Applied Acoustics 35 (1992) 221-231

Some Objective and Subjective Aspects of Three

Acoustically Variable Halls

Rein Pirn
Acentech Incorporated, 125 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, USA

(Received 17 July 1991; accepted 19 September 1991)

A BSTRA C T

The acoustics o f three contemporary concert~recital halls were investigated

by measurement and calculation, and by asking users to comment on the
perceived acoustical qualities. A II three halls, designed for the organ as well as
for other sources of music, are acoustically variable by means of large
retractable curtains. Variations in the measured R T together with the halls'
physical properties are used as the basis for estimating variability in some of
the newer acoustical measures. The results are compared with those for the
Vienna Musikvereinssaal and discussed in light o f user experiences.

INTRODUCTION

Virtually every serious organist wants a hall with a/3-£ reverberation time,
which is considered too reverberant for most other types of music. As it is
highly impractical to build halls for the exclusive enjoyment of organ music,
some form of acoustical variability must be incorporated in the design. This
paper explores the physical and acoustical properties of three somewhat
similar halls, all equipped with retractable curtains, that appear to have
more than met user expectations.

T H E HALLS

The three halls discussed in this paper are the Barrus Concert Hall at Ricks
College, Rexburg, Idaho (designed 1975-77, opened 1980); the Broyhill
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Applied Acoustics 0003-682X/92/$05.00 © 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England.
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