Auditoriums

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An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at
venues such as theatres. For movie theatres, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the
number of screens.

The term is taken

from Latin (from auditorium,
from auditōrius (“‘pertainin
g to hearing’”)). The concept
is taken from the Greek
auditorium, which had a
series of semi-circular
seating shelves in
the theatre, divided by broad
'belts', called diazomata, with
eleven rows of seats between
each.
 The design of various types of
auditoriums (theatres, lectures halls,
churches, concert halls, opera houses,
and motion-picture theatres) has become
a complex problem in contemporary
architectural practice because in addition
to its various, sometimes conflicting ,
aesthetic, functional, technical, artistic
and economical requirements.

The theatres were originally built on a very large scale to accommodate the large number of
people on stage, as well as the large number of people in the audience.

Designers had to be able to create acoustics in them such that the actors' voices could be heard
throughout the theatre, including the very top row of seats.
Hearing conditions in any auditorium are considerably affected by purely architectural
considerations :
• room shape,
• dimensions,
• volume,
• layout of boundary surfaces,
• seating arrangement,
• audience capacity,
• surface treatments, and
• materials for interior decorations.
Auditorium Acoustics
The room in which we listen to sounds has an important influence on what we hear. This
section will identify some of the principal means currently available for judging the quality of
an auditorium. However, the design of such spaces is still considered an inexact science.

Sound Propagation in an Auditorium

• As sound waves travel at about 345 meters/second, the sound coming directly from a source
within an auditorium will generally reach a listener after a time of anywhere from 0.01 to 0.2
seconds.
• The reflections which reach the listener after the early reflections are typically of lower
amplitude and very closely spaced in time. These reflections merge into what is called
the reverberant sound or late reflections.
• If the source emits a continuous sound, the reverberant sound builds up until it reaches an
equilibrium level. When the sound stops, the sound level decreases at amore or less constant
rate until it reaches inaudibility.
• For impulsive sounds, the reverberant sound begins to decay immediately.
ROOM
SHAPE
ROOM
SEATING
ARRANGEMENT
Direct Sound and Early Reflections
• Direct sound will decrease by 6 dB for each doubling of distance propagated.
• Our auditory system will determine the direction of a sound source from the direct sounds
reaching the ear.
• The source is perceived to be in the direction from which the first sound arrives provided
that
(1) successive sounds arrive within about 35 milliseconds,
(2) the successive sounds have spectra and time envelopes reasonably similar to the
first sound, and
(3) the successive sounds are not too much louder than the first. This is referred to
as the precedence effect.
``Intimate'' if the delay time between the direct and first reflected sound is less than 20
milliseconds.

First reflections usually arrive from

the nearest side wall or from the
ceiling for those seated in the
center.
Reflections from the ceiling or overhead
reflectors are not as perceptually desirable as
those from side walls.
Late Reflections
• During a continuous sound, the reverberant sound level is reached when the rate at which
energy is supplied by the source is equal to the rate at which sound is absorbed by the
room and its contents.
• Too much reverberant sound will result in loss of clarity.
• In a bare room, where all surfaces absorb the same fraction of the sound that reaches
them, the theoretical reverberation time is proportional to the ratio of volume to surface
area.
• Reverberation time is typically defined as the time required for the sound level to
decrease by 60 dB (or ).
Loudness

Suppose 1000 persons can hear the speech of a person in an auditorium, but there will
not be any uniform sound distribution. So to ensure uniform distribution of sound
intensity in the hall electrically amplified loudspeakers are used. These speakers are
kept in different places in the auditorium and are kept at a higher than the speaker’s
head. Amplifiers shall make the low frequency tones more prominent and hence the
amplification has to be kept low. 
Focusing

The presence of cylindrical or spherical surface on the wall or the ceiling gives rise to
undesirable focusing. In hall, the observer receives sound waves from the speaker
along the direct path and the observer also receives the sound waves after reflection
from the ceiling. 
Thus the intensity of sound received by the observer is comparatively higher than
other positions in the auditorium.

It may also happen that the direct and the reflected

waves are in the opposite phases. This results in
minimum intensity of sound at the observer. Further
the direct and the reflected waves may from a
stationary wave patterns. This causes uneven
distribution of sound intensity.
Echelon effect

If there is regular structure similar to a flight of stairs or asset of railways in the hall,
the sound produced in front of such a structure may produce a musical note due to
regular successive echoes of sound reaching the observer. Such an effect is called
echelon effect. If the frequency of this note is within the audible range, the listeners
will hear only this note prominently. To avoid echelon effect, the staircase must have to
be covered with carpets.
Extraneous noise

The extraneous noise may be due to the sound received form outside the auditorium
and the sound produced by fans inside the auditorium. The external sound cannot be
completely eliminated but can be minimized by using double or triple windows and
doors. Proper attention must be given to maximum permissible speed of time and the
rate of air circulation in the room. The air conditioning pipes should be covered with
corks and insulated acoustically form the main building.

Resonance

The acoustics of a building may also be affected by resonance. If the resonance is of

any audio frequency note the intensity of the note will be entirely different from the
intensity desired. Resonance is inversely proportional to the square root of volume of
the hall. So if the hall is of large size the resonance frequency is much below the
audible frequency limit and harmful effect due to resonance will not be affected.
REVERBERATION TIME (RT)

Due to multiple reflections of sound waves from the ceiling, floor, walls of the enclosures, the
sound waves persist for a certain time even after the sound has stopped. This persistence of sound
is called the reverberation time. 
The optimum value of the reverberation time varies according to the different types of sounds
like music, speeches, drama, cinema, lecture etc., If the reverberation exceeds its optimum value,
then the speech will be completely unintelligible, and if the reverberation is lower than the
optimum value the auditorium will be somewhat dead. 
To have optimum reverberation time the auditorium must be furnished with good acoustical
finishes, occupants, room furniture, curtains etc., Since the audience provide most of the
absorption, the auditorium is vacant or partially vacant the hearing condition will not be
satisfactory.  

In an auditorium reverberation time can also be

maintained by eliminating unwanted echoes,
focusing effects of curved surfaces, flatter echoes
etc., Echoes, long delayed reflections and flatter
echoes can be prevented by fixing sound
absorbing materials upon the defect producing
reflective surfaces.
DETERMINATION OF REVERBERATION TIME

The reverberation time can be determined experimentally by exciting the hall with a sound
source. The decay of intensity sound waves is recorded on a logarithmic scale on level recorder.

The excitation source may be a pistol shot or a wide band sound noise generated with or without
a filter. The receiver apparatus consists of a microphone, a frequency analyzer and a level
recorder. The loud speaker is placed in one of the corners of the room.

The microphone must be placed away

from the loudspeaker and not too close
to the reflecting surface. The graph is
drawn between the decay of sound
intensity in logarithmic scale and the
time taken. From the graph we could be
able to determine the optimum
reverberation time for the auditorium.
Calculating Reverberation Time
• When expressed in units of cubic and square meters, the reverberation time is given by
RT = , where  is the volume of the room and  is the effective ``total absorption'' area.
• The ``total absorption'' area is calculated as the sum of all surface areas in the room, each
multiplied by its respective absorption coefficient.

Air Absorption
• Air contributes a substantial amount to the absorption of high frequency sound.
• Taking account of air absorption, RT = 0.161 , where  is a constant which varies with air
temperature, humidity, and frequency.
Criteria for Good Acoustics
• Optimum reverberation time is a compromise between clarity (requiring short
reverberation time), sound intensity (requiring a high reverberant level), and liveness
(requiring a long reverberation time).
• The optimum reverberation time of an auditorium is dependent on the use for which it is
designed.
• Reflected sound arriving from the sides seems to be important to the overall reverberance
of the room.
• Important subjective attributes of concert hall acoustics include intimacy, liveness, warmth,
loudness of direct sound, reverberant sound level, definition or clarity,
diffusion or uniformity, balance and blend, ensemble, and freedom from noise.
• In addition to the attributes above, spatial impression and early decay time are important.
The spatial impression is dependent on contributions to the early reflections from above and
especially from the sides. The initial rate of decay of reverberation is apparently more
perceptually important than the total reverberation time.
• Echoes, flutter echoes, sound focusing, sound shadows, and background noise should be
avoided in an auditorium design.
• The greater the early decay time (up to two seconds), the greater the preference for the
concert hall.
• Narrow halls are generally preferred to wide ones.
• Preference is shown for halls having a high ``binaural dissimilarity''.
• Less ``definition'' is preferred. Definition represents the ratio of energy in the first 50
milliseconds to the total energy.
 Types of auditoriums
Smaller Drama theatres

Arena
A theatre in which the audience
completely surrounds the stage or
playing area. Actor entrances to the
playing area are provided through
vomitories or gaps in the seating
arrangement.

The importance of acoustical design in very large buildings such as arenas, pools and fieldhouses can't be
overstated. Whether it's 20,000 seat NHL arenas, or 500 seat community hockey arenas, the control of
REVERBARATION TIME is important to maintain both speech intelligibility and background noise
control. Most facilities need to earn their keep by being more than a hockey barn these days. A well controlled
and balanced reverberant decay spectrum can make a 20,000 seat venue work as well for the three tenors or
the heavy metal band du jour, as it does for the next Stanley Cup hopefuls. Acoustical design doesn't stop at
reverberation control; reflections from very large wall and ceiling surfaces must be controlled to prevent late
echoes from turning speech into a jumble.
Thrust
A theatre in which the stage is extended so
that the audience surrounds it on three
sides. The thrust stage may be backed by
an enclosed proscenium stage, providing a
place for background scenery, but audience
views into the proscenium opening are
usually limited. Actor entrances are usually
provided to the front of the thrust through
vomitories or gaps in the seating.

Acoustic consideration same as

arena.
End stage
A theatre in which the audience seating
and stage occupy the same architectural
space, with the stage at one end and the
audience seated in front facing the stage.

Environmental theatre
A found space in which the architecture of the
space is intrinsic to the performance, or a theatre
space that is transformed into a complete
environment for the performance. The audience
space and performance space are sometimes
intermingled, and the action may be singlefocus
or multiple-focus. In environmental theatre, the
physical space is an essential part of the
performance.
Flexible theatres
Flexible theatre is a generic term for a theatre in
which the playing space and audience seating can be
configured as desired for each production. Often, the
theatre can be configured into the arena, thrust, and
end stage forms described above. Environmental,
promenade, black box, and studio theatre are other
terms for this type of space, suggesting particular
features or qualities.

Promenade theatre
A theatre without fixed seating in the main part of the
auditorium – this allows the standing audience to
intermingle with the performance and to follow the focal
point of the action to different parts of the room. Multiple-
focus action and a moving audience are the primary
characteristics of the promenade theatre.
Black box theatre
A flexible theatre usually without character
or embellishment—a “void” space that may
indeed be black, but isn’t always. Usually,
audience seating is on the main floor, with
no audience galleries, though a technical
gallery may be provided.

Studio theatre
flexible theatre with one or more audience
galleries on three or four sides of a rectangular
room. The main floor can usually be reconfigured
into arena, thrust, endstage, and flat floor
configurations. The room usually has some
architectural character.
Larger Drama theatres
Proscenium theatre
In a proscenium theatre, the stage is located at one
end of the auditorium and is physically separated
from the audience space by a proscenium wall. This
is sometimes called a “two-box” arrangement—the
auditorium and stage occupy two separate “boxes” or
rooms. The stage box (stage house) provides fly
space and wings and permits a wide variety of scenic
and lighting effects. The auditorium box is the
audience chamber, which may take many forms—
fanshaped, courtyard, lyric, etc.

Thrust and open stage

Some larger drama theatres take the form of a thrust
stage, with the audience surrounding three sides of the
performance platform. The term open stage can be
used interchangeably with thrust, but implies a more
frontal arrangement. These and similar forms can
accommodate a high seat count within an acceptable
distance to the stage. Audience balconies can increase
the intimacy of the room.