ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS

compiled & edited by Arch. Jenaro A. Villamor, uap

Definitions of ACOUSTICS:
1. branch of physics concerned with sound
2. deals with the production, control, transmission, reception, and effects of sound
Almost all acoustical situations are described in 3 parts (elements):
1. Sound Source ( e.g. human speech, HVAC equipment)
2. Transmission Path (e.g. air, earth, building materials)
3. Receiver (e.g. humans, animals, sensitive medical equipment)
ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS
1. technology of designing spaces, structures and mechanical systems to meet
hearing needs
2. effect of building design on the control of sound in buildings
3 Aspects of Acoustical Design in Buildings
1. Planning to keep noise sources as far as possible from quiet area
2. Internal acoustics of rooms
3. Structural precautions to reduce noise penetrations
Essential Elements of Architectural Acoustics:
1. Room Acoustics the qualities or characteristics of a room, auditorium, or concert
hall that determine the audibility of speech or fidelity of musical sound in it
Cubic volume (and coupled spaces)
Shape and proportion (length-to-width, height-to-width)
Finishes (selection and placement)
Audience layout ( floor slope, speaker-to-listener distances)
Special treatment ( suspended reflectors, resonant absorbers, quadratic-residue
diffusers)
2. Sound Isolation the use of building materials and construction assemblies
designed to reduce the transmission of airborne and structure-borne sound from
one room to another or from the exterior to the interior of a building (Sound
Insulation)
Site noise characteristics (sound level, character, duration)
Outdoor barriers, nearby buildings, vegetation, and earth berms

 Location of activities within buildings (zoning, buffer spaces)

Background noise criteria (HVAC system, electronic)
3. Mechanical system noise and vibrations
Equipment noise characteristics
Location of mechanical equipment
Vibration isolation ( springs, pads)
Air duct and pipe treatment ( linings, mufflers, laggings)
Background noise from air outlets (coordination with sound isolation)
4. Electronic sound systems
System compatibility with room acoustics
Loudspeaker selection, placement and orientation
System components and controls
Background masking (loudspeaker layout, sound spectra)

Definitions of SOUND 2
1. physical wave in an elastic medium, usually air
2. the sensation stimulated in the organs of hearing by mechanical radiant energy
transmitted as longitudinal pressure waves through the air or other medium
3. a vibration in an elastic medium such as air, water, most building materials, and
the earth
4. physically, sound is a rapid fluctuation of air pressure
Types of Sound
1. Wanted Sound (speech, music) heard properly
o considered desirable
o heard properly
2. Unwanted Sound (noise) annoyance
o annoyance
o not desired or objectionable
Characteristics of Sound
1. Audible

2. Inaudible
Basic Principles of Sound - understanding the characteristics of sound is essential in
designing for good acoustics)
1. Generation
o sound is generated when an object vibrates, causing the adjacent air to move,
resulting in a series of pressure waves radiating out from the moving object
o Wave a disturbance or oscillation that transfers energy progressively from point
to point in a medium or space without advance by the points themselves, as in the
transmission of sound or light
o Sound Wave a longitudinal pressure wave in air or an elastic medium esp. one
producing an audible sensation
2. Frequency
o the no. of times the cycle of compression and rarefaction of air occurs in a given
unit of time (e.g. 1000 cycles in the period of 1 second = 1000 cps = 1000 Hertz)
o the no. of cycles per unit time of a wave or oscillation
o the no. of complete cycles per second (frequency of vibration)
o the rate of oscillation of molecules by sound (frequency of vibration) measured in
cycles per second (Hertz)
o Pitch frequency of sound vibration; the predominant frequency of a sound as
perceived by the human ear
o Vibration the back and forth motion of a complete cycle
o Cycle full circuit by a displaced particle
o Period the time required for one complete cycle
o 20 20,000 Hz approx. audio frequency range of human hearing;
o 600 40,000 Hz critical frequency for speech communication
o Tone composed of a fundamental frequency with multiples of the fundamental,
called Harmonics
o Pure Tone sound composed only of 1 frequency
o Musical sounds are combination of many pure tones
o Frequency bands used to express division of sounds into sections (Octave bands
are the most common)
o 9 Octave Bands 31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000 Hz
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3. Velocity
o varies according to the medium of transmission; approx. 1100 fps in air at normal
temperature and pressure
4. Wavelength
o Distance between similar points on successive waves; the distance the sound
travels in one cycle
o Relationship between wavelength, frequency, and velocity:
= c/f
= wavelength, ft.2
c = velocity of sound, fps
f = frequency of sound, Hz (cps)
o Low frequency sounds: characterized by long wavelengths
o High frequency sounds: characterized by short wavelengths
o Sounds with wavelengths ranging from 50 can be heard by humans
5. Magnitude
o Sound power (watts) amount of energy produced by a source
o Intensity describes the energy level; unit is watts/cm2
o Loudness (what is perceived) related to the Intensity Level (IL) or Sound Pressure
Level (SPL)
o The Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is equivalent to the Sound Intensity Level (IL)
o Intensity Level is expressed in decibels
o Decibel dimensionless unit used to express the ratio of two numerical values of a
logarithmic scale
Comparison of decimal, exponential, and logarithmic statements of various acoustic
intensities
Intensity (watts/cm2) Intensity Level
Decimal Notation Exponential Notation Logarithmic Notation Examples
0.001 10-3 130 dB Painful
0.0001 10-4 120 dB
0.00001 10-5 110 dB 75-piece orchestra
0.000001 10-6 100 dB

0.0000001 10-7 90 dB Shouting at 5 ft.

0.000000001 10-9 70 dB Speech at 3ft.
0.00000000001 10-11 50 dB Average office
0.0000000000001 10-13 30 dB Quiet unoccupied office
0.00000000000001 10-14 20 dB Rural ambient
0.000000000000001 10-15 10 dB
0.0000000000000001 10-16 0 dB Threshold of hearing

o The fundamental relationship that determines the decibel level is ten times the
logarithm to the base 10 of the numerical ratio of the two intensities. For example:
IL = 10 log I
I0
IL = intensity level
I = intensity, watts/cm2
I0 = reference intensity, 10-16 watts/cm2
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6. Time Characteristics of Sound
o Some sounds remain constant with time (e.g. fan may produce a sound with
constant frequency and intensity characteristics a steady state sound)
o Sounds (traffic, voices, musical instruments) vary as a function of time
o Vehicular traffic sounds: maximum levels/levels exceeded for 90% of the time
o Speech sounds: 1% peaks
o Orchestras sound: long-term average levels
Behavior of Sound in a Free Field
Sound intensity is reduced to one-quarter each time the distance doubles:

I1 and I2 are the intensities at distances d1 and d2 from the source

The intensity of a sound at a distance from the source is expressed as the power
(P) of the source divided by the area over which it has spread (A)
I = P/A

 If the sound radiates freely in all directions from a source the area is a sphere. The
intensity is represented as:
I=P
4 r2
P = power in watts
r = distance from source in cm
In English units, the conversion factor is 930 cm2/ft4 r2Using this, the equation for
spherical direction is:
I = P/930 x 4 r2
As the intensity is reduced to one-quarter with each doubling of distance, the sound
pressure level (IL) is reduced by 6 dB. Quartering the intensity reduced the intensity
level by 6 dB
Sound attenuation is due to distance, absorption, or barriers
Barriers, to be effective must be solid, quite large as compared to the wavelength
of sound and near to the source or receiver
Shrubs, hedges, small groves: visual barriers only; no value acoustically
Sound Combining. Sounds from separate sources may combine. Two violins
produce a louder sound than 1 instrument; 3 violins are louder still. Decibels are not
added directly to make the perceived level twice as loud for 2 sources or 3 times as
loud for 3. The level for combined sources is determined by adding powers,
intensities or pressures; and subsequently converting to decibels. Doubling of
intensities results in a 3 dB increase (e.g. 50 dB plus 50 dB is 53 dB, not 100 dB)

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ROOM ACOUSTICS
Sound Indoors Acoustics of Room
Sound in an enclosure radiates out from the source until it hits a surface that
reflects or absorbs it
If the source is continuous, a state of equilibrium will be reached
Levels are constant throughout most spaces except at points very near the source
(for a given source, the built-up or reverberant levels will be highest in a space with
a few absorptive surfaces lobby with marble walls/floors; in a space with large
areas of sound absorbing materials, the levels will be lowest
1. Sound Absorption
Materials varying sound absorption characteristics

 Some absorb low frequency energy

Some absorb high frequency energy
Others absorb energy equally over a broad spectrum
Mechanism of Absorption: 3 families of devices for sound absorption; all types
absorb sound by changing sound energy to heat energy
Fibrous materials (Porous materials): absorption provided by a specific material
depends on thickness, density, porosity, resistance to air flow (e.g. materials must
be thick to absorb low frequency sounds effectively; suspending an acoustical
ceiling tile a foot below the structure results in better broad band absorption than
cementing the tile directly to the structure; acoustic paints with sand or walnut
shells are useless as sound absorbers
Panel resonators: built with a membrane (thin plywood, linoleum in front of a
sealed airspace); panel is set in motion by the alternating pressure of the impinging
sound wave; sound energy is converted into heat through internal viscous damping;
used where efficient low frequency absorption is required/ mid and high frequency
absorption is unwanted; used in recording studios
Volume resonators
Coefficient of Absorption (): Knowing the amount of absorption at different
frequencies for each material in a room is essential in designing the room acoustics
The absorption coefficient is the fraction of incident energy that is absorbed by a
surface expressed as
= Ia
Ii
Ii = incident energy, watts/cm2
Ia= absorbed energy, watts/cm2
= absorption coefficient (no units)
Total absorption (A) provided by a surface (S) is expressed in sabins
A = S
A = Total absorption, sabins
S = Surface area, sq ft
= Coefficient of absorption

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Coefficients of General Building Materials and Furnishings

Coefficients for absorption in auditorium is shown for both empty and occupied
seating conditions

Many products are prefabricated for sound absorbing treatment (suspended

ceilings/wall mounted treatments
3 kinds of custom-designed treatments that are often used in
auditoriums/churches (the deep air space insures adequate low frequency
performance

2. Noise Reduction by Absorption

Noise levels in a room are highest for a given source if the rooms surfaces are
primarily sound reflecting; lowest if there are large areas of sound absorbing
materials (e.g. sound absorbing ceilings
3. Reflections
4. Reverberation