Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

INTRODUCTION TO ACOUSTICS scientific research, industry, and

1 SCOPE OF ACOUSTICS medicine
2 FIELDS OF ACOUSTICS  Environmental Acoustics
o Deals with the effects of the
environment upon audible sound
SCOPE OF ACOUSTICS waves
 Earth Sciences o Fruther specialized studies include
o Oceanography  Outdoor Acoustics –
 Life Sciences Landscape Acoustics
 Arts  Indoor Acoustics –
 Engineering Architectural Acoustics
o Shock and Vibration
o Architecture
 Outdoor Acoustics
o The study of environmental noise
FIELDS OF ACOUSTICS and soundscapes
 Psycho Acoustics o Concerned with noise and vibration
o The scientific study of sound caused by traffic, aircraft, industrial
perception equipment, and recreational
o The branch of science studying the activities.
psychological and physiological o Research work noe also has a focus
responses associated with sound on the positive use
o Includes the mechanics of the  Architectural Acoustics
human ear and effect of noise on o The science of sound phenomeno
hearing capacities. in buildings; dealing wuth the
 Stimulus – Objective production, transmission, and
parameters absorption of sound.
 Receiver – Physical o The science of sound and vibration
Parameters which refers to stress fluctuations
 Analyzer – Subjective and eaves in a material medium.
Parameters o The art and science of designing a
 Electro Acoustics room or building which insures both
o Deals with the generation and comfort and communication, and
detection of audible sound waves; provides special features as the
including sound reproduction purpose and use if the structure
o Concerned with the recording, requires.
manipulation, and reproduction of o Subdisciplines
audio using electronics  Space Acoustics
 Gramophone  Enhancing sound for
 Vinyl, Record Players optimum acoustical
 Tape conditions.
 CD  Noise Control
 MP3 Players  Eliminating, or at
 iPods least reducing noise
 Streaming and vibration
 Sonics transmission.
o Deals with sounds at frequencies
too high to be heard by humans
o Deals with the technical application  Sound
of mechanical waves in basic o Any vibratory motion of bodies, the
transmission of these vibrations in
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

a solid or liquid media, and the o Minimum intensity that is capable

sensation produced on the human of evoking an auditory sensation in
auditory mechanism. the ear.
o An alliteration in the pressure  Threshold of Pain
o Minimum sound pressure level
which stimulates the ear to a point
Properties of Sound which is painful
 Multiple Sound Sources
 Sound must always have a source, path,
and receiver.
o Speed: Sound travels at 344 m/s at 0-1 3
normal room temperature (68 2-3 2
degF) 4-9 1
10 and above 0
 Sound travels about 1  Wavelength
million times slower than o The distance a sound wave travels
light during
 Thunder and  Amplitude
Lightning  Frequency
 Fireworks o The number of displacements or
 Sound travels faster in oscillations that a particle
denser media undergoes in 1 second.
o The unit of frequency is HERTZ,
numerically equal to cycles per
Air 344
seconds
Water 1410 o The audio frequency range is 20-
Wood 3300 20,000 HZ.
Brick 3600 o Standard frequencies, selected
Concrete 3700 arbitrarily, represent significance in
Steel 4 environmental acoustics
Glass  63, 125, 250, 500, 1000,
Aluminum 2000, 4000
 Intensity o Relationship between frequency
o The rate at which sound energy id and wavelength: inverse
being transmitted, measured at  Lambda = speed of sound /
any point in the medium; sound frequency
power per unit area o Thus, sound within the frequency
o Unit commonly used: decibel (dB) the frequency range of 20-20,000
o Intensity diminishes inversely as HZ produces wavelengths which
the square of the distance of the extends from 17M to 17mm
source o .High Frequency – Low Wavelength
o I = 1/D2  Acoustical Boards
 Sound Pressure  T-runners
o The fluctuation in the atmospheric o Low Frequency – High Wavelength
pressure caused by the vibration of  Acoustical Boards with T-
air particles due to a sound wave runners
o Loudness  Pitch
 The subjective attribute of o The attribute of an auditory system
an auditory sensation. which enables us to pinpoint
o Decibel Meter sounds on a scale extending from
 Threshold of Audibility high to low frequencies.
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

 Tone
o A steady periodic sound; a
sensation having pitch
 Timbre
 Sound Directionality
o Sound sources radiate sound waves
in all directions
o Low Frequency – what would you
hear from someone’s back
o 140 deg – ideal angle of a fan
shaped auditorium

ROOM ACOUSTICS I: CHARACTERSITICS OF

SOUND
1

ROOM ACOUSTICS
Incident Sound

Reflected Sound

Abosrbed Sound

Diffused Douns

Diffracted Sound

Transmitted Sound

Sound Dissipated within the Sturcture

Sound Conducted by the structure

Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

 Fraction of energy of the incident sound

absorbed by the surface; rates the
efficiency of sound absorption of a
material at a specified frequency.

Material Frequency
250 500 1K 2K
Concrete 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08
(unpainte
d, rough
finish)
5=25mm 0.02 0.06 0.15 0.25
ROOM ACOUSTICS I: CHARACTERSITICS OF
Carpet
SOUND
6mm
1 ROOM ACOUSTICS
Plywood
2 SOUND ACOUSTICS
0.2 0.1 0.1 0.08
3 SOUND ABSORPTION
0.17 0.35 0.45 0.55
4 SOUND DIFFUSION
0.25 0.18 0.12 0.07
5 SOUND DEFRACTION
6 SOUND REFRACTION
Noise Reduction Coefficient

 Arithmetic average sound of sound

ROOM ACOUSTICS absorption coefficients at the frequencies
250, 500, 1000, and 2000 HZ expressed to
the nearest to the nearest multiple of
0.05.
SOUND ACOUSTICS
Surface Absorption
 Sound reflected off a surface, usually one
which is hard, rigid, and/or flat.  Product area of a surface and its
absorption coefficient/ Noise Reduction
Law of Reflectivity
Coefficient
 Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflection  Unit; Sabins, from William Sabins
 For auditorium ceilings.
Methods of Absorption
 The seats at the front doesn’t really
need reflected sound.  Frictional
 Sound waves in contact with concave and  Soft porous materials like
convex surfaces will reflect off these acoustical blankets, foamboards,
surfaces in different directions. cork, etc.
 Concave: Creates a focal point.  For high frequencies.
 Convex: Disperses sound.  Flexural
 Good for music halls.  Wood paneling,
 The material is very loosely
connected.
SOUND ABSORPTION
 For low frequencies.
 Fraction of energy of the incident Sound
 Panel Boards with holes
waves absorbed into a material upon
 Resonating
contact; change of energy into some other
 Perforated Panel Boards
form.
 For mid frequencies

Sound Absorption Coefficient

SOUND DIFFUSION
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

 Occurs when sound waves are dispersed  Laboratory measured rating of how well a
equally in a room. building partition attenuates airborne
 Uniform distribution of sound in a … sound.
Homogenous Field.  Anywhere between 40 and 50 dB.
 Diffusion is more important in music than
in speech. STC What can be heard?
 Several Methods
 Providing several surface 25 Normal speech can be distinctly
irregularities. understood through wall.
 Provide an alternating or random 30 Loud speech can be understood
application of reflective and fairly well.
absorptive. 35 Loud speech audible but not
 Acoustical Blankets with intelligible.
Wooden Panel Boards 40
 Provide sound diffusers. 45
 Irregularly shaped 50
 For aesthetic purposes. 60+

REVERBERATION
The prolongation of sound as a result of
SOUND DEFRACTION successive reflections in an enclosed space after
 An acoustical phenomenon which causes the source of sound is turned off.
sound waves to be bent of scattered
around such obstacles as corners,
columns, wall, and beams. Reverberation Time (RT)
 Sound passing through an opening results
 Time for the sound pressure in a room un
in a change of propagation, as influenced
a room to decrease 60 dB after the sound
by the ratio of the sound wavelength to
is stopped.
the size of the opening.
 RT = 0.16V / A
 More common for low frequency
 V = Volume of the Room
sounds.
 A = Total absorption in Sabins
Sound Directionality  Surface Area x NRC
 Furniture, Surfaces, People
 Sound sources radiate sound waves in all
directions. Optimum RT

 The most favorable reverberation time for

a particular space and volume.
SOUND REFRACTION
 OptRT = 0.30logV / 10
 Change of sound wave direction as it
 For rooms of speech
moves from one material to another of
 OptRT = R(0.012 3√V + 0.1070)
different density.
 For rooms of music

Put highly reflective material at the front.
SOUND TRANSMISSION
 Sound which penetrates through a Put highly absorptive material at the back.
surface.

Sound Transmission Class (STC)

Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

Flutter Echo

 A rapid succession of noticeable small

echoes observed when a short burst of
sound is produced between parallel sound
reflective surfaces.
 Common in corridors, comfort rooms,
stairwells, Mech/Elec rooms, fire exits, etc.
 Just control one surface to prevent it.

Sound Concentration

 Sound Foci
 Sound reflections from concave srfaces
concentrating on a single area.
 Areas of sound concentration are reffered
to as Hot Spots.
 The intensity of sound at hot spots are
always … Dead Spots.
ROOM ACOUSTICS I: ACOUSTICAL
DEFECTS Coupled Spaces
1 ACOUSTICAL DEFECTS  Two rooms adjacent to each other by
2 ECHO / SOUND DELAY openings, with at least one space being
3 highly reverberant.
4  Provide Ante Room
5
6 Distortion

 An undesirable change in the quality of

musical sound due to the uneven and
ACOUSTICAL DEFECTS excessive sound absorption of the
 Acoustical defects are defined as boundary surfaces at different
frequencies.
 Room Resonance (an example of
distortion): also called Coloration.
ECHO/SOUND DELAY
 Occurs when certain sounds within a
 Sound waves which have been reflected to
narrow band of frequencies tend to sound
a listener with sufficient magnitude and
louder than other frequencies.
time delay so as to be perceived
 More critical in music than in speech.
separately from those communicated
directly from source to listener. Sound Shadow
 Time Delay for Seech: 1/25th of a second
(14 meters)  Occurs when an area does not receive an
 Time Delay for Music: 1/10th of a second adequate amount of direct sound.
 Provide soft materials to  Noticeable under a balcony
 Echoes were used to measure the depth of o The balcony depth should never be
the sea. more than twice the height
 Also noticeabke in seating areas

Long Delayed Reflection

Whispering Gallery
 Similar to echoi except that the time delay
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

 High frequency sounds creeping a long o Lecture halls have long halls for
large concave surfaces such as a long reverberation time.
hemispherical dome, elliptical, or o Recommended Volume Seat Values
ellipsoidal enclosure.
Type of Min Opt Max
Auditor
Rooms for 2.3 3.1 4.3
Speech
Concert 6.2 7.8 10.8
Halls
Catholic 5.7 8.5 12.0
Churches
Multi-
purpose
Halls
 Parallelism between opposite sound
reflective boundary surfaces should be
avoided, to eliminate undesirable back
reflections.
o Fan shaped are ideal.
 The audience should occupy those parts of
ROOM ACOUSTICS I: ACOUSTICAL
the seating area which are advantageous
DEFECTS
both for viewing and for hearing.
1 DESIGNING AUDITORIUMS o Best seats in the house: Center
2 ECHO / SOUND DELAY
 Avoid putting the corridor in
the middle.
o Fire Exit: Gives the ideal amount of
DESIGNING AUDITORIUMS seats.
 The sound source must be raised as much  There shall be not more
as feasible in order to secure a free flow of than 7 seats between the
direct sound waves to every listener. wall and an isle and not
 The floor where the audience is seated more than 14 seats between
should be properly ramped or raked, isles.
because sound is more readily absorbed  The number of seats
when it travels over the audience at between isles may be
grazing incidence. increased to 30, where exits
o Tapered Odd-Even doors are provided along
o Saw-Tooth Stagger each side of the row of seats
 Lacks definition at the rate of 1 pair of exit
 The sound source should be closely and doors for every 5 rows of
abundantly surrounded with large sound seats, provided further
reflective surfaces in order to supply  If besides the primary sound source, which
additional reflected sound energy to every is normally located at the front part of an
portion of the audience. auditorium, additional sound sources
o Provide as much reflection on the exists in other parts of the room, these
front area. sound sources must also be surrounded by
 The floor area and volume of the sound reflecting surfaces.
auditorium should be kept at a reasonable  Spaces that experience this problem
minimum, shortening the distance that includes:
direct and reflected sound must travel. o Churches and Synagogues
o Theatre and Opera Houses
o Conference and Seminar Rooms
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

Sound energy within the room must be diffused;

there must be a uniform distribution of sound.

 There are several methods to create sound

diffusion:
o Providing several surface
irregularities
o Providing an alternating or random
application of reflective

The room must maintain optimum reverberation

characteristics.

RT=0.16V/A

For rooms for speech, OptRT = 0.3logV/10

For rooms for music: OptRT = R(

1. The room should be free from acoustical

defects such as echo, long delayed
reflection, sound concentration, coupled
spaces, etc.
 To treat acoustical deflects, start with the
rear wall. By providing diffusion or titling it
or providing absorption.
 Reflective – Diffusive – Absorptive
 Diffusive
i. Narra Plywood and
Acoustical Blankets
2. Noise and vibration which would interfere
with listening of performing should be
excluded, or at least reasonably reduced
to a minimum.
 Ante room: two doors must not be parallel
 Double doors for fire exits.
 Auditoriums 400 people or less – split type
sufficient

Five general requirements

1. Adequate loudness
2. Diffusion
3. Optimum RT
4. No acoustical defects
5. Minimize noise.
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

o To achieve perfect tone color for

each musical instrument
o To provide clear, undistorted sound
 SAS should provide wide dynamic range
o Pertains to loudness
o A pianissimo sound must be clearly
audible
o A fortissimo sound must be
reproduced without distortion
 SAS should create a sufficiently low room
reverberation
 SAS should be free from disturbing echoes
or feedback
o Feedback: Squealing or howling
sounds; occur when:
 Radiated sound pricked up
by the microphone
 Reflective surfaces return
amplified sounds
 In highly reverberant rooms
 SAS should remain undetected.
o The illusion should be preserved
that amplified sound comes from
the natural sound source.
o The Time Delay between the arrival
SOUND AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM of direct and amplified sound must
1 DESIGNING AUDITORIUMS not exceed 20 to 25 msec
2 ECHO / SOUND DELAY o The distance between the sound
source

Components of SAS
INTRODUCTION
 Microphone: picks up the sound energy
Several architectural methods to increase sound
radiated by the source, converts it into
levels in a room
electric energy and feeds it into the
When to use Sound Amplification System amplifier
o Polar Patterns
 The distance from sound source to  Cardiod: Only picks up
receiver exceeds 15m sound it is pointing at
 The room is filled to capacity  Supercardiod: more focused
 The room is heavily treated with sound version
absorbing finishes  Bidirectional: records sound
 High prevailing background noise levels equally from the front and
 Low voice intensity of sound source back of the microphone
 Hypercardiod: lies
somewhere between the
Criteria for Sound Amplification System (SAS) supercardiod and the
bidirectional polar patterns
 SAS should properly transmit a wide range
o Types of Microphones
of frequencies (32-8000 Hz)
 Dynamic Mics
o To maintain correct balance
 Rugged
between fundamentals and
 Condenser Mics
harmonics
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

 Small size; smooth located through the

frequency auditorium
 Ribbon Mics  Problems
 Armest and most  Artificial Echo: Rear
natural sounding: end of the hall
strong proximity receives amplified
effect (the nearer sound way before
 Amplifier direct sound
o Increases magnitude of the electric  Sound Overlaps:
signal; then delivers it to the loud Some areas receive
speaker amplified sound from
 Loudspeaker different directions
o Classifications from more than one
 Woofers and Subwoofers: speaker
low frequency loudspeaker  Speakers should be spaced
 Tweeters and 12-15m apart when
Supertweeters: high o Stereophonic System
frequency loudspeakers  Employs two or more
 Midrange Speakers: microphones adequately
loudspeaker driver that spaced in front of the
reproduces sound in the performing area and
frequency range from 250- connected through separate
2000Hz amplifying channels to two
 Co-Axial: loudspeaker o Combination Central-Distributed
system in which the Loudspeaker System
individual driver units  Uses a cluster of
radiate sound from loudspeaker over the sound
 Loudspeaker Systems source, plus additional
o Central Loudspeaker System speakers at the stage, rear
 Uses a single cluster of end of the hall, and/or under
loudspeakers over the balconies.
sound source.  Problems
 The preferred type because o Line or Column
it gives maximum realism  Concentrates most of the
 Very common in churches siund in a narrow angular
 Cases when it is impractical: speed in the vertical plane
 The ceiling height is and a semi-narrow spread in
too low for the the horizontal plane
Central System o Radial or Multicellular
 Several seats do not  Concentrates most of the
have an adequate sound in a wide angular
sightline to the spread in both the vertical
central loudspeaker plane and horizontal planes
 Sound has to be
provided to overflow
audiences Home Theaters
 The spaces are too
large Basic Components
o Distributed Loudspeaker System
1. Sources: Players, tuners, game consoles,
 Uses a number of low level
streaming services, etc.
overhead loudspeakers
Arch 134 Utilities IV: Architectural Acoustics

2. Receivers: A/V receivers, controllers,

decoders, power amplifiers, digi-boxes,
etc.
3. Displays: direct projector, rear projector,
flat panel, televisions, computer monitors,
etc.
4. Speakers: Front and side speakers,
surround sound speakers, subwoofers, etc.
5. Connections: Antennas, satellite, cable

Classifications

1. 2-Channel Systems: Front left and right

speakers only. The 2.0 (or 2.1) set-up.
 Speakers should form an
equilateral triangle with the
sweet spot.
 0.1 refers to the subwoofer –
could be anywhere
2. Multi-Channel: Front, side, and rear
speakers
 Relies

Requirements

 The most important consideration is

speech intelligibility.
 Thus, of primary concern is reducing or
eliminating, first and second reflections.
 This can be solved with acoustical
treatment at points of reflection.
 Usually 25-30% wall coverage provides

Soundproofing Home Theatres

1. Mass
2. Damping
3. Decoupling