Balancing uniform visual appearance with the need for adjustable acoustics in a concert venue: A case study

An acoustician’s recommendations for adjustable acoustics curtains in a concert venue sometimes comes into conflict with the architect’s aesthetic vision for the space. The architectural intent is usually for patrons to have a uniform visual experience of the room, regardless of the setting of the adjustable acoustics elements. This leads to the need for architecturally interesting, acoustically transparent elements, such as perforated metal or wooden grills, that can fully or partially hide the adjustable curtains from the eyes of the audience. This paper presents a summary of the collaboration between Acoustic Distinctions and the architectural firm HGA in designing sound-transparent, patterned wood grills that enable a visually attractive and consistent architectural aesthetic, regardless of the settings of the adjustable acoustics curtains behind, in the Kracum Performance Hall at Carleton College. The wood grills—designed collaboratively by the acoustician and architect—were mocked-up and acoustical tests were carried out at the University of Hartford to document their acoustical transparency. Results from those tests will be presented. These results may provide helpful guidelines to future collaborations with architects and acousticians on the design of acoustically transparent surfaces.