ARCHITECTURAL

ACOUSTICS

HASNA PARI
IJAZ AHMED F
UPENDRA VARMA
VAMSHI KRISHNA
KUMAR SHANU
MANOJ KUMAR
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 ACOUSTICAL
DEFECTS IN
ENCLOSED SPACE

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 Acoustical defects
List of acoustical defects
 Reverberation.

 Formations of echoes.
 Sound foci.
 Dead spots.
 Insufficient loudness.
 Exterior noises.
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REVERBERATION
Acoustical defects

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• Reverberation is the persistence of
sound in the enclosed space , after the
source of sound has stopped.
• Reverberant sound is the reflected
sound , as a result of improper
absorption.
• It may results in confusion with the
sound created next.

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 However some reverberation is essential
for improving quality sound.
 The time during which the sound persists
is called the reverberation time of sound
in the hall.
 As per Prof. W .C. Sabins reverberation
time ‘t’ is given by formula :-
t= 0.16V /A
where V=volume of room in cubic
meters
A= total absorbing power of all
the surfaces of room/ hall.
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Reverberation time & quality of sound

 Reverberation time should remain within limits as per

Indian Standard Code: 2526-1963.

Sr. RECOMMENDED TIME IN ACOUSTICS

No. SECONDS
1 0.50 to 1.50 Excellent
2 1.50 to 2.00 Good
3 2.00 to 3.00 Fairly good
4 3.00 to 5.00 Bad
5 Above 5.0 seconds Very bad

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Remedies

 The reverberation time can be

controlled by the suitable choice of
building materials and furnishing
materials.
 Since open windows allow the sound
energy to flow out of the hall, there
should be a limited number of
windows. They may be opened or
closed to obtain optimum
reverberation time.
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Acoustical defects

Formation of echoes.

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 Echo's
 Not all sound that hits matter is absorbed. Some
of it is reflected. That means sound bounces off
the solid matter the way a tennis ball bounces off
a wall. Sound reflected back to its source is an
echo.

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 An echo is produced when the reflected
sound wave reaches the ear just when the
original sound from the same source has
been already heard.
 Thus there is repetition of sound.
 The sensation of sound persists for 1/10th
of a second after the source has ceased.
 Thus an echo must reach after 1/10th
second of the direct sound

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 Multiple echoes may be heard when a
sound is reflected from a number of
reflecting surfaces placed suitably.

 This defect can be removed by selecting

proper shape of the hall .

 And by providing rough and porous interior

surfaces to disperse the energy of echoes.

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Remedies

 This defect is avoided by selecting

proper shape for the auditorium. Use
of splayed side walls instead of
parallel walls greatly reduces the
problem and enhance the acoustical
quality of the hall.
 Echoes may be avoided by covering
the opposite walls and high ceiling
with absorptive material.

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Acoustical defects

SOUND FOCI

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 Some times shape of the hall makes
sound waves to concentrate in some
particular areas of hall creating a
sound of large quality.
 These spots are called sound foci.
 This defect can be removed by

 Geometrical design shapes of the interior

faces.
 Providing highly absorbent materials on critical
areas (curved spaces).

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Acoustical defects
DEAD SPOTS

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 This defect is the out come of formation of sound foci.
 Because of high concentration of reflected sound at
sound foci , there is deficiency of related sound at
some other points.
 These spots are known as dead spots where sound
intensity is so low that it is insufficient for hearing.
 This defect can be removed by suitably placing
diffusers and reflectors.
 Right proportions of internal spaces.

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Geometrical shape of roof helps in proper distribution of sound

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Acoustical defects

EXTERNAL NOISE

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 External noises from vehicles , traffic
engines , factories , machines etc. may
enter the hall either through the openings
or even through walls and other structural
elements having improper sound
insulation.

 This defect can be removed by proper

planning of the hall with respect to its
surroundings and by proper sound
insulation of external walls. 22
 ACOUSTIC DESIGN
ACCORDING TO ROOM
SHAPE

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 The shape of the room defines the
movement of the sound waves within the
room.
 Placement of acoustic materials should
be determined by the way the sound
moves in that particular room in order to
ensure optimal efficiency of the
materials.

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 NARROW ROOMS

 Placing the sound absorbing materials

on the ceiling in a narrow room will
not create the wanted acoustic
effect.
 Sound absorbers must be placed as
close to the sound source as possible.
 Therefore, the absorbing materials
must primarily be placed on the walls.
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 ROUND ROOMS

 The sound moves

towards the
constructive centre
thereby creating
echoes.

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 The sound diffusing elements
should be placed on the curved
surfaces in order for the sound
to be dispersed in many
directions.
 The working stations should not
be placed in the centre of the
construction.
 In stead, furniture with sound
diffusing properties should be
placed in the centre.

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 LARGE ROOMS WITH LOW
CEILING
 In large rooms the sound spreading is
experienced as the greatest challenge, since
the speech sounds can be heard over long
distances.

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 Sound absorbing and sound diffusing materials should
be used, and sound barriers should be applied to the
ceiling.
 The sound regulation from the floor is secured by
furniture and the use of sound barriers.
 NOTE: If the sound absorbers in the ceiling absorb too
much sound, the reflections from the walls will be
even more audible. Should this be the case, the walls
must be equipped with sound absorbing or sound
diffusing materials.

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 LARGE ROOMS WITH HIGH
CEILING
 The acoustic environment in large rooms is sometimes
experienced as the one at a railway station.
 This is partially connected to the fact that it is difficult
to concentrate due to the relatively high noise level.
 Another reason for this is the fact that the conversation
over short distances is impeded due to the sound being
masked or drowned by the surrounding noise.

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 The sound level should be reduced in such a way that
some of the sound masking effect from the relevant
noise is still present. Furthermore, the spreading of
sound should be limited.

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 It is therefore important that all the available
surfaces are equipped with effective sound
absorbers and sound diffusers.
 The furniture along with the sound barriers
play a highly active role by diffusing the sound
and thereby making the existing sound
absorbers and diffusers even more efficient.

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 SMALL ROOMS WITH
PARALLEL WALLS
 In small rooms, the low
frequencies often seem to
be predominant.
 Therefore, the speech
appears to consist primarily
of humming sounds.
 Sound absorbers with a
low-frequency profile
should be used and placed
on the ceiling surface.
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 CEILING DOMES
 The sound moves towards the
constructive centre thereby
creating echoes.
 The sound diffusing elements
should be placed on the curved
surfaces in order for the sound
to be dispersed in many
directions.
 The working stations should not
be placed in the centre of the
construction.
 In stead, furniture with sound
diffusing properties should be
placed in the centre. 34
 INCLINED CEILINGS
 Inclined ceilings have both a sound spreading and a
sound concentrating effect.
 In most cases, the sound is concentrated because the
sound regulation of the area around the inclined ceiling
has not been considered carefully.
 The wall area opposite the
inclined ceiling should also be
equipped with sound absorbing
materials.
 As a principal rule, all surfaces
above the normal ceiling height
(2.60 m) including the end walls
should be equipped with sound
absorbers. 35
 INCLINED WALLS
 Inclined walls have both a
sound spreading and sound
concentrating effect.
 The sound spreading effect is
achieved by inclining the wall
in proportion to other walls
and the ceiling.
 In general, the walls inclined
by more than 6 degrees
ensure an excellent sound
diffusion.
 The most effective diffusion
is obtained by applying
several angles. 36
 VAULTED CEILINGS

 In rooms with vaulted

ceilings, the sound is
concentrated in the
constructive centre making
the sound appear with a
stronger intensity.
 The sound movements also
appear stronger along the
curve.

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 The sound diffusing elements
should be placed on the curved
surfaces in order for the sound to
be dispersed in many directions.
 The working stations should not
be placed in the centre of the
construction.
 In stead, furniture with sound
diffusing properties should be
placed in the centre.
 Barriers should be placed along
the curved surface in order to
prevent the spread of sound

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 ceiling domes
 In rooms with vaulted walls,
the sound is concentrated in
the constructive centre making
the sound appear with a
stronger intensity.
 Vaulted walls should only be
used in special cases where a
special sound effect is wanted.
 The curved wall should be
equipped with sound diffusing
elements.

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 CONVEX CEILINGS
 Convex ceilings spread the
sound and act therefore as
sound diffusers.
 Being able to spread sound,
the convex ceilings are well-
suited in e.g. concert halls or
conference rooms.
 If the sound diffusing effect
is to be reinforced, the
curves should be equipped
with diffusing materials.
 Otherwise, the curves can
also be equipped with sound
absorbing materials. 40
 CONVEX WALLS

 Convex walls spread the sound

and act therefore as sound
diffusers.
 Convex wall constructions are
highly suitable in rooms with
parallel surfaces, thus making
the absorbers more effective
and preventing echoes.

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 MULTI STOREY ROOMS

 In multi-storey rooms,
the large room volume
makes it difficult to
ensure a sufficient
amount of absorbing
materials and thus a
sufficient level of
sound absorption.

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 Sound absorbers and sound
diffusers must be placed on
all available surfaces.
 The absorption should be
reinforced by the use of
free-standing absorbing
elements.

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 ROOMS WITH MEZZANINE

 The space above and

below the mezzanine
has a shorter
reverberation time.
 The challenge posed in
this type of rooms is the
sound reflection and the
harmonization of the
different reverberation
times.

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 The wall opposite the mezzanine should be equipped
with sound absorbers or diffusers.
 In addition , sound absorbers should be placed on the
underside and the banister of the mezzanine.
 In order to prevent large differences in the
reverberation times between the large room and the
space around the mezzanine, sound barriers can be
applied.

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 ACCOUSTICAL DESIGN OF
HALLS
 The initial sound from the source should be
of adequate intensity so that it can be
heard throughout the hall .

 For halls of big sizes suitable sound

amplification system should be installed.

 The sound produced should be evenly

distributed so that there is no dead spots
and sound foci.
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 ACCOUSTICAL DESIGN OF
HALLS
 The boundary surface should be so
designed that there are no echoes or near
echoes.

 Desired reverberation time should be

achieved by proper placement of
absorbents on wall.

 The out side noise should be eliminated.

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THANK YOU

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