Architectural Board Exam Reviewer

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
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 or 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 - of 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 - 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
o oscillation - 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)
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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
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
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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