Concert Hall Design

Abstract

A detailed study of 27 concert halls of Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Holland, Israel, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States is presented. The results point to new procedures to be followed in design and explain many inconsistencies existing in the literature dating from 1900. In particular, the reasons why identical reverberation times at 500 to 1000 cps can occur in occupied halls with volumes per seat ranging from 180 to 350 ft8 are explained. The relative advantages and disadvantages of rectangular, fan-shaped, horse-shoe, and diamond-shaped plans are discussed. Comments on the general acceptance of particular halls by orchestras, audiences, and music critics in relation to the measurable acoustic parameters are made.