Room acoustic considerations for the design of symphonic concert halls

Abstract

This report identifies subjective requirements, objective criteria, and design method of symphonic concert halls with respect to room acoustics. Main subjective requirements are: loudness, perceptible reverberance, spacial perception and clarity. Avoidance of noise and echoes must also be considered. Useful objective indices identified include Room Response, Clarity, Early Decay Time, and Reverberation Time. With respect to design method, concave room boundaries should be avoided in design because these tend to cause echoes, and hall shapes which approximate a reverse fan shape are likely to lead to good acoustics by encouraging early lateral reflections. The final section demonstrates a preliminary design approach.