Abstract
The Hall Acoustics computer model presented here carries out the computation of the acoustic response of rooms and large multipurpose volumes. The model is based on the 3 D representation of the volume. The surfaces are each assigned an absorption coefficient and are subdivided into smaller elements. A matrix of influence coefficients between elements is first calculated. Given a sound source, the energy received by each element is calculated, and from this, the sound level at any point in the volume can be determined, making it possible to calculate a) the attenuation with distance, b) the acoustic illumination on any plane, and c) the reception directivity of the sound energy received at any given point. Echograms at any chosen point in the volume can be calculated, as well as the evolution with time of the reception directivity at the receiver: such a feature enables checking the possible discrepancy between the visual picture and the sound picture. This software makes it possible to modify the shape of the room at will, in order to optimize its acoustic features. Two examples of hall acoustics design are presented (the Théâtre de la Cité in Toulouse, and the Al Shura Main Assembly Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia).
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