Fah Kanjanavanit : Acoustics Research

The Esplanade theater building in Singapore by Michael Wilford & Partners and DP architects features an acoustic canopy system, reverberation chambers and acoustic draperies. The theatres itself were designed by TPC and Artec Consultants, which answers the question about how architects deal with acoustics: they hire consultants.  TPC and Artec Consultants developed three main devices in the Concert Hall to create flexible acoustics. The hall is connected to reverberation chambers by 58 concrete doors that can be open and closed in various configurations. Also, there are 1,000 square meters of acoustic banners to allow the hall to be fine tuned. Above the concert platform includes three acoustic canopies that are adjustable by height depending on what's needed. This feature allows performers on stage to be able to hear each other. The reverberation chambers double the volume of the hall since it gives the concert hall of a "box-within-a-box". The other theatre is known as The Lyric Theater. It is shaped like a horseshoe, similarly to the classic European opera houses with four galleries. Dances and operas are performed on stage and the orchestra is hidden in a pit. The theatre's proscenium width (size of the stage outside the curtain) is flexible from 14 to 16.5 meters. Acoustic banners can also be lowered into the room to reduce the reverberation time. Both of the theatres are atop subway lines so to prevent the vibrations from coming through, the theatre sit on rubber footings. 

The basics of sound:

Sound is a vibration that travels as a mechanical wave through a medium such as water and air. Humans have a range of frequency of 20 Hz to 20kHz, meaning we can only hear within this sound range. 

Some basic terms:

Reverberation time: time interval between the initial arrival of a sound wave and the last audible sound

Acoustic transmission: this transfers sound from different parts of the buildings

Acoustic impedance: pressure made from vibrations

Resonance: emphasis of sound at particular frequency

J= sound intensity

p= sound pressure

v = partical velocity

z= acoustic impedance 

Finding out sound intensity : J= p x v = Z x v^2 = p^2 / Z  in W/m^2