Impact of architectural variables on acoustic perception in concert halls

Abstract

Acoustic perception in music halls has been a topic of research of great interest over the last century. It has been studied through physical parameters and also subjective parameters. Nevertheless, a concert in an auditorium is a multi-sensorial experience; so that the acoustic perception may be influenced by other non-acoustical attributes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze whether architectural variables (visual component) affect acoustic perception in concert halls and quantify this influence. This analysis was carried out implementing the Semantic Differential method and differentiating among experts and non-experts collectives. A total of 310 subjects participated in a field study in which the human response about acoustic and architectural parameters of 17 concert halls was collected. Results showed that acoustic perception in music halls was influenced by the visual component, and acoustic parameters had an influence on the assessment of architecture as well.