Acoustical

Mechanism
Content

1. Introduction

2. Problem in acoustic design

3. General principle of acoustical design

4. Sound Propagation in an Auditorium

5. Criteria for good acoustic

6. Case study (Opera house, Sydney)

7. Conclusion

8. References
Introduction
The architect designs a great
looking and comfortable
structure . The people attend
the grand opening and are
impressed with what they
see, but they have gathered
for more than a dazzling
display of architecture,
lighting, electronics, carpets,
glass, surface textures and
paint. The outer beauty of an
structure is recognized by
how it looks, but the inner
more lasting beauty of the
structure is truly known by
 Introduction
Architectural acoustics is the science of controlling sound within buildings.

Noise transmission within building:

1. By external means (through building skin envelop)- main noise paths are
roofs, eaves, walls, windows, doors and penetration.
2. By internal means- Typical sound paths are room partition, acoustic ceiling
panels, door window etc.

These different reflecting sounds create standing waves that produces

an annoying sound.

There are three ways to improve workplace acoustics and solve workplace
sound problems – the ABC’s.

A = Absorb (usually via ceiling tile)

B = Block (via workstation panels, wall placement and workspace layout)

C = Cover-up (via electronic sound masking)

Problems in Acoustical
Design
1. Lots of sound, but little is
heard
A sound wave start at the loud
speaker and only 0.17% of the sound
is directly heard by the audience.
Direct sound will decrease by 6 dB for each
doubling of distance propagated
2. Noise blocks our ability to
hear
The auditorium is meant for understanding
speech. Noise destroys sonic clarity

3. Background noise
Background noise is all the sounds one
hears when the lecturer is not saying
something

4. Acoustic noise, echoes and

reverberation
General principle of
acoustical design
1. Site selection and planning
Site should be away from external
noise pollution.

2. Volume
volume should be according to number
of audience, intensity of sound,.

3. Shape
Shapes are decided after tracing the
path of reflected sound wave and
concentration of sound wave.

4. Sound absorption
sound absorbing material should be
given to control reverberation.

5. Seating arrangement, seats and

audience
staggered sitting arrangement
distance from row to row should be
 Some Absorption
Coefficients
Frequency (Hz)
Material 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000

Concrete/brick 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.03

Glass 0.19 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.02
Plasterboard 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.08 0.04 0.02
Plywood 0.45 0.25 0.13 0.11 0.10 0.09
Carpet 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.35 0.50 0.60
Curtains 0.05 0.12 0.25 0.35 0.40 0.45
Acoustical board 0.25 0.45 0.80 0.90 0.90 0.90
Sound Propagation in an
Auditorium
1.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.

2.Shortly after the arrival of the direct sound, a

Sound waves
series of semi-distinct reflections from various
reflecting surfaces (walls and ceiling) will reach the
listener. These early reflections typically will occur
within about 50 milliseconds.

3. 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.

4.If the source emits a continuous sound, the

reverberation
reverberant sound builds up until it reaches an
equilibrium level. When the sound stops, the sound
level decreases at a more or less constant rate
Criteria for Good Acoustics

1.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).

2.The optimum reverberation time of an

auditorium is dependent on the use for which
it is designed

3.Reflected sound arriving from the sides

seems to be important to the overall
reverberance of the room.

Reflection from Flat surface

Reflection from convex surface

 Criteria for Good Acoustics
4. Echoes, flutter echoes, sound focusing,
sound shadows, and background noise should
be avoided in an auditorium design.

5. The greater the early decay time (up to

two seconds), the greater the preference for
the concert hall. Above two seconds, the
trend it reversed.
Sound shadow

Echoes
 Case study

Sydney Opera House

(Icon of 20th century)
 Sydney Opera House
Architect
Jørn Utzon
Hall, Todd & Littlemore

Engineer
Ove Arup & Partners

Builder
Hornlbrook Pty Ltd

Location
Bennelong Point, Sydney
Land coverage
1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) of land
Dimensions
183 metres (605 feet) long and about
120 metres (388 feet) wide
Structure
It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk up
to 25 metres below sea level.
Power supply
Its power supply is equivalent for a town of
25,000 people. The power is distributed by
645 kilometres of electrical cable
 Interior and Acoustics

The rich and extensive timber interiors

An exemplary example of the use of plywood

and laminated hardwood.

Timber is used as the primary material for the

interiors, with the warmth, colour and tactility of
timber providing a contrast with the heavy, The ceiling was to consist of a series of
monochrome, load bearing concrete of the plywood box beams
podium and sails.

Each beam was to be made up of two plywood

box beams bolted together, with acoustic
insulation in the cavity inside each beam.

Section of opera house

Spanning horizontally between the box beams was to be panels of
plywood reinforced with hot bonded aluminium. These horizontal
elements were attached to the top of one beam and the bottom of the
next creating a stepped form to the ceiling.

On the top of these panels was to be bonded 2mm of lead for low
frequency sound insulation.

the ceiling of the performance halls give a feeling of a floating cloud.

 Sydney Opera House shell ribs

Built scheme
Throughout the interiors, prefabricated panels
of laminated Brush Box were used for flooring,
stair treads and risers and wall panels. An
extremely hard and dense timber, Brush Box
was chosen for its warm, rich colour and grain,
acoustic performance and high durability.

A Strategy for Design with Timber

Timber and Acoustics

Timber has historically been used for acoustic applications for a
number of reasons. A timber surface does not just reflect sound, but
resonates slightly, giving it a particular quality and colour. A hard
surface such as concrete reflects sound with a hard and sharp quality.
In the Sydney Opera House, the musicians were happy to have timber
used as it was a material they understood, many of their instruments
being made from timber. They were accustomed to the quality of
sound timber spaces created. This surface treatment with panelling
breaks the sound, reducing echoes.
References
Sydney opera house
-Tom Fletcher

Design for good acoustics and noise control

- moore, john edwin.

E-References

www.wikipedia.com
www.sydneyarchitecture.com/roc/qua01.htm