Conference_programme: 18.5 - Acoustics in large gathering spaces
Lecture: Acoustic problems in a large hemispherical concrete church
Author(s): Martellotta Francesco, D'Alba Michele, Ayr Ubaldo
Summary:
Modern churches are often characterized by long reverberation and other acoustic defects caused by the use of hard surfaces and sound reflective finishings. Such flaws may be occasionally emphasized by additional use of concave surfaces which may cause non-uniform sound distribution and delayed focussed reflections which in the worst cases may result in audible echoes. The case of a large hemispherical church, with a floor surface of more than 500 m2, entirely made of facing concrete and glass inserts is discussed in in this paper. Acoustic measurements carried out in both unoccupied and occupied conditions, with omni directional sound source and with PA system, pointed out a reverberation time exceeding 5 s at mid frequencies, poor speech intelligibility, and audible echo problems. The measurements were used to obtain a fully calibrated acoustic model of the church and investigate possible solutions to correct and minimize such effects (echoes in particular).
Corresponding author
Name: Prof Francesco Martellotta
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Country: Italy
