UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ ADAPTABLE ACOUSTICS IN MULTI-USE MUSIC PERFORMANCE SPACES by Scott Anthony Hand Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2002 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture School of Architecture and Interior Design College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning University of Cincinnati June, 2004 University of Cincinnati Abstract ADAPTABLE ACOUSTICS by Scott Hand Architectural acoustics entails creating a space in which the sound is both heard and thought about, just as visual aesthetics are also thought about in architecture. In a performance space, acoustics play a major role in the audience’s perception of the performance. The conventional method of acoustic design is to develop the space for a balance of sound qualities for the primary performance. Sometimes, a limited amount of adjustability of acoustic qualities allows a few of those qualities to be shifted from one listening setting to another. These adjustments help tune the space to match the performance and enhance the overall quality of the show, lecture, or performance. Acoustic and architectural research leads to a design of a system for adaptable acoustics. This system allows for a particularly wide range of adjustability within a music performance space – both in performer numbers and type and in music style, type, and volume. This thesis research and design, for a multi- use performance hall and rehearsal spaces on a site in Fairfield, Ohio, push the physical limits of acoustic ranges, and adapts the space itself to the sound and the occupants within. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 - THESIS 4 CHAPTER ONE 4 Problem and Central Questions CHAPTER TWO 7 Technological Background CHAPTER THREE 21 Hypothesis / Arguement CHAPTER FOUR 23 Adjustable Acoustics CHAPTER FIVE 32 Adaptable Acoustics CHAPTER SIX 35 Methodology SECTION 2 – BUILDINGS PROGRAM 38 CHAPTER SEVEN 38 Program Requirements CHAPTER EIGHT 44 Background and Historical Review CHAPTER NINE 50 Program Precedents SECTION 3 - SITE 55 CHAPTER TEN 55 Site Description CHAPTER ELEVEN 58 Physical Analysis CHAPTER TWELVE 64 Site Precedents Room acoustics, and especially concert hall acoustics, is a subject that belongs at the intersection of physical science, engineering, and art. - M.R. Schroeder Many of the most well-known music performance venues are recognized because of their successful acoustics. Yet in most of these spaces a single type of music is performed. Symphony Hall in Boston has symphonic recitals. The Festspielhaus in Bayreuth performs Wagner’s operas. The Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique Musique in Paris has contemporary, abstract works performed within its walls. It is generally understood that when one tries to accomplish too many things well, none of the accomplishments are of above- average quality. This concept has held true for music performance venues. Can a performance space be acoustically designed to meet the needs of many different types of music and performers and achieve excellent sound for each? This quality standard can be met by a multi-purpose performance facility through the use of adaptable acoustics. The space can have the ability to ‘listen’ and adjust itself based on set parameters: the type of music being performed, the type of performer, the size of the audience, and the intentions of the performers. With this concept, an average-sized performance facility will be able to accommodate a wide variety of performances. This solution is beneficial to the owner of the facility for economic reasons and beneficial to the performers and the audience because it gives them the best sound quality possible. 2 Most of the technology for this type of evolutionary acoustic design already exists. A few facilities incorporate a degree of flexibility and adjustability in the acoustics. But there is a difference between adjustability and adaptability. Adaptability takes adjustability a step further and indicates that the system will have the capability of shifting itself along with the musical performance. The central idea of this project is fine-tuning the listening environment to match the ideals of each performer, music style, song performed, and how the audience perceives the sound. The act of altering the space to meet these demands should be an automatic process, so that a trained expert doesn’t need to monitor the controls at every moment. The process of adjusting the space becomes an exercise in perception. Even if the sound characteristics are adjusted to fit two different types of music consecutively, the audience may not realize that the space has been altered at all. Without visual reinforcement, the acoustic properties of the space may be taken for granted. The design of a listening environment such as this places emphasis on the individual. Each person in the audience and on the stage makes the judgment of how the space and the performance sound. Therefore, the adaptation of the space needs to be affected by what the individuals perceive. This thesis discusses using technology and architecture to create a space that can modify and adapt to musical performances occurring within it. It begins covering the concepts required to create an adaptable acoustic space, and then describes a building project that will utilize the hypothesis. 3 SECTION 1 - THESIS CHAPTER ONE There is no ideal listening environment. Hearing sounds is a physiological experience. The ears take in sound waves, and the brain processes them to determine noise, music, or sound. The activity of listening to music is an emotional and subjective process of hearing and processing the auditory impulses into thoughts and feelings. This is perception. One person’s impression of a sound is not the same as another’s. In order to study acoustics and its effects, we have to look past the subjective and delve into what can be measured. The field of acoustics isn’t described with strictly objective answers, but research has established apparent good and bad decisions. Based on tests and surveys, the subjective experiences can be classified into meaningful data to establish a set of criteria to use when measuring an acoustically significant space. There are studies and methods to determine what most people think sounds good and what they listen for when they go to a musical performance. The sound and the music affect the process of perception almost as much as the sense of sight. Try watching a movie with the sound turned off. The problem this research addresses is the limits and functionality of the acoustics in a multi-purpose musical performance space. A traditional concert hall has predetermined acoustics, regardless of the musical selection or the performer. This really is the case for all structures. Acoustic design is rarely the guiding principle in architecture. The main design tool that architects use is the sense of sight. They work with light, massing, depth, and space. However, acoustics should also be considered in designing any space, because sound plays a part in how we experience all places. This thesis focuses on 4 music performance spaces, because this is one of the few facilities in which the quality of sound is even more important than visual sensation. For economic reasons, it can be valuable to create a space that accommodates a range of performance types acoustically. This did not become an issue until the last two centuries or so. Prior to the mid 1800s, practically all formal music performances were given in buildings owned by the royalty or the church. Neither of these entities worried about the economics of putting on shows. In a modern commercial performing facility, each performance needs to make money to pay for the upkeep of the facility. The more shows a facility can produce, the more people it can bring in to pay to hear/see a performance, the more economically viable the facility is. This led to the building of enormous performing arts facilities that hold several thousand audience members. Because of their size, they must physically adjust to support a multitude of different performance types. These factors powerfully constrain the acoustic design. It is much simpler to design a space that sounds good under one specific condition rather than for a plethora of diverse conditions. There are three options for meeting the acoustic requirements of a multi- purpose space. The first is to compromise the acoustic parameters to a middle-ground between all of the different functions of the space. This is the least expensive option and has the advantage that nothing has to be controlled or changed after the construction is completed. However it produces non- optimal conditions for some types of performances, which may not correlate with the design goals. The second option is to give the space optimal conditions for one kind of presentation, and try to alter it for others by electro-acoustical means. There are two main categories for electro-acoustic systems: voice support systems for spaces with long and loud reverberations, and assisted resonance systems for spaces with little reverberation. The third option is to install changeable elements that help the space alter itself and its 5 natural characteristics to meet the desires of the current function.1 The latter option is the one this project develops into a system that adapts and fine-tunes itself with the performance and its optimum acoustic presentation. The reasoning behind this third option returns us to the basics of hearing. Listening to sound is a perceptual experience, which is very intricately entwined with the other senses, especially sight. The term “audio-visual” reflects this connection and describes how the two perceptions are linked to create a deeper perception.