections from the ceiling and the echo characteristic of the great heights of the
halls, we reduced the free height of the hall, through a suspended ceiling. In the area of the stage, we
reduced it even more and made sure that many of the sound reflections were useful (the first third of
the room is the most useful), the suspended ceiling being tilted - the effects are marked in the
longitudinal section. Regarding the cross section, we marked on each half of it the reflections from
the ceiling, respectively the side walls. On the stage, trying to avoid the echo of fluttering
corresponding to the parallel surfaces in the area of the sound source, but also for many more sound
reflections to be useful, I intervened with two reflective panels, on each side of the stage. Its
asymmetry and the limitation due to access make the two panels and the reflections generated by
them to be asymmetrical (which does not affect their beneficial effects).
2. Reverberation study:
The initial reverberation time, corresponding to the degree of occupancy of the room, the
volume and the initial finishes, with the afferent surfaces, is RT = 0.7sec. Through the measures
taken at the level of the hall geometry, aiming to avoid acoustic mistakes, the new volume of the hall
is 355 m3, which corresponds to a RT = 0.65sec, approximately.
Since the surfaces in the sound source area must be as reflective as possible, and those behind
the room as sound-absorbing as possible, we made various changes, thus fulfilling the requirement
that the reverberation time RT be 0.65sec. With the same occupancy rate of 50% (54 seats), we have
made changes to the seats, now being full-upholstered textile chairs, which are more sound-
absorbing. The wall behind the stage and the reflective panels have sound-reflecting qualities. Going
to the back of the room, I chose the wall finishes so that they are more and more sound-absorbing.
Regarding the floor, we chose different finishes between the stage and the hall, respectively wood
planks floor (corresponding to a stage solution) and PVC sheet floor in the rest of the room. This
choice was more appropriate to a usual technical solution, and not due to the acoustics (since the
surface on the stage is more sound-absorbing than the room). Regarding the ceiling, we chose two
different finishes, for the inclined one in the stage area and the horizontal one in the hall area, both
with reflective qualities. we also put curtains in front of the windows, and we changed the door,
being more sound-absorbing. Regarding the distances mentioned for different acoustic treatments, in
some cases, they are longer or variable, so we chose the treatment with the distance closest to the real
situation in the project.