Republic of the Philippines

University of Southeastern Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Obrero Campus, Davao City

BROADCAST ENGINEERING AND APPLIED ACOUSTICS

Architectural Acoustics and Sound System:

Corporate Auditorium

Submitted to:
Engr. Joey Dela Cruz

Submitted By:
Cedric D. Conol
Joannacel A. Paraiso

March 2015

Introduction

Architectural acoustics (also known as room acoustics and building acoustics) is

the science and engineering of achieving a good sound within a building and is a branch
of acoustical engineering. The first application of modern scientific methods to
architectural acoustics was carried out by Wallace Sabine in the Fogg Museum lecture
room who then applied his new found knowledge to the design of Symphony Hall,
Boston.
Architectural acoustics can be about achieving good speech intelligibility in a
theatre, restaurant or railway station, enhancing the quality of music in a concert hall or
recording studio, or suppressing noise to make offices and homes more productive and
pleasant places to work and live in. Architectural acoustic design is usually done by
acoustic consultants.
In this document, a Corporate Auditorium is designed to meet architectural
acoustics standards. A Corporate Auditorium is also an audiovisual room. Audiovisual
(AV) means possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape
presentations, films, television programs, church services and live theater productions.
Business presentations are also often audiovisual. In a typical presentation, the
presenter provides the audio by speaking, and supplements it with a series of images
projected onto a screen, either from a slide projector, or from a computer connected to a
projector using presentation software.

Design Background

This document presents an architectural acoustic design of a Corporate

Auditorium. The 41, 040 square feet - facility that is to be established has a total seating
capacity of two-hundred and twenty (220) audiences.
The corporate auditorium is designed to be used for business presentations
where marketing officers, businessmen and CEOs can present their work and agendas.

Design Concept

I.

Room Acoustics
General architectural factors that affect the rooms acoustics are
greatly considered.
a.) Room Design and Layout
The proposed design is shown below. It is large enough to
cater up to 500 audiences. The walls and the floor are both covered
by sound absorbing materials. The walls have sound absorbing
panels and is layered to absorb noise. The floor is made of a fabric,
which is also known to absorb noise.
The ceiling is high enough not to cause disturbing sound
reflections but low enough to use lights efficiently. Ceiling is also
layered according to the elevation of the seats.
b.) Floor Area
The figure below is 100 by 410.4 meters, which sets the total floor
area equal to 41, 040 square meters.
c.) Volume
The ceiling is varying in height because of the elevation, it has an
average of 5 meters in height, multiplying this value to the floor
area gives us the room volume of 2250 cubic meters.

Architectural Specifications
Item
Value
Room Width
100
Room Length
410.4
Room Height
12
Room Area
41040
Room Volume
492480
Lower Floor Inclination
15
Upper Floor Inclination
40
Number of Seat Rows
10
Number of Seat Columns
22

Unit
Feet
Feet
Feet
sq. ft.
cu. ft.
degrees
degrees
rows
columns

Total Number of Seats

Stage Width
Stage Length
Stage Height

220
75
55
4

seats
Feet
Feet
Feet

II.

Acoustics Considerations
The most important aspect to consider in this design is the
audience, the room must properly treat sound waves to provide
high fidelity sound right in the ear of every single audience.
a.) Seat Area
The auditorium allocates about 8 square meter of area per
audience. If we take into account the total seating capacity of the
auditorium, 220 audience, the total audience area would be 1760
square feet.
b.) Sound Absorption
Acoustic absorption refers to a material ' structure ' or object taking
in sound energy when sound waves are encountered, as opposed
to reflecting the energy. Part of the absorbed energy is transformed
into heat and part is transmitted. The energy transformed into heat is
said to have been 'lost'. When sound from a loudspeaker collides with
the walls of a room part of the sound's energy is reflected and part is
absorbed into the walls. As the waves travel through the wall they
deform the material thereof (just like they deformed the air before).
This deformation has mechanical losses which convert part of the
sound energy into heat through acoustic attenuation, mostly due to the
wall's viscosity. The same attenuating mechanics apply for the air and
any other medium through which sound travels. The fraction of sound
absorbed is governed by the acoustic impedances of both media and
is a function of frequency and the incident angle. Size and shape can
influence the sound wave's behavior if they interact with its
wavelength, giving rise to wave phenomena such as standing
waves and diffraction.
Acoustic absorption is of particular interest in soundproofing.
Soundproofing aims to absorb as much sound energy (often in
particular frequencies) as possible converting it into heat or
transmitting it away from a certain location.

In general, soft ' pliable ' porous materials, like cloths, serve as
good acoustic insulators - absorbing most sound; whereas dense '
hard ' impenetrable materials, like metals, reflect most.
How well a room absorbs sound is quantified by the effective
absorption area of the walls, also named total absorption area. This is
calculated using its dimensions and the absorption coefficients of the
walls. The total absorption is expressed in Sabin and is useful in, for
instance, determining the reverberation time of the auditorium.

At = 0.049 x V/Tr
Let Tr = 1.5s
At = 0.049 x 492,480/1.5
At = 16,088 sabins

Shown in the figure below the effect of putting sound absorbers in

the auditorium. Figure (a) is the original sound wave reflection pattern,
concrete walls are not good sound absorbers and there therefore reflect
them. After putting white paintable acoustical tile, carpet and drapes, the
sound are being absorbed and reflects lesser. Sound reflection is tackled
in the next section. The figure above shows the picture of a white
paintable acoustical tile.

c.) Sound Reflection

When a longitudinal sound wave strikes a flat surface, sound is
reflected in a coherent manner provided that the dimension of the
reflective surface is large compared to the wavelength of the sound.
Note that audible sound has a very wide frequency range (from 20 to
about 17000 Hz), and thus a very wide range of wavelengths (from
about 20 mm to 17 m). As a result, the overall nature of the reflection
varies according to the texture and structure of the surface. For
example, porous materials will absorb some energy, and rough
materials (where rough is relative to the wavelength) tend to reflect in
many directionsto scatter the energy, rather than to reflect it
coherently. This leads into the field of architectural acoustics, because
the nature of these reflections is critical to the auditory feel of a space.
In the theory of exterior noise mitigation, reflective surface size mildly

detracts from the concept of a noise barrier by reflecting some of the

sound into the opposite direction.

Shown above is an acoustical phenomena, it shows the

effect of the shape of the ceiling to the direction of sound reflection.
d.) Reverberation
Reverberation, in psychoacoustics and acoustics, is the persistence
of sound after a sound is produced. A reverberation, or reverb, is
created when a sound or signal is reflected causing a large number of
reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is absorbed by the
surfaces of objects in the space which could include furniture and
people, and air. This is most noticeable when the sound source stops
but the reflections continue, decreasing in amplitude, until they reach
zero amplitude. Reverberation is frequency dependent. The length of
the decay, or reverberation time, receives special consideration in the
architectural

design of spaces which

need

to

have

specific

reverberation times to achieve optimum performance for their intended

activity. In comparison to a distinct echo that is a minimum of 50 to 100
ms after the initial sound, reverberation is the occurrence of reflections
that arrive in less than approximately 50ms. As time passes, the
amplitude of the reflections is reduced until it is reduced to zero.
Reverberation is not limited to indoor spaces as it exists in forests and
other outdoor environments where reflection exists.
Reverberation time given, Tr:
For 500 Hz:
Tr = k x V/At
k = 0.049
V= 492, 480 ft3

At =12, 438 ft2

Tr = 0.049 x 492,480/12,438
Tr = 1.92 s
Sabins design = 16,088
Sabins given = 12,538
Sabins needed = 16,088-12,538
= 3,550
Translate to Acoustical tile
= sabins/0.67
= 3,550/0.67
= 5,299 square feet
Recompute Tr:
For 500 Hz:
Tr = k x V/At
k = 0.049
V= 492, 480 ft3
At =16, 088 ft2
Tr = 0.049 x 492,480/16,088
Tr = 1.5 s
For 125 HZ:
Tr = k x V/At
k = 0.049
V= 492, 480 ft3
At =9,593 ft2
Tr = 0.049 x 492,480/9,593
Tr = 2.52 s
Computing ratio deficiency:
= 2.52/1.5
= 1.68
Ratio should be between 1.6 and 1.85 to offset hearing deficiency.

III.

Acoustic Construction
a.) Wall
The auditorium features both sound absorption and diffusion which
can be achieved by using a Tunde Absorber/Diffusion panels mounted
on walls.

Composition

6-7 PCF density fiberglass core

Chemically hardened edges
Perforated laminate face with randomized pattern of 1/2 inch diameter

holes
Fabric faced with

1/3 Octave
Center, Freq
(Hz)

1-1/8" Thick with 5/8"

Holes; Absorption
Coefficient per ASTM C423

100
125
160
200
250
315
400
500

0.01
0.1
0.18
0.25
0.37
0.61
0.79
0.93

factory

in-stock

fabric by Guilford
of

Maine,

factory-approved
customerselected material

b.) Floor Soundproofing, Sound control and Noise Absorption

Carpet Soundproofing
Floor soundproofing the act of reducing the disruptive
impact noise carried through the floor and walls is one of the
main features of carpet.
Do you throw regular parties at your house or apartment?
Your neighbors will thank you if the living space is carpeted.
Since carpet is an exceptional sound absorber, carpet can
reduce the sound of walking by 25 to 34 decibels whereas
laminate flooring reduces surface sounds by only 1 to 6
decibels. Consider it a gift to your neighbors.

or

At the same time, carpet reduces noise in the living space

itself, as well as noise from neighbors. The reverberation time
(reflection time for sound waves) in a carpeted room is halved
compared to a space with hard flooring, creating a soft
atmosphere where people talk more quietly. In addition, carpet
also substantially reduces noise nuisance from road traffic and
construction work.

Compared to hard flooring, the generated sounds in a

carpeted room are lower. In addition, the duration of the
reflected sounds is shorter, so theres no irritating distortion.
This enables people to talk more softly.

Sound Control

Sound Control Floor Underlay Specifications

Material
Recycled rubber
Flat sanded face, performance engineered, diagonal
Pattern
grooves
Grooved underside minimizes underlay contact
between finished materials and sub-floor. Reduces
Features
ceramic tile breakage caused by cracking and
fissuring of concrete slabs. Excellent floor to floor
soundproofing.
For use as a subfloor in new and renovation
construction projects. Reduces impact noise and
Applications
vibrations while reducing airborne sound transmission.
Great under hardwood, ceramic or carpet. Can be
used as finished floor.
Thickness
1/2
Sizes
Nominal 46
Weight
65 lb.
Color
Black
Thermal Resistance
65 lb.
When soundproofing floors that are to be carpeted, first
install furring strips around the rooms perimeter, then lay
acoustic mats and underlayment between, and butting up
against, the furring strips. Attach tackless stripping to the furring
strips and lay the carpet.

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
0

Diagram Key
3/4 Wood Flooring
Floor Furring Strip
5/83-1/2 every 10
Quiet Floor NP 1/2
Acoustical
Sanded
Top
Performance
Light Concrete Floor
II ST
Slab 1-1/2
C
Insulation C
Board
Diagra 6 70
3/4 or 5/8 Plywood
m1
3
Joist or Beam
Acoustic Wool 6
Flexible Bar
2 Layers Gypsum
Board

Noise Absorption

Impact Insulation Class (IIC)

Single-number rating that indicates the amount of impact
noise isolation provided by a floor/ceiling assembly. The higher the
number, the quieter the floor/ceiling assembly.
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
The Sound Transmission Class is a single number rating of
the effectiveness of a material or construction assembly to retard
the transmission of airborne sound. The sound transmission loss
between the source and receiving rooms are plotted on a graph by
frequency and sound level in decibels. The STC curve is a sliding
contour that is fitted to the performance data plotted in a manner
that will allow no more than 32 deficiencies below the appropriate

contour. The maximum deficiency at any given frequency shall not

exceed 8 decibels.
Once the appropriate contour has been selected the STC is
determined by the decibel value of the vertical scale at 500 Hz. The
STC is expressed as a single STC number (Example STC 32)
Note that the STC contour is similar to the inverse of the
equal loudness contour, insofar as it discounts the lower frequency
sounds to reflect how our ears perceive the lower frequency
sounds.
c.) Ceiling
This design uses acoustical reflector panels for its ceiling for
better sound reflection.
Reflectors are used to optimize the strength and timing of
reflected sound to all audience locations. World famous pavilions
achieve this with complex shaping of walls and ceilings. Properly
located, designers can use acoustical reflectors to achieve similar
results at much lower costs.

Specifications:

1/2" plywood core with standard (stock) gel coat colors or optional custom
colors
Specify glossy (standard) or matte (optional) finish. Also available with
optional laminate facing or hardwood veneer on a 3/4" core board
Painted steel reinforcing angles
Standard sizes up to 20' in length with width varying between
9'-4" to 10' depending on desired finish. Maximum with:
Laminate or Veneeer: 10'
Glossy Gel Coat: 9'-10"
Matte Gel Coat: 9'-4"
Approximate weight varies based on panel size and type. Minimum 2-1/2
psf

Acoustical Performance

Freque
ncy, Hz

12
5

Mountin
g

0.1
5

2
5
0
0

50
0

10
00

20
00

40
00

NR
C

0.0
3

0.0
4

0.0
5

0.1
4

0.
05

The Noise Reduction Coefficient (commonly abbreviated NRC) is a

scalar representation of the amount of sound energy absorbed upon
striking a particular surface. An NRC of 0 indicates perfect reflection; an
NRC of 1 indicates perfect absorption.

IV.

Sound System
a.) Speaker Placement
For sound system, it doesnt need a lot of loudspeakers, it actually
depends on the architectural properties of the auditorium. Shown
below are the proposed speaker placement for the auditorium.

Speaker System

Stage Monitor
Speaker

Hanging Concert
Speakers

Stage Front Speakers

Panaray 310M
Frequency Range: 55Hz19kHz
Nominal Dispersion: 60 H
x 120 V
Maximum SPL @ 1m: 111
dB SPL

RoomMatch RM286005
and RM602805
Frequency Range: 55Hz16kHz
Nominal Dispersion:
28+45 x 20
Sensitivity (SPL / 1 W @ 1
m):
LF No EQ: 94 dB
LF With EQ: 93 dB
HF No EQ: 109 dB
HF With EQ: 104
dB
Panaray 802 Series III
Frequency Range: 50Hz16kHz
Nominal Dispersion: 120
H x 100 V
Maximum SPL @ 1m: 116
dB SPL

Small format underbalcony speaker

RoomMatch Utility
RMU108
Frequency Range: 80Hz16kHz
Nominal Dispersion: 90 x
60
Calculated Maximum SPL
@ 1 m: 114 dB

Bill of Materials
Ite
m#

QT
Y

Uni
t

200

pcs

Insignia - Power Cable NS-PW06501

100

pcs

AudioQuest - 10' NRG-X3 Power Cable

pcs

Bose RoomMatch Utility RMU108 Speaker

pcs

pcs

Bose Panaray 310M Monitor Speaker

Bose RoomMatch RM286005 and RM602805
Speaker

pcs

Bose Panaray 802 Series III

30

reel

Hellermann Tyton Power Cable

15

pcs

SHURE SM57

Description

Price

Amount

447.75

89,550.00

5,915.73

591,573.00

29,714.80

59,429.60

19,943.12

39,886.24

40,155.14

160,620.56

34,732.40

69,464.80

83,908.00

2,517,240.00

4,356.00

65,340.00

599.00

1,198.00

pcs

Techno Tamashi TH-1049

10

pcs

ALTO Equalizer 31 band mono

4,500.00

4,500.00

11

pcs

MICKLE MT7-USB Mixing Console

4,999.00

4,999.00

12

pcs

Amplivox Freestanding Podium with 50 Watt

37,647.93

37,647.93

250,000.00

250,000.00

53,679.00

53,679.00

13

pcs

Airman Welder 350 amp 9.9 Generator

14

pcs

HP Envy Recline 27xt

15

pcs

Axel Oxygen 5 Broadcast Mising Console

254,952.14

254,952.14

16

pcs

Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema LS10000

358,511.18

358,511.18
246,507.20
831,401.50

17

10

set

WeiDaMark RGB LED Stage Light Par 64

24,650.72

18

50

set

WeiDaMark LED Dome Lights

16,628.03

5,636,500.1
5

TOTAL AMOUNT
Audtorium Construction

Interior Construction and Sound Proofing

Labor Cost

TOTAL INVESTMENT

2,500,000.
00
1,500,000.
00

2,500,000.00
1,500,000.00
845,475.02

10,481,975.1
7