Daniel Ha: Assignment 5

Acoustics
-The qualities of a room (such as its shape or size) that make it easy or difficult for people inside to hear sounds clearly.
-The science that studies sound.

Acoustics is the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound, and infra-sound. In architecture, the main factors that acoustics deals with (in terms of the architecture itself) are the roof, eaves, walls, windows, doors, and other penetrations.

Without getting into the details (because I am not an acoustic engineer) sound generates from a source, is sent out in many directions, and bounces of a variety of surfaces previously mentioned (reverberation). The way that the sound bounces (the frequency, the amount, etc.) is basically what determines what it's gonna sound like to you (E.g. The sound you get from a music hall that has been acoustically engineered is going to sound richer, deeper, louder, and all those good things compared to if you were in an an-echoic chamber).

For an architect, there are many ways to manipulate and control the acoustic qualities in a space. The first is the material. Sound will sound different bouncing off wood, metal, rubber, glass, and anything else. I mentioned the an-echoic chamber before. Part of what makes them work is what they are made of. They can be made of a special foam, or a special type of rubber, but the point is that the material helps to dampen the reverberations and prevent the sound from ever spreading.

The second is shape/positioning. The sounds you hear in a long and wide corridor is completely different from the ones that you hear inside of a small, cramped porta potty. And the sounds you hear in a long and wide corridor is completely different from the ones you hear in a huge, vast concert hall. This is generally because of the different scales. As for positioning, the sounds you hear if you put a wooden crate (relatively big in size) in the corner of a room will sound different than if you put that same crate in the middle of the room.

The Neal Blaisdell Center

The Neal Blaisdell Center is just like your typical concert hall. In order to serve to the 2000+ people who can fit in it, it has to be configured/designed in a way that is acoustic (but I'm pretty sure that there is some mechanical help as well). The first thing that is evident is the shape/size of the complex. It is just like other concert halls in many ways, it's vast, has high ceilings, etc. All of the factors that are common across concert halls allow them to be acoustic (with each being specifically engineered to their specific configuration). The second thing is the materials. You don't see any metal panels or foam blocks anywhere because they cause the sound to warp or diminish (respectively). And finally is the positioning. Do you see anything that is obstructing the path of the main stage to the audience? I didn't think so, it just wouldn't make sense acoustically or theatrically.