DIRE DAWA

UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTION OF
TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL
OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
AND ARCHITECTURE
DEPARTMENT
ARCHITECTURAL
DESIGN, URBAN &
REGIONAL PLANNING
CHAIR

GROUP MEMBER ID
ABENEZER TEFERA 1103251
Architectural acoustic
KEBEK FITALA 1103567
Title- Gothic period
MUNA ALI 1103816
SELAMWIT ABERA 1103121
  

Contents
Gothic period (1100-1400).........................................................................................................................3
Gothic Art...................................................................................................................................................4
Gothic art characteristics.............................................................................................................................5
Gothic architecture......................................................................................................................................6
Gothic acoustic............................................................................................................................................7
Auditorium..................................................................................................................................................8
Acoustics of Notre-Dame cathedral de Paris...............................................................................................9
Measurements setup..................................................................................................................................10
Comparison of parameter results...............................................................................................................11
GA model..................................................................................................................................................12
Reconstructing the acoustics of Notre Dame.............................................................................................14
How they captured the acoustics of Notre Dame.......................................................................................15
Play it forward: The reconstruction of Notre Dame...................................................................................16
History.......................................................................................................................................................19
Overview...................................................................................................................................................20
Yasuda Auditorium...................................................................................................................................21
History.......................................................................................................................................................21
Architecture...............................................................................................................................................21
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................23

I
 ABSTRACT
This paper contains the gothic period history of acoustical auditorium buildings. Especially their
space arrangement and how they measure setups in their spaces

II
 Gothic period (1100-1400)
In Europe, the Gothic period lasted from the 12th to the 15th centuries AD. It was a French-
born artistic movement that produced a wide range of artistic works, but is best known for its
fashions and innovative and unique architectural style. Many historic European churches feature
architecture from the Gothic period, which arose from the Romanesque period. This is the artistic
period immediately preceding the famous Renaissance period, which began in Italy and lasted

from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, the Cologne

Cathedral in Germany, and the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi
in Italy are just a few examples of famous Gothic style buildings.
Following the completion of the original Gothic period buildings,
the Gothic style saw a revival in the 16th century, spreading the
period’s architectural style even further. This is why, when
settlers had not yet arrived in the Americas, some early American
churches were built in the Gothic style.

The Gothic style is distinguished its love of light, tall arches, and vertical structures. During this
artistic period, large, colorful, and brightly sunlit stained glass windows became popular in
churches. Many Gothic structures have tapestries on the inside and outside, as well as pointy
spires that reach high into the sky from the roofs of these structures.
Many people thought Gothic art was rough, barbaric, and unrefined in comparison to Classical
art. Before the Gothic style was widely accepted, critics were harsh on its practitioners. During
the Gothic period, many notable artists worked, including French painter Jacque art de Hesdin,
Polish German painter Jan Polack, and German sculptor Veit Stoss.
During the Gothic period, fashionable women wore pointy headdresses that resembled a pair of
draped horns, with their hair pulled tightly back from their foreheads. Exposed hair was
frequently styled long and flowing, with a floral headband. Men wore tight hose with undershirts
hidden

1
beneath draped, puffy decorative over shirts called doublets, which were occasionally
embroidered.
During this time, Europe was torn apart war and suffering. The Gothic period in art corresponded
to the height of the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, in Europe. It also happens to

fall during the Hundred Years’ War.

Gothic Art
Gothic architecture and artistic expression flourished throughout the Roman Empire of Europe
from the 12th century until well into the Renaissance period. The forms and innovations bucked
classical trends in Roman architecture, as they were born of utilitarian concerns. As a result,
critics dubbed the movement Goth, after the Germanic nomads who were blamed for diluting
Roman civilization since the third century.

One engineering marvel that distinguishes this style of architecture is

the pointed entrance or window arch. This advancement enabled
architects to construct structures that were taller than previous
classical designs. Stained-glass depictions of saints in the new Gothic
art style adorned many of these windows. Peaked arches were also
seen on the inside of Gothic structures, in supports and entryways.

Gothic art characteristics

Gothic architecture used novel techniques, such as high vaulted ceilings and arches. Among the
main characteristics of Gothic art are:
 The principle of the aesthetics of light as the foundation of all art. He was able to
represent the theocentric idea of the light of God.
 Its application in religious architecture, such as monasteries and cathedrals.

2
 

 The use of the pointed arch that ended in a pointed shape and generated a sensation of
great height. It was applied to domes, doors and windows.
 The application of innovative architectural techniques that allowed to achieve the unique
style of high ceilings, flying buttress arches and extensive stained glass walls.
 The design of extravagant forms applied both in sculpture and in architectural decoration.
 The decoration with shiny materials and the use of bright colors, to exacerbate the
concept of luminosity.
 The application of large colored windows that reflected different types of light into the
interior of cathedrals and monasteries
Main Gothic works
Interior of the first Gothic-style basilica, Saint Denis in France. Among the main works of
Gothic art, the cathedrals stand out as architectural work par excellence. Among the most
representative are:
 The basilica of the royal abbey of Saint Denis in France.
 The cathedrals of León, Burgos, Toledo, Gerona, Barcelona and Seville, in Spain.
 The cathedrals of Cologne and Strasbourg in Germany.
 The cathedrals of Gloucester, Salisbury and Lincoln, in England.
 The cathedrals of Chartres and Reims, in France.
 Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.
 The cathedral of Santa Maria de las Flores, in Florence and that of Milan, in Italy.

Gothic architecture
The use of the pointed arch allowed a better distribution of the weight of the roofs.
The architecture was the ultimate expression of Gothic art, it was based on the concept of light as
the foundation and symbol of divinity. Gothic art was born from the theocentric idea in which
God was the center of reality and considered that everything that made up the universe was a
reflection of God’s light.The elements of the period with Gothic aesthetics were symbolic of

3
spirituality. In architecture, the development of new sophisticated techniques was added to
exacerbate the theocentric concept, such as:

 The ribbed vaults: They consisted of a type of roof made up of a system of interlocking

vaults that, in turn, were crossed by pointed arches or arches. This system was of support to
distribute the weight of the structure towards the pillars.
 Flying buttresses: They consisted of a half arch built on the outside of the building and
supported by the side walls. They were a support guide for the interior vaults.
 The pointed arch: It consisted of the pointed finish of the windows and doors that
accentuated the feeling of height. This architectural ornament was used in geometric contrast
and repeatedly towards the interior, that is, towards the limits of the door or windows
 The stained glass: They consisted of extensive stained glass walls located in the upper half
of the building and contained by a system of columns. The stained glass windows had vivid
colors and religious images that reflected the sunlight inward, recreating an emotional and
expressionist experience that reinforced the concept of ethnocentris

The acoustic atmosphere of Gothic period

The acoustic atmosphere of Gothic churches is an important part of their cultural heritage.
Mainly, it is formed by rather long reverberation and frequency-depending reflections effected
by the columns. Measurements in more than 50 German Gothic churches show a narrow range
for mid-frequency reverberation depending on volume being typical for this architectural style
but differing for churches with plaster or brick surfaces. The dimensions of the columns lead to
the effect that the first high-frequency reflections (coming from side directions) reach the
listeners earlier than the low-frequency reflections (coming from above). Some examples will be
given how to improve the room acoustic properties for speech and for music without affecting
the conservation aspects of the historical buildings.

4
The Gothic churches to be found in a great number in all European countries represent a huge
cultural heritage that must be preserved very conscientiously. These buildings have been built
mainly during the 12th to 14th century for praising god. But their size was not only focused to
the demands of masses and other services but often they should demonstrate the richness of the
clergy, the parish or community. Therefore, many of the Gothic churches are much larger than
necessary for the services ad gloriam dei. Furthermore, during the following centuries, the
modalities of the services varied in a wide range. Originally, clergy and laity were strongly split
using their separate parts of the church. Whereas the clergy had comfortable choirstalls, the
laymen had to stand for attending the mass, they assembled around the different altars or close to
the priest preaching from the rood screen. Pulpits are to be found not before the 15th century,
canopies over the pulpit came into use about 1500. Caused by Luther’s reformation, the sermon

5
got a much higher degree of importance and in this connection, pews for the laymen have been
introduced – not only in Lutherans churches, but also in catholic churches. On the other hand,
church music became more

and more important: During the middle age, there existed only simple liturgic songs and later
monophonic Gregorianic songs that could develop their full sound in the reverberant churches
creating a very emotional effect. Particularly in the baroque period, music became more and
more polyphonic, and the intelligibility of the sung texts became an essential part of the semantic
understanding of the service. This changing situation led to changed requirements of the acoustic
environment. But even if new churches have been built during all the time.

Reverberation time period

Mid-frequency Reverberation As well known; the reverberation time is the most important
physical parameter for describing the acoustic behavior of historic churches since the sound field
generated in theses rooms shows a high degree of diffusion – in contrast to many modern
churches. The reverberation time including its dependence on frequency is primarily determined
by the room bounding surfaces and additionally by furniture and decoration and by the audience.
Furthermore, the volume of the room plays an important role. The volume of Gothic churches
varies in a very wide range from small village churches with about 1.000 m3 to large cathedrals
with more than 100.000 m3.
for example: the Cologne cathedral has a volume of 235.000 m3. As the largest part of the room
surfaces consists of plaster or uncovered stones, the roughness and porosity of these areas
determines the main part of the sound absorption. In this connection it should be mentioned that
the columns or pillars enlarge the entire surface area of the room in an essential way: in most
churches the ratio between the area of the walls and the surface of the pillars is in the order of 1 :
0.25 to 1 : 0.3, that means pillars enlarge the wall absorption by a quarter or more; in special
cases of extreme thick pillars, the enlargement of the wall surface by pillars reaches the order of
50 %. For mid-frequencies, the typical absorption coefficient of the walls and columns lies
between 0.075 and 0.10 if the stones are covered by plaster in a traditional way.
Measurements of the reverberation time in more than 50 (unoccupied) Gothic churches lead to
the interesting result that there exists a rather narrow range for the mid-frequency reverberation

6
time that rises with increasing volume from values about 2.5 to 3.8 s at 3.000 m3 until 9 to 10 s
at 100.000 m3. It can be described by the form: V Tm in s Tm = 4.4 lg ------ - 12,4 V in m3 V0 =
1 m3 This form is valid for churches from about 2.000 m3 to 250.000 m3; the individual values
vary

in a range of ± 0.7 s for churches of medium size and of about ± 0.6 s for small and for very
large churches. Obviously, this range of the mid-frequency reverberation time is a style-related
property
of the Gothic churches creating the typical acoustic atmosphere of these rooms. But there are two
groups of exceptions. In Northern Germany, many churches are made by brick and large parts of
these stones are uncovered or painted only by porous color.
As brick has a higher porosity than natural stones or plaster, the sound absorption is distinctly
higher, typical for mid-frequencies is an absorption coefficient of about 0.13, i. e. about 50 %
higher than for plastered surfaces. Measurements lead to the result that the midfrequency
reverberation time of brick churches can be described by V Tm = 3 lg ----- - 8.5 V0 This form is
valid at least for churches having a volume between 3.000 m3 and 80.000 m3; the individual
values vary by not more than ± 0.5 s. That means in those churches, typical values for the
reverberation time are in the order of 3 s for 6.000 m3 and 5 s for 30.000 m3. On the other hand,
there are to be found some Gothic churches having a much longer reverberation time than
described above as typical.
The mid-frequency reverberation time in these churches reaches values up to twice the
characteristic values of churches with plastered surfaces. For example, in several churches
having a volume of about 20.000 m3, a midfrequency reverberation time between 9 s and 11.5 s
has been measured. The reason for this extremely long reverberation is the fact that these rooms
have been restored (after destruction during the war) or renovated later by using a very tight and
uniparous plaster and covering paint. Furthermore, the furniture and decoration has been reduced
to a minimum in a very puristic way. Comparing these extremely long reverberation times with
the style-related values mentioned above, one must conclude that they don’t agree with the
characteristic acoustic atmosphere typical for Gothic churches. Frequency Dependence of
Reverberation Besides the mid-frequency reverberation, the frequency dependence of the
reverberation time plays an important role for characterizing the acoustic behavior of churches

7
because the variation of the reverberation time with frequency is much more pronounced than in
concert halls or opera houses. Caused by the architectural style, hard surfaces prevail and there
are only small areas that are fit for vibration like wooden parts of the floor, windows or - seldom
- wooden galleries. Therefore, the main tendency of the reverberation curve is increasing to
lower frequencies.

There has not been found any Gothic church with a reverberation curve decreasing towards
lower frequencies as often to be found in baroque churches. As a measure for this increase, the
ratio between the higher value to be found in the 125-Hzoctave or the 250-Hz-octave and the
value for mid-frequencies (average of the 500-Hz-octve and the 1000-Hz-octave) shall be
considered. Statistically seen, the increase of the reverberation time towards low frequencies
varies between 5 and 50 % of the value for midfrequency. For churches with plastered surfaces,
the increase mostly is concentrated in the range between 1.1 and 1.25, even if higher ratios are to
be found. In brick churches, the ratio mainly lies between 1.05 and 1.15, that means in general
the rise is little gentler, but also ratios up to 1.5 occur showing an extremely strong increase of
the reverberation time towards low frequencies.
The most important areas for low-frequency absorption are the windows. Usually, they consist of
stained glass having little thickness; and it is a remarkable fact that the very old platelets often
have a thickness in the order of only 1 mm. Later, little thicker platelets were used. As there is
not any closed air cavity behind the vibrating plate, there exists nearly no resonance effect and
the sound absorption of the windows includes very low frequencies too. If in our times a second
plane is added to windows (for example for sound insolation), a stronger resonance is generated
by the combination of stained glass and cavity that tunes the window distinctly higher (up to
about 500 Hz!) and the low frequency absorption of the window is reduced. In Gothic churches,
the portion of the window area related to the entire room surfaces (walls) varies in a rather wide
range from about 2 to 12 %. Accordingly, the influence on the low frequency reverberation is
strong. Even if some other architectural details may contribute to the low-frequency sound
absorption, a statistical dependence on the window area is to be seen: If the portion of the
windows is not more than 4 % of the entire surface area, the increase of the reverberation time
towards low frequencies is 25 % and more. Churches with a window portion of 8 % and more

8
show only an increase of less than 10 %; as a remarkable example, the Erfurt Dom Church
(volume 33.500 m3) may be mentioned: it has a window portion of 12 % and an increase of the
reverberation time towards low frequencies of only 5 % (Measurement by Tennhardt and
Stendel, 1995).
The reverberation time at higher frequencies does not depend as much on the architectural style,
as on one hand the porosity and roughness of the mainly used materials and therefore the

absorption coefficients do not differ as much, and one the other hand, the energy loss by
dissipation increases by frequency. As the influence of the dissipation on the reverberation rises
by the volume, the ratio between theses energy losses and the sound absorption by surfaces rises
by increasing volume. In the Ulm Münster (volume 105.000 m3) e.g. the reverberation time for
4000 Hz is 5,7 s when unoccupied; according to Sabine’s formula an entire effective absorption
area of about 3000 m2 would be related to this. Considering usual climatic conditions, the
dissipation losses in this church would be equal to 2500 m2, that means that the reverberation
time at 4000 Hz would be determined with more than 80 % by the dissipation. Even in medium-
sized churches (volume about 15.000 m3) the influence of the dissipation on the reverberation
time at 4000 Hz lies in the order of 30 %.

Direct sound and first reflections

Influence of Pillars and Columns in Gothic churches, the propagation of direct sound and first
reflections is formed in a special way by the architectural structure of the building; this concerns
the pillars and columns that divide the room into three or five naves as well as the shape of the
vault. First, the direct sound radiated towards the aisles is shadowed by the pillars. Columns and
pillars can be thick, usually the ratio between the diameter of the pillars and the open space
between them is in the order of 1: 2 to 1: 4.5. That leads to the result that 30 to 50 % of the area
of the aisles cannot be seen from the position of the speaker; for the sound of the organ, this
portion would be still higher.
Additionally considering that the direct sound ray which just touches the pillar is attenuated by
about 5 dB for medium and high frequencies because of the bending, one can expect that the part
of seats where the direct sound is not affected adversely may be greater than the percentage
mentioned above. On the other hand, low frequency components will be distributed more

9
equalized over the whole area of the aisles; therefore, the clarity as well as the sound color vary
in a high degree. For listeners seating in the nave, the influence of the pillars on sound is
particularly remarkable. As the pillars act as reflectors having limited size, a limiting frequency
occurs for an effective reflection. In addition to the size of the reflecting area, the angle of sound
incidence and the distance from the reflector to the sound source as well as to the listener
influences this limiting frequency: The larger the distances, the higher the limiting frequency
(Cremer, 1953).

For a sound source on the organ gallery, typical values of the limiting frequency vary between
1000 and 1500 Hz, in case of very thick pillars it can be shifted down to about 750 Hz. Above
this limiting frequency, an approximately total reflection can be expected. Below this frequency,
the reflected energy is attenuated by 6 dB / oct (Rindel, 1992). If the frequency is lower by a
factor of 4.5 of the limiting frequency (i.e., little more than two octaves), the reflected sound
energy is attenuated by 13 dB, that means 95 % of the incident sound energy is bent around the
pillar; according to the range of limiting frequencies mentioned, this approximately total
diffraction occurs below about 250 to 300 Hz. For a speaker in the pulpit or in front of the altar,
similar values occur. For the listeners’ impression, this frequency dividing effect is very
important.
The diffuse high frequency reflections generated by columns or compound pillars reach the
listeners with very short delay. As the width of the nave mostly does not exceed 8 to 9 m, typical
delay times for the first lateral reflections of high-frequency components are shorter than 10 Ms.
By way of contrast, the first low frequency reflections arrive much later: If the sound source is
positioned only few steps higher than the audiences, first low-frequency-reflections come from
the side walls having delay times about 30 MS and more; if the sound source is located on the
organ gallery, first low-frequency reflections come via the vaulting and the delay times can be
little shorter, particularly for an rather high located organ it may be in the order of “only” 20 MS
but still clearly later than the high-frequency reflections. It seems the effect that the first high
frequency reflections arrive from lateral directions and the first low frequency arrive later and
from above makes an essential contribution to the special “sacral” atmosphere of Gothic
churches (J. Meyer, 2001). Concerning the sound of the organ, it should be mentioned that the
main components of the mixed voices like “Mixture” or “Cimbel” fall into the range of the high-

10
frequency reflections as well as the articulation noise (“speaking”) of all (!) pipes, even in the
low stops. That enhances the brilliance of the tutti sound and the clarity of the tone onsets very
much.
On the other hand, the later reflections of the low frequency components lead – together with the
rise of the reverberation time towards low frequencies – to a prolongation of the initial tone
development. Caused by this temporal fine structure of the tonal onset, the low frequency
components seem to be softer and weaker, as the experiences of the first New York Philharmonic
Hall have shown (E. Meyer and Kuttruff, 1963).

That means the loudness of the low frequency components generated in Gothic churches is not
as high as to be expected considering only the radiated sound energy and the frequency
dependence of the reverberation time. Influence of vaulting form Another point of interest is the
influence of the different vaulting shapes on the sound transmission via vaulting reflections.
Mostly, Gothic churches have so called groined vaults. With many of them the top line in length
direction is approximately a straight line over the whole length of the church; there are only four
rather small triangular caps drawn down at the pillars. With this kind of vaulting, about 70 % of
the vault area are not lower than 0.5 m below the top. That means that the vaulting effects like a
plain ceiling with some diffusing elements and there is a good sound propagation by forward
reflections reaching the full length of the church. Some churches have top lines in length
direction with little stronger arching drawn down by about 1 to 1.5 m from the keystone which is
the highest point. Consequently, a larger part of the vault surface is drawn down, only about 20
% are not lower than 0.5 m below the top and a great part is to be found between 1 and 3 m
below the top.
In such cases, the reflections may be little focused, but they are spread over the whole length of
the church too. Quite another effect happens with so called cambered vaultings, that rise from the
keystone to all sides into a higher arch before drawn down to the transverse arch that – even on
the length axis of the church - can be about 4 m lower than the highest part of the vaulting.
Particularly for the organ sound or other sources on a high gallery, this leads to the effect, that
the direct sound runs – even on the middle axis – against vault areas and is reflected steeply
down (in the first bay) or backwards (in the other bays). Therefore, it can occur that middle and

11
high-frequency reflections reach only the audience sitting in the first two bays (numbered from
the organ) and that a the transit to the third bay the sound impression immediately changes
towards a less brilliant timbre and reduced clarity. This must be compensated by the organ maker
by a rather sharp intonation particularly in the higher stops.

12
 Feasibilities for modifications
Acoustical and Conservatory Demands Because of the rather long reverberation time of many
larger churches, the congregations are often dissatisfied with the acoustic properties and ask for
improving. This concerns not only the speech intelligibility that might be improved by
loudspeakers, but also the clarity of music. On the other hand, organs need a long reverberation
for two reasons: First, the decay time of the organ sound itself is extremely short (100 to 150 MS
for 60 dB) and an abrupt end of a chord is very disturbing (the more the louder the chord), and
second, a great part of the organ music has been composed considering long reverberation of the
room, that applies to German baroque compositions as well as particularly for French romantic
music. Extensive research on subjective judgements of the reverberation time resulted in a well-
defined range for “good acoustics” of unoccupied churches: the lower limit of the mid-frequency
reverberation time rises from a value of 1,2 at 1.000 m3 over 2 s at 3.000 m3 to 4 s at 20.000 m3.
The upper limit rises from 1.9 s at 1.000 m3 over 3.3 s at 3.000 m3 to 5.5 s at 20.000 m3. Within
this range, the upper part is more convenient for music and leads to essential restrictions for
speech; it is to be recommended, if church concerts with a great audience play an important role
for the congregation. A comparison of this recommended reverberation range with the style-
related range for Gothic churches shows, that a good coincidence exists only for small churches
up to 2.000 m3. With rising volume, the range for Gothic churches exceeds the recommending
range, but until 15.000 m3 the lower part covers the upper part of the recommended range.
Above about 15.000 m3 there isn’t any covering of both ranges. Therefore, the question arises, to
which extent the reverberation time may be reduced without injuring the (acoustical!)
conservatory aspects of historic buildings. A basis for an answer can be the threshold for
distinguishing different reverberation times that lies in the order of 5 % for experienced listeners.
Therefore, one can accept that most listeners might not feel a discrepancy between the optical
and the acoustical room impression if the reverberation time is about 10 % below the lower limit
of the style-related range, with very large churches (volume about 100.000 m3 ) even 15 %
below that limit. This concerns not only the mid-frequency reverberation but the low frequencies
too, if the ratio remains in the

13
range mentioned above. Of course, in churches where the reverberation time essentially exceeds
the style-related range, the reverberation time has to be reduced for conservatory reasons.

Gothic acoustic
For example: when we speak of a ‘Gothic’ acoustical space, we
automatically fall under the shadow of prejudices and expectations
which we have inherited not from the middle Ages but from the
intervening centuries. The Gothic cathedral, especially in its 19th and
20th century manifestation, is a clean and soaring space, a vast, light-
filled and resonant cavern. And in my own experience as a vocalist, the
performance of 13th century sacred music, especially polyphony, in
such a space has almost always been a challenge and sometimes a
source of frustration. In the great cathedrals such as the Kölner Dom or
Notre Dame de Paris, the singers of my ensemble and others have often
felt lost, miniaturized, disconnected and ineffectual in concert, almost
as if we were not able to make the space resonate properly

Each of the many different repertoires of medieval sacred music was intended for a particular
resonating space in which music, voice and acoustics work together in a unique and harmonious
synergy. From our perspective, almost 900 years removed from our distant musical ancestors, we
tend to think today in terms of a generalized ‘medieval’ church acoustic, when in fact these
spaces were created in a wide variety of forms and dimensions, highly differentiated, reflecting
local and regional styles. Similarly, in the middle Ages there was no such thing as ‘medieval
music’ and there was never a singer who thought of himself as singing early music in a historical
acoustical space.  Sacred spaces do not resonate alone they respond to the voices within them,
and in the Middle Ages these would have been both site-specific and varied: voices of an entire
monastic community (men or women, but never both together), voices of canons, voices of

14
highly-trained cantorial soloists or the schola cantorum, and voices of boys. Each of these vocal
configurations and registers resonates within a given space in a different way. The sound of
today’s ubiquitous

mixed-gender choir was unknown, and the sound of women’s voices was only heard in an all-

female monastic context. 

In the late 12th and 13th centuries, when great cathedrals were being built all over Europe, they were
not the vast Gothic monuments we know today, but rather modern works-in-progress, multi-
generational construction sites in which the only musical utterance was vocal (no large organs were in
use at that time). They were filled not only with the everyday comings and goings of the clergy and the
faithful, but also with a mix of working artisans and clerics celebrating the liturgy: the sounds of
hammering, hauling, of masons shouting orders and warnings, merged with the sounds of preaching
and chanting, with processions glimpsed through clouds of dust.

Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience
to hear and watch performances. For movie
theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is
expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can
be found in entertainment venues, community halls,
and theaters, and may be used for rehearsal,
presentation, performing arts productions, or as
a learning space.

Acoustics of Notre-Dame cathedral de Paris

The Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris is amongst the most well-known worship spaces in the
world. This medieval cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French
Gothic architecture. It is approximately 130 m long, 48 m wide, and 35 m high. The large
volume in combination with its vast exposed limestone and marble surfaces lead to long
reverberation times. Despite the notoriety of this space, there are few examples of published data

15
on the acoustical parameters of this space. Hamayon presented reverberation time estimations as
a function of octave bands [125–4000 Hz: 8.5, 8.0, 7.5, 6.0, 4.5, 2.7 s]. Mercier presented
slightly different

reverberation time values [125–4000 Hz: 8.5, 8.2, 6.5, 6.2, 4.7, 2.5 s]. Both studies presented
simply the reverberation times without any measurement protocol information, nor with
information about other room-acoustical parameters
Therefore, this study carried out an acoustical measurement (2015) employing sine-sweeps and
balloon bursts as excitation signals. Additionally, archival recordings (1987) were recovered
which included balloon bursts Parameter results of these two measurements are presented.
The presented parameter results showed a decreased reverberation time between the 2 series. To
explore the possible causes of these differences, a geometrical acoustics (GA) model was created
and calibrated according to a methodical procedure employing the 2015 sine sweeps as a
reference
During the 2015 measurements, 4 S (ource) × 8 R (eceiver) combinations recorded 4 sets of 2
sine sweeps. It was identified from the resulting room impulse responses (RIRs) that they were
measured under time-variant conditions, resulting in reverberation time underestimations of the
averaged RIRs. Sec. 5 summarizes a recently established correction method for slowly time
variant systems caused by minor temperature changes

Measurements setup
1987 measurement

16
 Measurement protocol – Fig. 1a shows the measurement plan for the
1987 measurements with S-R positions. While a variety of
techniques using different stimuli were employed, only balloon
burst sources were exploitable due to lack of anechoic stimuli
details. 3 balloon bursts from source position 1 were recorded as
well as 1 balloon burst from source position 2. Measurement
equipment input – The sound was recorded with 13 omnidirectional
microphones which were connected to a multitrack recorder
(Tascam)

2015 measurement

Measurement protocol – Fig. 1b shows the measurement plan

highlighting S-R positions for the 2015 measurement. 3 measurement
sets of 2 sine-sweeps during which microphones 1–8 changed
positions were carried out (the changing positions of these
microphones are represented by the letters behind the measurement
position). Due to excessive exterior noise, the first measurement
repetition was carried out twice, resulting in 4 measurement sets.
Microphones 9–16 hang from the ceiling (7 m above floor level),
thus remained at the same position and consequently recorded eight
similar RIRs. After the last sweep measurement, a balloon burst at
every source position was recorded with the receivers at the final
position to provide comparable stimuli to the 1987 measurements.

Figure 1–Measurement plans (a) 1987 and (b) 2015 of the Notre-Dame cathedral.

Comparison of parameter results

17
Table 1 and Fig. 2 present the T20, EDT, C50, and C80 results of these measurements.
Additionally, Fig. 2 presents the T20 results from previous Notre-Dame reverberation time
studies. As expected, reverberation parameters were within one Just Noticeable Difference
(JNDEDT = 5% ) between 2015 sine-sweeps and balloon burst. Subsequently, 1987 and 2015
balloon bursts were compared under two assumptions: 1) parameter averaging over multiple S-R
combinations located throughout the space provides sufficiently comparable results, and 2)
averaging over repeated balloon bursts compensates for variations in individual burst emissions .
Results show a decrease of 1–3 JND in T20 for the octave bands 250–2000 Hz (limited data for
the 125 Hz octave band due to poor SNR). Additionally, the 2015 T20 measurements show
better resemblance to values presented in the previous 1996 and 2002 studies than the 1987
measurements. EDT showed similar differences, decreasing for octave bands 125–1000 Hz by 1–
3 JND.

Table 1 – Mean and SD of the EDT, T20, C50, and C80 of all measured S-R combinations for the 1987 balloon
burst, 2015 balloon burst, and 2015 sine-sweeps

As expected, clarity parameters between 2015 sine sweeps and balloon bursts showed good
resemblance, except in the 125 Hz octave band where the sine sweeps were more than 3 JND
(JNDC80 = 1 dB [5]) higher, though the meaning of clarity and the validity of the ISO JND

18
values in such a low frequency octave band may be questionable. As clarity parameters are
dependent on S-R distance, these parameters were compared for similar S-R combinations
between 1987 and
2015 balloon bursts (1987: S1R2, S1R7, S2R2, and S2R7; and 2015: S2R4c, S2R1c, S1R4c, and
S1R1c respectively). The mean clarity parameter (500-1000 Hz) for these position slightly
decreased (C50 - 1987: -6.3, 2015: -6.9. C80 – 1987: -5.1, 2015: -5.2.). This is in contrast to

what one would expect; decrease in reverberation time typically results in an increase in clarity.

GA model
The difference in reverberation between configurations was explored using a GA model. The
room acoustic model of the Notre-Dame cathedral (see Fig. 2). The Notre-Dame cathedral is a
space with a fairly even absorption distribution. As such, simulations were run with CATT
Algorithm 1: Short calculation, basic auralization using transition order 1, with 250,000 rays. S-R
positions were simulated corresponding to the 2015 sine sweep measurements.

GA model of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

(~14,700 surfaces). The red surfaces highlight the positions

Of the carpeting.

The figure shows the distribution of the T20, EDT, C50, and C80 for the 2015 sine sweep and
balloon burst measurements, as well as the calibrated GA model. Mean simulated reverberation
parameters EDT and T20 were within one JND of the measured values across all frequency
bands. Mean simulated clarity parameters slightly overestimated measurements by more than 1
JND in the 500 and 2000-4000 Hz octave bands. The overestimation of clarity parameters could

19
not be corrected while both maintaining reverberation parameter calibration and keeping
scattering properties within physically viable values
As data from (published in 1996 and 2002) was comparable to the 2015 measurements, it can be
concluded that changes leading to the shorter reverberation time estimations were carried out
between 1987 and 1996. As the volume of the Notre-Dame cathedral is rather large the
reverberation time difference has to be the result of substantial changes. In a telephone
conversation with thNotre-Dame cathedral it was confirmed that carpeting was installed in
several areas and two confirmation booths were added in the two alcoves adjacent to the first two
bays of the south naves during this time period. As the effect of the confirmation booths was
considered marginal, simulations were performed only replacing the carpet by marble flooring.
The possibility of the atmospheric conditions influencing the reverberation time results was
considered. As temperature and relative humidity mainly effect reverberation estimations above
1000 Hz, this can be excluded as the cause for the decrease in reverberation time.

20
Distribution of T20, EDT, C50, and C80 results of the 1987 balloon burst and GA model, as well as 2015
measurements (combination of sine sweeps and balloon bursts), and its GA model. Additionally, results from
previous Notre-Dame reverberation studies are included for T20. Box limits represent 25% and 75% quartiles, (|)
median, and (o ) mean values.

Reconstructing the acoustics of Notre Dame

The April 15 fire that devastated the roof of the 850-year-
old Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral left many people
around the globe wondering whether it's possible to rebuild
it in a way that can recreate the cultural icon's complex
signature acoustics.
Other cathedrals may seem to have similar acoustics, but
no two are the same in the way sound soars and
reverberates inside. Myriad nuances and details are unique
—many of which are likely to change during the course of
centuries as furnishings and renovations evolve.

Six years ago, on April 24, 2013, Brian FG Katz, a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America
and CNRS research director at Sorbonne University, and colleagues obtained

detailed measurements of the acoustics of the main space within Notre Dame These
measurements hold new significance now, Katz said. They document the acoustic conditions of
the cathedral before the fire and can be used during its restoration. He is available to answer
questions from reporters about the work and reconstructing the complex acoustics of Notre
Dame.
"The acoustics of worship spaces has long been a topic of interest and is an active area of study
right now," said Katz. "Acoustics within churches and places of worship, in general, vary greatly
with the associated religious practices. Some emphasize the intelligibility of the spoken word,
while others focus on the ritual aspects and musical nature. A grand church organ, for example,
played within a dry room suited to speech can sound more like an accordion—without the
reverberation mixing effect of the acoustics."

21
 How they captured the acoustics of Notre
"The basic practice of measuring the acoustics of rooms is common across spaces," Katz said.
"We don't use any special cathedral protocols. But for the long reverberation time and the
considerable volume, we had to work to get our signal-to-noise level to an adequate level."
Measurements were made using a collection of omnidirectional, 3-D (first order ambisonic), and
dummy head (binaural) microphones. Several dodecahedron loudspeakers were situated at key
positions inside the cathedral, representing either typical source positions or those measurement
positions of a series of measurements carried out by the same lab in 1987. "We also included
several balloon bursts as a safeguard, well aware of their acoustic limitations," Katz said. That
work was published in 2011 in JASA (see asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.3518780).
The researchers use mostly pro-audio hardware because it often provides a better signal-to-noise
ratio and the installation is easier than laboratory measurement equipment.
"Technically speaking, we used a 20-second exponential sweep-sine signal, or chip, and
deconvolution to obtain the room impulse response. This response, or the acoustic signature, for
each source/receiver pair in effect characterizes how the room transforms the sound from source
to receiver," Katz said. "Once set up, the measurements took a little more than one hour and
mostly involved moving microphones around."

Getting access to iconic sites like Notre Dame is always difficult, and the time inside to record
measurements always goes by fast. "One advantage of such a space is the relatively flat floor,
which allowed us to have the majority of our equipment on a cart that can be rolled down the
aisle," Katz said. "This is in stark contrast to when we do measurements within concert halls with
different levels and balconies."

"Reverberant energy"—Notre Dame's full sound

With a 6-second reverberation time at mid-frequencies, Katz describes Notre Dame's sound as
being "as full as you can imagine, with the reverberant energy coming from all around. As you
move within the space, the acoustics varies due to changes in ceiling height, for example. This is
very noticeable and can be heard on our online simulation example as you travel around the
cathedral."

22
From the measurements and other documentation they were able to obtain at Notre Dame, Katz
and colleagues created a geometrical acoustic room model and calibrated it to the measured
responses' acoustic parameters using CATT-Acoustics (www.catt.se), a numerical simulation
software used by acoustic consultants. That work was published in JASA in 2016
"Using this model, we simulated new room impulse responses that correspond to an orchestra
configuration of a close-mic recording session made within the cathedral by the Conservatoire
National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), a college of music and dance,"
Katz explained. "By feeding these recordings to the appropriate source positions in the model,
we were able to recreate the acoustic performance of this concert—allowing the listener to move
within the cathedral to explore and experience the complex acoustics of this large and historic
space."
For these simulations, "the sheer size and long reverberation time of the cathedral means longer
calculation times, longer impulse responses, longer processing times, and more computational
requirements," Katz added. "These demands were far beyond what we experienced with other
sites, and small fluctuations in air temperature resulted in misalignment of impulse responses.
This, in turn, resulted in artificially reduced reverberation times for averaged measurements, so
we developed a method to correct for it that can also be used as a way to measure small changes

in mean temperature."

Play it forward: The reconstruction of Notre

First, the existence of acoustic documentation of the cathedral is a huge benefit.
"It can help during renovation works when considering how the impact of any choices might
change the acoustics, such as choice of materials," Katz said. "It's not clear yet what state the
interior finishes are in, but the wooden panels and paintings within the cathedral are not at all
insignificant when it comes to acoustics. Compared to the raw stone structure, these small
elements act as possible acoustic absorption and diffusion and can have significant impacts on
the resulting acoustics."

23
The second benefit is virtual reconstruction—essentially providing a way for people to listen to
performances within the "lost" acoustics
Plans
The plan of Gothic cathedrals and churches was usually based on the Latin cross (or "cruciform")
plan, taken from the ancient Roman Basilica. And from the later Romanesque churches. They
have a long nave making the body of the church, where the parishioners worshipped; a transverse
arm called the transept and, beyond it to the east, the choir, also known as a chancel or
presbytery, that was usually reserved for the clergy. The eastern end of the church was rounded
in French churches, and was occupied by several radiating chapels, which allowed multiple
ceremonies to go on simultaneously. In English churches the eastern end also had chapels, but
was usually rectangular. A passage called the ambulatory circled the choir. This allowed
parishioners, and especially pilgrims, to walk past the chapels to see the relics displayed there
without disturbing other services going on.

24
 Each vault of the nave formed a separate cell, with its own supporting piers or columns. The
early cathedrals, like Notre-Dame, had six-part rib vaults, with alternating columns and piers,
while later cathedrals had the simpler and stronger four-part vaults, with identical columns.
Transepts were usually short in early French Gothic architecture, but became longer and were
given large rose windows in the Rayonnant period. The choirs became more important. The choir
was often flanked by a double disambulatory, which was crowned by a ring of small chapels. In
England, transepts were more important, and the floor plans were usually much more complex
than in French cathedrals, with the addition of attached Lady Chapels, an octagonal Chapter
House, and other structures (See plans of Salisbury Cathedral and York Minster below). This
reflected a tendency in France to carry out multiple functions in the same space, while English
cathedrals compartmentalized them. This contrast is visible in the difference between Amiens
Cathedral, with its minimal transepts and semicircular apse, filled with chapels, on the east end,
compared with the double transepts, projecting north porch, and rectangular east end of Salisbury
and York.

Cologne Cathedral,
Germany, length 144 m,
Amiens Cathedral, Its plan was modeled after
France, length 145 m. Amiens Cathedral, but
widened

Notre Dame de Paris,

France, length 128 m

Salisbury Cathedral, England,

York Minster, England,
length 135 m, with a central
tower over the crossing length 159 m, with its
attached octagonal Chapter
House

25
Okuma Auditorium
The Ōkuma Auditorium( Ōkuma kōdō), officially the Waseda University Ōkuma Memorial
Hall ( Waseda daigaku Ōkuma kinen kōdō), is a Tudor Gothic auditorium of Waseda
University in Totsuka, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Designed primarily by Kōichi Satō, construction of the
auditorium was planned to begin in 1923 following the death of Waseda founder Ōkuma
Shigenobu. Its construction was halted by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake but eventually began
in 1926. It opened in 1927, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the founding of Waseda
University. The auditorium includes a large hall with a capacity of over 1,100 seats and a
basement hall of about 300 seats. The university's activities, lectures and concerts are held in the
auditorium. The clock tower chimes six times a day. It was classified as a historic building by
the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1999 and officially designated as an Important Cultural
Property in 2007 .

History

On January 10, 1922, Ōkuma Shigenobu, former Prime Minister of Japan and founder of Waseda
University, died. That same year, the university decided to construct memorials in honor of him
on their campus. The first decision was to build a large auditorium. Prior to the auditorium's
construction, university ceremonies were held in tents in Waseda's courtyard. In April 1923, the
University invited design proposals from the public and began raising money, aiming for
¥2,000,000. Despite a design proposal having been chosen, the project was soon halted on the
heels of the Great Kantō earthquake. The costs incurred from the earthquake and the costs of
construction of the Waseda University Library resulted in a lack of predicted funds. The project
was suspended until 1925, when Waseda began planning again. Kōichi Satō, Takeo Satō,
and Tachū Naitō of Waseda's Department of Architecture were requested by the President of
Waseda University, Sanae Takada, to create a Gothic architecture design for the auditorium.
Construction started on February 11, 1926 by the TODA Corporation, and completed on October
20, 1927.

26

Stockholm City Hall (built between 1909 and 1923),
which was thought to have had a major influence on the
design of Okuma Auditorium
In April 1999, the Auditorium was designated as the
first of the Tokyo Metropolitan Historic Buildings,
under the Tokyo Metropolitan Landscape Regulations,
which serve to preserve buildings significant to
Tokyo's history and culture.
The auditorium was fully renovated between 2006–
2007 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the
founding of Waseda University, with work ending on
October 2, 2007. The same year, the auditorium was
designated as an Important Cultural Property of
the Shōwa period by the Japanese Agency for Cultural
Affairs on December 4, 2007

Overview
The auditorium has a capacity of 1,123 on 3 floors and also has a small auditorium with 301
seats on the basement floor. A seven-story high clock tower stands to the left of the auditorium.
The height of the tower, at 125 shaku, or about 38 m, represents the theory of "life of 125 years"
advocated by Ōkuma.
Ragnar Östberg's design for the Stockholm City Hall (completed in 1923) is thought to be an
influence on the auditorium's design. It is also said to resemble Kronborg
Castle in Denmark, Carfax Tower in the center of Oxford, and Magdalen Tower at Magdalen
College, Oxford.
The bells at the top of the tower were shipped across the Panama Canal from the MacLean
Company in Baltimore, United States. It was the first time that four bells had been used in Japan.
The bells still produce the same harmony as that of the Palace of Westminster. The clock tower
chimes six times a day at 8:00, 9:00, 12:00, 16:00, 20:00 and 21:00.

27
Oval-shaped transom windows on the roof represent the sun, moon, and nine (traditional) planets
of our solar system, and symbolize the "harmony of the universe" both inside and outside the
auditorium.

Yasuda Auditorium
Yasuda Auditorium is a building and clock tower at the center of the Hongō campus of
the University of Tokyo. It serves as the central symbol of the campus, where special events and
graduation ceremonies are held

History
The building was completed in 1925 with a donation from businessman Yasuda Zenjirō, who
intended for the building to be a binden (a place the Emperor of Japan could stay). The building
was designed by architects Yoshikazu Uchida and Hideto Kishida, the latter of whom was

an expressionist.[4] During the Second World War, in October 1940, the auditorium was the site
of a special celebration of the anniversaries of the Imperial Rescript on Education and of the
establishment of the Imperial Family of Japan in power.
During the 1968-69 Japanese university protests, the building was occupied by student
demonstrators - first in June 1968, when a dispute at the University of Tokyo Medical School led
to medical students occupying the building and then being expelled from it soon after by riot
police, and again starting in summer, when students barricaded themselves inside the building.
Over the weekend of 18–19 January 1969, the protestors were cleared out of the building by riot
police.[5] After the protests, the Yasuda zaibatsu helped renovate the building. Since the protests,
the building has never been used to commemorate entrance or graduation ceremonies, but it has
become a symbol of the University of Tokyo.

Architecture
The architecture of Yasuda Auditorium has been compared to that of the University of
Cambridge's gate tower, which Uchida could have been inspired by. To the university, the

28
building represents the modernization efforts of the University of Tokyo. The red-brick used in
the building is indicative of the architecture in the period following the Great Kantō
Earthquake of 1923.[3] The building's architecture is part of the Gothic Revival  school, a school
of architecture new to Japan
by the time the building was built. The prominence of the clock tower over the circular building
has been described as "phallic".
The building includes an auditorium, central administrative offices for the university, and a room
made specifically for the Emperor where he would wait to give special watches to all graduates.

Conclusion
Each of the many different repertoires of medieval sacred music was intended for a particular
resonating space in which music, voice and acoustics work together in a unique and harmonious
synergy., almost 900 years removed from our distant musical ancestors, it tend to think today in
terms of a generalized ‘medieval’ church acoustic, when in fact these spaces were created in a
wide variety of forms and dimensions, highly differentiated, reflecting local and regional styles.
Similarly, in the Middle Ages there was no such thing as ‘medieval music’ and there was never a
singer who thought of himself as singing early music in a historical acoustical space.  Sacred
spaces do not resonate alone — they respond to the voices within them, and in the Middle Ages
these would have been both site-specific and varied: voices of an entire monastic community
(men or women, but never both together), voices of canons, voices of highly-trained cantorial

29
soloists or the schola cantorum, and voices of boys. Each of these vocal configurations and
registers

resonates within a given space in a different way. The sound of today’s ubiquitous mixed-gender
choir was unknown, and the sound of women’s voices was only heard in an all female monastic
context.  For example: when we speak of a ‘Gothic’ acoustical space, we automatically fall under
the shadow of prejudices and expectations which we have inherited not from the middle Ages
but from the intervening centuries. The Gothic cathedral, especially in its 19th and 20th century
manifestation, is a clean and soaring space, a vast, light-filled and resonant cavern. In the great
cathedrals such as the Kölner Dom or Notre Dame de Paris, the singers of the ensemble and
others have often felt lost, miniaturized, disconnected and ineffectual in concert, almost as if we
were not able to make the space resonate properly. Why did they — living in Köln and therefore
used to singing in the more intimate acoustics of the city’s twelve Romanesque churches — feel
like fish out of water in the iconic space of the Kölner Dom? What has happened to make
‘Gothic’ music sound so lost and muddled in a ‘Gothic’ acoustic? In the late 12th and 13th
centuries, when great cathedrals were being built all over Europe, they were not the vast Gothic
monuments we know today, but rather modern works-in-progress, multi-generational
construction sites in which the only musical utterance was vocal (no large organs were in use at
that time). They were filled not

only with the everyday comings and goings of the clergy and the faithful, but also with a mix of
working artisans and clerics celebrating the liturgy: the sounds of hammering, hauling, of
masons
shouting orders and warnings, merged with the sounds of preaching and chanting, with
processions glimpsed through clouds of dust. How did 13th century music sound in this 13th
century context? To give one famous example which will serve for many: when the art of
liturgical polyphony was being developed in Notre Dame de Paris, in the period between the
dedication of the high altar in 1182 and the end of the main work on the nave in ca. 1230, the
singing of this virtuoso polyphonic music took place largely in the isolation of the newly-
finished choir, surrounded by stone walls, and behind a high stone rood screen. The nearby nave

30
was without a roof and the 2 previous, much smaller church of Notre Dame was being slowly
dismantled as the new cathedral was built around it. The new structure was literally ingesting the
old one in a slow, stone-bystone recycling process, a chaotic scene which continued for many
decades. But the acoustical properties of the sacred space in the finished choir were very specific
at that time, and specific for that music, quite unlike those we know today. As the musicologist
Craig Wright describes it: Today a visitor to a Gothic cathedral such as Notre Dame is
accustomed to seeing vast expanses of bare, stone walls around which musical sound can
endlessly swirl and rebound. The open choir and the unadorned walls allow sound to travel long
distances without impediment and to reflect back with a relatively low loss of intensity. The long
reverberation time which results can cause the ‘muddled’ sound usually associated with such
churches. But the final architectural

Form of Notre Dame of Paris took shape in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the medieval choir
walls were dismantled, the sanctuary rebuilt, and the stained glass windows removed and
replaced with clear glass to conform to the aesthetic tenets of the Enlightenment. Accordingly,
the present acoustical properties of the church are not the same as those that obtained in the
middle Ages. Not only did the medieval cathedral have a full enclosure around the chancel and
sanctuary, but the Parisian clergy of the earlier period furnished their church, especially in the
area of the choir, with curtains, tapestries, tents, rugs, banners and paintings, and these materials
affected the way in which sound was transferred and perceived. 

REFERENCES

Cremer, L. (1953): Die Plexiglasreflektoren im neuen Herkules-Saal der Münchner Residenz.

Die Schalltechnik 13, No. 5, p.1. Meyer, E. and H. Kuttruff (1963): Reflexionseigenschaften
durchbrochener Decken – Modell- untersuchungen an der Reflektoranordnung der neuen
Philharmonic Hall New York. Acustica 13, p.183. Meyer,J. (2001): Zur Raumakustik in J. S.
Bachs Kirchen. Ber. 21. Tonmeistertagung, p. 1064 Meyer,J. (2002): Kirchenakustik. Verlag
Erwin Bochinsky Frankfurt a. M. (in print). Rindel, J. H. (1992): Acoustic design of reflectors in
auditoria. Proc. Inst. of Ac. Part 2, p. 119. Tennhardt, H.-P. and F.-W.-Stendel (1995):

31
Raumakustische Untersuchungen zum Einbau einer Hauptorgel im St. Marien-Dom Erfurt.
Fortschritte der Akustik – DAGA 1995, p. 311.

32