The effect of the geometric form of the ceiling on the acoustic parameters of the music hall

Subject Areas : architecture

Sepideh Mostafaie ¹ , Vahdaneh Fooladi ^{2 *} , Mahtiam Shahbazi ³

1 - Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Architectural, Qeshm Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qeshm, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2024-10-25 Accepted : 2025-02-28 Published : 2025-03-17

Keywords: Acoustic Design, Odeon Software, Architectural Acoustic, Music Hall,

Abstract :

Since the time of the first civilizations, music has been an inseparable part of human life and is considered as a kind of
communication between them and life. Therefore, it is not surprising that people have been trying to create the best and
highest quality environments for music performance for years. A poorly designed acoustic environment creates obstacles
to its function, makes people disinterested in being there, and certainly harms their health. Acoustics is a branch of physics
that deals with the production, control and monitoring, transmission, reception, and effects of sound. Acoustic design is the
planning, shaping, and decorating of enclosed spaces to establish an acoustic environment. Since the beginning of acoustics,
designers and scientists have been directing, amplifying, and absorbing sound by creating architectural forms. This article
aims to improve the sound quality of music halls by relying on architectural methods. This article deals with the design and
analysis of the architectural acoustics of a multi-purpose music hall. Due to the sensitivity of the acoustic conditions of the
hall during music performances, especially symphony performances, the priority of the architectural and acoustic design of
this hall is also music. The designed capacity of the hall is 1000 people and is considered on two floors. In the initial design,
all domestic and foreign standards for multi-purpose halls have been applied. The acoustic parameters SPL, RT, STI, EDT,
and ALCOVES, which are among the most important acoustic issues for multi-purpose halls, have been analyzed. The
desired acoustic analyses have been carried out by Odeon software, which is one of the most powerful acoustic software. In
the interior design of this hall, two different architectural designs have been made; in the first design, the ceiling of the hall
is arched (waves along the length of the hall), and in the second design, the ceiling is designed as regular breaks, taking into
account sound frequencies. After designing the hall and taking the output from the acoustic software, the RT parameter in the
arched ceiling was 1.65 and in the dry ceiling was 1.3, the STI parameter in the arched ceiling was 0.66 and the ceiling with
a break was 0.84, the EDT parameter in the arched ceiling was 1.15 and in the ceiling with a break was 1.2, the ALCOVE
parameter in the arched ceiling was 3.1% and in the ceiling with a break was 1.86%, the SPL parameter in the arched ceiling
was 107.5 and in the ceiling with a break was 105.7. The reason for the high SPL parameter in the arched ceiling is the faster
transmission of sound waves to the end of the hall, while sound waves in the ceiling with a break are absorbed earlier and
the sound volume is reduced. According to the software analysis, it can be concluded that the ceiling with a break is better
in acoustic conditions than the arched ceiling, and for acoustic systems (Electroacoustics) the arched ceiling is better than
the ceiling with a break.

 

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