Scale model test for the acoustical design of Arts Center Incheon concert hall and acoustic measurement after construction

The Arts Center Incheon (ACI) concert hall was designed to have 1,760 seats, the volume of 18,000 m3 and the reverberation time of 2.1s with seats fully occupied. To achieve the auditory and visual intimacy, the concert hall had a reverse fan shape with a combination of vineyard and balcony. Various scale models and computer simulation were used to determine the acoustical design including the volume of hall, locations of walls and shapes of finishing materials. Three types of sound diffusers were applied according to wall locations. Appropriate protrusion heights were determined based on sound diffusion targets by each part such as the stage and the sides and back of the auditorium. During the execution design stage, a 1:10 scale model of this concert hall was fabricated to measure acoustic characteristics. An auralization experiment was conducted to assess psycho-acoustic responses to the diffusion design. The acoustic measurements after construction matched the design objectives.