W O R S H I P S PAC E AC O U S T I C S :

3
B RA D L E Y | RY H E R D | RONSSE
DECADES OF DESIGN
W O R S H I P S PA C E A C O U S T I C S :
3 D E C A D E S O F D E S I G N
 The ASA Press
The ASA Press imprint represents a collaboration between
the Acoustical Society of America and Springer dedicated
to encouraging the publication of important new books in
acoustics. Published titles are intended to reflect the full range of
research in acoustics. ASA Press books can include all types of
books published by Springer and may appear in any appropriate
Springer book series.

Editorial Board
James Cottingham (Chair), Coe College
Diana Deutsch, University of California, San Diego
Timothy F. Duda, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Mark Hamilton, University of Texas at Austin
William Hartmann, Michigan State University
James F. Lynch, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Philip Marston, Washington State University
Arthur Popper, University of Maryland
Erica Ryherd, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Andrea Simmons, Brown University
Martin Siderius, Portland State University
Ning Xiang, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
William Yost, Arizona State University

ii | iii
Acoustical Society of America
The mission of the Acoustical Society of America
(acousticalsociety.org) is to increase and diffuse the knowledge
of acoustics and promote its practical applications. The ASA
is recognized as the worlds premier international scientific
society in acoustics, and counts among its more than 7,000
members, professionals in the fields of bioacoustics, engineering,
architecture, speech, music, oceanography, signal processing,
sound and vibration, and noise control.
Since its first meeting in 1929, The Acoustical Society of
America has enjoyed a healthy growth in membership and in
stature. The present membership of approximately 7,500 includes
leaders in acoustics in the United States of America and other
countries. The Society has attracted members from various fields
related to sound including engineering, physics, oceanography,
life sciences, noise and noise control, architectural acoustics;
psychological and physiological acoustics; applied acoustics;
music and musical instruments; speech communication;
ultrasonics, radiation, and scattering; mechanical vibrations and
shock; underwater sound; aeroacoustics; macrosonics; acoustical
signal processing; bioacoustics; and many more topics.
To assure adequate attention to these separate fields and to
new ones that may develop, the Society establishes technical
committees and technical groups charged with keeping
abreast of developments and needs of the membership in their
specialized fields. This diversity and the opportunity it provides
for interchange of knowledge and points of view has become
one of the strengths of the Society.
The Societys publishing program has historically included the
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, the magazine
Acoustics Today, a newsletter, and various books authored
by its members across the many topical areas of acoustics. In
addition, ASA members are involved in the development of
acoustical standards concerned with terminology, measurement
procedures, and criteria for determining the effects of noise and
vibration.
W O R S H I P S PA C E A C O U S T I C S :
3
B RA D L E Y | RY H E R D | R O N S S E
D E C A D E S O F D E S I G N
Editors
David T. Bradley Erica E. Ryherd
Physics + Astronomy Department Durham School of Architectural Engineering &
Vassar College Construction
Poughkeepsie, NY, USA University of Nebraska Lincoln
Omaha, NE, USA
Lauren M. Ronsse
Audio Arts & Acoustics
Department
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA

ISBN 978-1-4939-3096-8 ISBN 978-1-4939-3097-5 (eBook)

DOI 10.1007/978-1-4939-3097-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015952316

Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London

Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole
or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of
illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical
way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer
software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the
publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the
material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

Cover design by David T. Bradley

Cover photograph: Congregation of Temple Israel | Finegold Alexander + Associates

Printed on acid-free paper

Springer Science+Business Media LLC NewYork is part of Springer Science+Business

Media (www.springer.com)
 TA B L E O F
CONTENTS

Reflections from Key Design Team

Members

xii Editors Preface 3 The Soundscape of Worship

by Gary Siebein

15 Changes and Trends in Ecclesiastical Design at the

Turn of the 21st Century
by Evelyn E. Wilwerding

23 Strength, Function, and Beauty in Worship Space

Design
by John A. Prokos

27 Audio for Worship Spaces: Design for the Big Picture

by Dan Clayton

33 The Holiness of Acoustics

by Mark K. Williams

37 Good Sound Takes a Lot of Hard Work!

by John D. Waldbaum
TA B L E O F
CONTENTS

Worship Spaces Appendices

43 List of Contributed Worship Spaces 325 A: Acoustic Design of Worship SpacesAn Overview

47 Map 335 B: Glossary

49 Timeline 347 C: Worship Spaces Indexed by Location

51 Worship Spaces: 100250 seats 353 D: Worship Spaces Indexed by Acoustical Consulting
Firm
95 Worship Spaces: 251500 seats
359 E: Notes on Currency, Units, and Scale
145 Worship Spaces: 501750 seats
361 F: References
201 Worship Spaces: 7511000 seats

247 Worship Spaces: 10012000 seats

289 Worship Spaces: 20015000+ seats

E D I T O R S P R E FA C E B RA D L E Y | RY H E R D | R O N S S E

David T. Bradley, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the
Physics + Astronomy Department at Vassar College.
Erica E. Ryherd, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the
Durham School of Architectural Engineering & Con-
struction at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Lauren M. Ronsse, Ph.D., is an assis-
tant professor in the Audio Arts & Acous-
tics Department at Columbia College Chicago. |
W orship Space Acoustics: 3 Decades of Design is the
latest volume in a series of architectural acoustics
compendiums published by the Acoustical Society of
America (ASA). The previous book in the series, which
served as a major inspiration for the current publication, is
Acoustical Design of Theatres for Drama Performance: 1985-
2010, published in 2010 and co-edited by David T. Bradley,
Erica E. Ryherd, and Michelle C. Vigeant [1]. The present
volume is the second in the series to focus on worship
spaces. The first such book, Acoustics of Worship Spaces, was
published in 1985 and edited by David Lubman and Ewart
A. Wetherill [2]. The present volume focuses exclusively
on worship spaces that were designed in the past 30 years
and thus serves as a direct follow-up and update to the
Lubman and Wetherill volume.
As was the case with the drama theatre and Lubman
and Wetherill worship spaces volumes, this book grew
out of poster sessions sponsored by the ASA Technical
Committee on Architectural Acoustics: Spaces of Worship
Another Quarter Century of Experience (1984-Present), Parts
I & II, which were chaired by Rose Mary Su and Adam R.
Foxwell at the Spring 2006 ASA meeting in Providence,
RI. Several of the worship spaces from the Providence
session are presented in the current publication. However,
the time frame has been expanded to include worship
spaces designed through 2015, thus representing a richer
sample of worship space acoustics design from the past
three decades.
This book is meant to be a valuable reference, resource, and
inspiration to a wide audience including acoustical design-
ers and consultants, students studying acoustics, architects,
worship space leaders, music directors, and congregants.
Twenty-six firms have contributed content for the full-col-
or spreads showcasing case studies of 67 worship spaces
from five countries across the globe, with the majority of
the venues located in the United States. Each worship
space presented includes a description of the space provid-
ed by the contributing architect or acoustical consultant,
photographs, computer-generated renderings, architectur-
al drawings, and acoustical data plots. Most of the spac-
es are accompanied by a full-page floor plan and section
drawing to show the architectural details of the space. The
descriptions and accompanying data highlight the archi-
tectural acoustics features, challenges, and highlights of the
particular space.
There is a rich diversity of spaces of worship covered in this
book, ranging from intimate chapels, temples, and meeting
houses to large megachurches. Since the size of the worship
space has a significant influence on the resulting acoustical
conditions and design considerations, the book has
been subdivided into six sections based on the number of
seats: 100250 seats (11 venues); 251500 seats (13 venues);
501750 seats (14 venues); 7511000 seats (11 venues);
EDITORS PRE

Worship Space Type Description Color

Auditorium Large event space reserved for special programs and gatherings

Cathedral Gathering space for Roman Catholic worship with a bishop

Chapel Gathering space for worship with no constant, organized congregation, or an auxiliary
worship space used for prayer, gatherings, or small religious services
Church Gathering space for Christian worship with a constant, organized congregation

House of Worship Gathering space open to various religions, or a space for a worship practice that incorpo-
rates multiple religions
Meditation/Teaching Hall Gathering space for Buddhist or Hindu religious activities

Meeting House Gathering space for United Church of Christ worship, stemming from Puritan traditions

Mosque Gathering space for Muslim worship and teaching

Synagogue Gathering space for Judaic worship and teaching

10012000 seats (10 venues); and 20015000+ seats

(8 venues). The type of worship space (e.g., chapel, church,
or synagogue) also plays a major role in determining the
acoustical design solutions employed. Some worship spac-
es span multiple types, and the relevant types are noted in
the text for each type. In addition, for ease of reference, the
information bar on the top of each worship space spread
has been color-coded according to the primary worship
space type shown in the table above.
Given the complexity and nuance of religious terminology,
all-encompassing definitions for these nine types of
spaces are difficult to compile; the descriptions given in
the table above are intended to provide a general sense of
how typology was interpreted for this book. However, it
should be noted that other interpretations are possible. For
example, cathedrals were interpreted as gathering spaces
xiv | xv
E FA C E

for Roman Catholic worship with a bishop in this book, but

non-Roman Catholic cathedrals also exist. The majority
of the worship spaces fall into the architecturally diverse
church category, which encompasses a variety of forms
from fan-shaped floor plans with relatively low ceilings
through cruciform designs with high vaulted ceilings. The
diversity of worship space types and architectural forms
included in this book provides a valuable design reference
for a wide array of spaces.
In addition to the 67 individual worship space case stud-
ies, the book also contains a series of essays intended to
provide context to readers who may be new to the area of
worship space acoustics as well as fresh insights for those
experienced in the field. The first essay, by Gary Siebein
(Professor of Architecture at the University of Florida and
Senior Principal Consultant with Siebein Associates, Inc.),
discusses the soundscape of worship. Professor Siebeins
contribution draws on a wealth of experience gained per-
forming research and acoustical design work for a variety
of worship spaces. In the next essay, Evelyn Wilwerding
(Solomon Cordwell Buenz Architects) provides a histori-
cal overview of worship space design and highlights some
recent trends. The contributed worship spaces in the main
sections of the book reflect these new trends and portray
numerous creative acoustic solutions that have been em-
ployed to address some of the many challenges associated
with worship space design.
While the acoustical consultant is a critical member of the
design team, the coordination and harmony of all design
team members is necessary for the creation of a successful
worship space. The architect, audio systems designer, music
director, and owner, to name a few, all play important
roles in contributing to the final worship experience for
the congregants, and for this reason, an essay from an
experienced professional in each of these roles has been
included to discuss worship space design issues from their
unique perspective. John Prokos (GUND Partnership)
explains worship space design from an architects
EDITORS PRE

perspective contextualized within the framework of first

century architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollios postulate that
structures must exhibit the three qualities of firmitas,
utilitas, et venustasthat is, they must be strong, functional,
and beautiful. His essay shows how architectural and
acoustical design can intersect in successful worship space
design. The next essay by Dan Clayton (Clayton Acoustics
Group) highlights audio systems design for worship spaces
and provides basic guidelines for designing high-quality,
intelligible, speech-reinforcement sound systems. Next,
Mark Williams, music director of the Christ Church
Anglican in Savannah, GA, focuses on worship space
design from a music directors perspective, including an
explanation of how room acoustics influence the perception
of worship service music. Finally, John Waldbaum (Colliers
International) describes worship space design from an
owners perspective, discussing the development of a tri-
faith initiative and the related construction details of a
Jewish synagogue in Omaha, Nebraska.
For readers seeking more background information on ar-
chitectural acoustics specifically related to worship space
design, the appendices include a glossary of key terms and
an acoustical design overview with a general summary of
the design process. A list of references is also provided for
readers interested in architectural acoustics and worship
space design.
We are grateful to the many people who have helped this
book come to fruition. In particular, we appreciate the work
of the contributing architects and acoustical consultants
whose firms designs are featured in this publication.
Their assistance was essential in compiling the necessary
elements for each worship space contribution, and they
should be credited with much of this books success. We
are also indebted to our guest essay authors, who added
wonderful insights into worship space acoustics history and
design from a variety of perspectives. We appreciate our
colleagues in the world of acoustics who provided guidance
throughout this process, including Michelle Vigeant, Scott
xvi | xvii
E FA C E

Pfeiffer, and Ben Markham. Much of the labor involved

in managing the text and image assets of the book was
carried out by Andrew Hathaway, Steven Williams, Vassar
College undergraduates Sam Gilbert and Mallory Morgan,
and Georgia Tech undergraduates Jonathan Graham and
Joshua Kim, and we are very thankful for their assistance.
One student in particular, Reilly Hay of Vassar College,
provided tireless and meticulous support in the creation
of the book layout, and we are exceedingly grateful for his
efforts.
The process of creating this publication has been rewarding
and challenging, and we hope that readers will find it to be
a useful and valuable reference for many years to come.

David T. Bradley, Ph.D.

Erica E. Ryherd, Ph.D.
Lauren M. Ronsse, Ph.D.
Worship Space Acoustics: 3 Decades of Design, Co-editors

References
[1] Bradley, David T., Ryherd, Erica E., Vigeant, Michelle C.
(Eds) Acoustical Design of Theatres for Drama Performance:
1985 2010. New York: Acoustical Society of America, 2010.
[2] Lubman, David and Wetherill, Ewart A. (Eds) Acoustics
of Worship Spaces. New York: Acoustical Society of America,
1985.
reflections froM keY design
teaM MeMBers
ngised Yek Morf snoitcelfer
sreBMeM Maet
the soundscape of worship g a r Y w. s i e B e i n
 T here is an interesting passage in the Book of Kings that tells
the story of Elijah who entered a cave on Mount Horeb to
seek shelter.
Then the Lord said to him, Go outside and stand on the
mountain before the Lord, for the Lord will be passing by.
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and
crushing rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the
wind. After the wind there was an earthquake - but the
Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there
was fire - but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there
was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this Elijah hid
his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the
cave.(1 Kings 19:9, 11-13) [1].
The passage asks the question, what is one listening to and for
when they attempt to communicate with their god in worship
spaces? What is one able to hear when it is presented? Sound-
scape theory provides some opportunities and insights into the
architectural and acoustical design of religious buildings that
can explore how acoustical issues can be integrated within wor-
ship spaces of the twenty-first century.

The Soundscape of Worship

The soundscape of worship has been defined in many cultures,
in many places around the globe since the earliest beginnings
of human history. It is one of the archetypal activities in which
people as individuals and as cultural beings have engaged in a
variety of ways throughout the ages. It is among the most pro-
found and complicated soundscapes that exist in any building
type. It is intrinsically linked with the nature of human existence.
Eliade conceives of sacred space, such as a primordial temple, as
a space that forms a threshold between earth and skybetween
god or the cosmos and people on the earth. here, in the sacred
enclosure, communication with the gods is made possible; hence
there must be a door to the world above, by which the gods can
descend to earth and man can symbolically ascend to heaven
[2]. This idea becomes the prototype for the human relationship
with god or the cosmos in the worship experience. The sound-
scape of worship is based upon the presence of a cosmos, God or
higher power worthy of worship with whom people feel a need
to communicate in a variety of ways:
to express feelings that are at the essence of the human spirit;
Gary W. Siebein, FAIA, FASA is a Professor of Archi-
that are at once communal and yet are also highly individ-
tecture at the University of Florida. He has written five
ual;
books, 16 book chapters, and over 150 technical papers
that can be joyous, but also painful;
and presentations on architectural acoustics. He directs
that are often difficult to cope with as one faces momentous
a graduate research program where masters and doctor-
or catastrophic change; but simultaneously seeks rebirth, re-
al students from around the world study building and
newal or repentance from the past;
environmental acoustics. He is also the Senior Princi-
that are linked in many cases through centuries of traditions,
pal Consultant with Siebein Associates, Inc. (www.
but that are really about the construction of a more harmo-
siebeinacoustic.com), an acoustical consulting firm lo-
nious future for the individual and for the congregate group;
cated in Gainesville, Florida that specializes in design
that have a need for communication in a multitude of mo-
for natural and reinforced acoustics in worship, music
dalities,
performance, and theatrical spaces. He has worked on
communication that is tangible in the spoken word and song,
over 1,600 projects since the firms inception in 1981.|
but also intangible in prayer, thought and meditation.
the sounds
worship
that often involves listening attentively to clear, deeply felt,
inspired praying, preaching, reading, speaking and singing

Sometimes this is manifest in isolation as one confronts his or

her god alone, in silence, in the dark of a small niche apart from
the main space or in the light of a solitary candle; sometimes it is
manifest in the joyous singing and praying or sad wailing of the
entire community joined in corporate celebration or solemnity
of momentous events in life.
It is at once constituted from the humbling silence that results
as one reflects on ones own deeds; the profoundly human joy
that is expressed in greetings, learning and sharing as people
come together as a unified body for a common purpose; joyously
singing praises, filling the space with heartfelt music.

Hearing the music of the heavens filling the space:

descending from above;
surrounding, enveloping and fully immersing people with
the songs of the cosmos, god or Lord. The entire congregation
raising its voices in prayer and song,
filling the room with a sense of oneness in aspirations.
Feeling the rhythm, the beat common to all peoples, in all
places, in all times, pulsing in our veins and hearts
Feeling the inspiration to reach out to the cosmos or a god,
to others -
to be better than one imagines they can be,
a mirror of the love of cosmos, creator, or a god, reflected in
his word;
a reflection of the love nested deep within the human heart
for others
Sharing the joy, laughter and excitement of younger children
as they sing and pray in our midst

The opportunity to be alone, facing ones creator and ourself,

feeling the reverberations of our lives in thoughtful, reverent
prayer, in joy and in pain, in doubt and in confidence, in medi-
tation, stillness, transcendence, being apart from ourselves, from
each other and from the world.
So much of being human and of aspiring to the ideals of be-
5|6
ing human are integral parts of all religious traditions and ex-
cape of

pressions. The buildings for these activities are among the most
significant works of architecture in many cultures around the
world.
The soundscape of worship is truly shaped by the acoustic com-
munity of the worshipers and their God, by the shape, size, ma-
terials and systems of the building and by the cycles and rhythms
of the theology and liturgy of the group. The intertwining of the
relationships among these groups forms the ecological structure
upon which the community is formed.
The acoustical consulting community has engaged in 30 years
of serious inquiry, acoustical explorations and analysis to explore
the soundscape of worship; to express the essence of the worship
experience for a variety of modalities and communities; and to
express the unique acoustical identity and aspirations of indi-
vidual church groups in this regard. This has involved primary
research and design work in the fundamentals of architectural
acoustics: the design of each of the elements of the religious
building to naturally enhance the sounds within the space; the
development of advanced design tools so the acoustical goals of
the community can be achieved in economical ways in the com-
pleted building; and the integration of enhanced, multi-media
electronic systems to form a fully immersive religious environ-
ment with a soundscape tailored to the unique aspirations of
each community.

The Acoustical Community of Worship

Park [3] identified five acoustical communities in worship spaces:
1. The worship leader such as a minister, priest, rabbi, imam or
other celebrant
2. The congregation. The congregation may be viewed as one
group within the acoustical community in small spaces. The
congregation may be divided into multiple groups in larg-
er spaces with separate acoustical rooms within the larger
space or when the congregation has a heterogeneous de-
mography where the participants place different values or
meanings on how they participate in the worship experience
or on what they hear or prefer to hear.
the sounds
worship
3. The music minister, cantor or other leaders of the worship
experience in addition to the primary celebrant
4. The choir, band, soloists, lay readers or others involved with
the production of acoustical aspects of the worship experi-
ence
5. The technical staff such as the sound system operator, light-
ing system operator or video system operator who operate
media systems of various types and record or broadcast
events.

Location Within the Soundscape

Each of these groups is located in a different part of the worship
spaceoften in a part of the main worship space that may have
different acoustical qualities from other parts of the worship
space, i.e., they are located in an acoustical room within the
worship space with its own unique sonic environment. Park [3]
found that acoustical measurements made within each worship
space studied demonstrated that acoustical zones or acousti-
cal rooms within the main space are formed within a worship
space with different acoustical metrics measured using impulse
response techniques. The choir may be located behind or to the
side of the platform or altar or sometimes even in a balcony at
the rear of the main space. The congregational seating area can
be located within a central nave with a very high ceiling flanked
by seating areas with flat ceilings that are much lower than the
main nave making it difficult for sounds to propagate from one
acoustical volume to another. The sound system operator may
be located in a mixing booth at the rear of the space, in a loft
or balcony at the rear of the room or in a separate room with
only a small window connecting him or her to the main acousti-
cal space. Therefore, each group may be hearing sounds that are
coloured or heard differently from sounds heard in other parts
of the room due to the unique structure of the sound reflections
and reverberation that reach each part of the space. Therefore,
it becomes essential to try to design a similar listening experience in
each of the parts of the worship space so participants can have similar
sonic engagement with the worship experience.

7|8
cape of

Acoustical Functions Within the Soundscape

Each group within the community also brings different acous-
tical functions to the act of worship. The congregation is trying
to listen, learn, be inspired or as Kurt Vonnegut said, daydream
about God. The imam, minister or priest may be concerned
about maintaining a connection with the congregation. The
choir has to hear each other and hear the piano or organ or
other instruments to sing in time, in tone and in balance with
the group. The music minister is concerned about how the choir
projects its sound to the congregation and how the voices of
the individual choir members or groups blend together as their
sound propagates into the worship space. The sound system op-
erator is trying to critically listen to the various specific acous-
tic events that comprise the worship service and vary the audio
system controls to provide uniform listening conditions to all
listeners in all parts of the worship space as different activities
within the worship service occur, such as a lay reader coming to a
lectern to read scripture passages before the celebrant presents a
sermon and after the choir has sung a hymn. Each sound source
may require adjustments to compensate for the strength of their
voice, the distance they are from the microphone and the tonal
qualities of their sounds. Therefore, the designer should develop the
acoustical response of each part of the worship space to address the
specific acoustical functions that will occur within them.

Acoustical Values
Each group also has different acoustical values or desires for the
experience of worship and different hearing abilities with which
they will evaluate the acoustical experience of worship. The mu-
sic director, choir members, instrumentalists and sound system
operator may have very sophisticated critical listening abilities
and possibly different preferences that they apply to evaluating
the acoustical aspects of the worship experience. The members
of the congregation may have a wide variety of personal pref-
erences as well as hearing abilities that they use to evaluate the
worship experience. The celebrant in leading prayer or medi-
tation may be trying to encourage a sense of peace, harmony
or well-being in the congregation at one point in the service
while a few minutes later s/he may be trying to personally con-
the sounds
worship
nect with the members of the congregation to cultivate thought
or motivation for personal change among them. Therefore, the
acoustical designer should apply criteria to address the different val-
ues and preferences of the different members of the acoustical commu-
nity who will use the building.
It is not surprising that in Parks soundscape study of worship
spaces [3] statistically significant differences were found in eval-
uations of the acoustical qualities of the worship spaces they
attend by members of the five groups identified within the wor-
ship community. Comments from the respondents to the sur-
veys showed that different groups were hearing differently in
different parts of the spaces. Focus group discussions with par-
ticipants revealed that they applied different criteria to evaluate
what they heard.

Acoustical Identity
Acoustical attributes of worship spaces are often addressed
as though there is one listener or one set of acoustical criteria
that can be applied to the various areas of a worship space that
are shared among all of the participants in the soundscape. If
one pays careful attention to the church group or committee
involved with the design and construction of a new or reno-
vated facility, they can tailor the architectural, acoustical and
electronic systems design to provide a unique acoustical iden-
tity that expresses the individual aspirations of each particular
church group in each and every facility. The technical tools for
measurement and assessment of existing conditions, modeling
of proposed changes and simulating the anticipated results so
pre-construction evaluations can be made while the design is
still in a computer are readily available to allow consultants to
develop acoustical aspects of worship spaces that meet criteria
that are unique for each project.

The Acoustical Itinerary of Worship

There is a much greater dynamic to the interaction of sound
sources and listeners in a worship space than in a concert hall or
a theater. During a concert or a dramatic performance the audi-
ence remains seated for the entire performance and the orches-
9 | 10
cape of

tra or actors stay on the stage and produce sounds to be heard by

the audience. Oftentimes in a worship space there is an itinerary
that is followed through the service that is rooted in the liturgy
and theology of the group. The service may start with a proces-
sional where the celebrants and choir enter the church and sing
or pray as they move from the entry to the platform. The prima-
ry celebrant may start the service with a prayer and then a cantor
or lay readers may read from a different location on or in front of
the platform. The celebrant may address the congregation from
a fixed point at an altar or s/he may walk throughout the front
of the space or throughout the congregational seating area. The
choir may function as a standalone group that is listened to or
it may lead the congregation in singing from a location that is
separated from the locations where the celebrants and lay read-
ers address the congregation. At times the entire congregation
may become the sound source as they stand, sit, kneel or bow
in quiet individual prayer or contemplation or sing or pray as a
group. The movement of the sound sources and receivers with-
in the worship space can be mapped as an acoustical itinerary.
Special care must be taken in the design of the worship space to allow
sounds made at each of the locations along the itinerary of worship to
be heard at other locations in the room.

The Acoustical Calendar of Worship

Worship spaces often have an acoustical calendar associated
with their use. The worship building is not used for the same
activities in the same way every day of the week in many cases.
A large worship space that is fully occupied with 1,000 or more
participants on the Sabbath may have less than 100 people for
a smaller service on a weekday or for a special event like a wed-
ding or a funeral, if these are held in the space. Recognizing the
acoustical calendar for the space and the multiple scales and types of
activities that will occur within the space is essential to its proper
functioning as a soundscape.

Soundmarks of Worship
Many worship spaces have a soundmark which is the acousti-
cal equivalent of a landmark, integrated within their building
and/or their liturgy. The ringing of bells in an external tower or
the sounds
worship
the calling to prayer from a minaret to call worshipers to ser-
vice is one example of a soundmark. However, there are also
soundmarks nested within the worship services of many groups.
This may include ringing bells or cymbals to focus attention
during important parts of a service, moving from spoken word
to chanting or singing to convey a point of emphasis, a call for
silent prayer, reflection or meditation, or the great amen or
hallelujah sung or spoken by all fall into this category. For the
soundmark to achieve its point of emphasis, it must stand out in level,
pitch, time and duration from the preceding and subsequent sounds.
This requires a worship space to achieve a reasonable level of quiet
from internal sounds such as building equipment, lights or activities
in other parts of the building as well as from external sounds such as
traffic on busy streets, aircraft flying overhead and thunder storms.

Subtleties of the Soundscape of Worship

Truax [4] states that the community is linked and defined by
sounds which are clearly defined, which reflect community life,
have distinct and varied acoustical features, are easily recognized
and convey subtle meanings to community members. One could
argue that many of the important teachings of many religions
lie in the subtle meanings conveyed to congregation members
about the essence of life in their faith. Park [3] found that subtle
acoustical effects within worship spaces could be identified and
addressed using soundscape methods. Subtle effects of sound
quality that he was able to quantitatively evaluate in worship
spaces included an increase in speech perception measured by
the Speech Transmission Index (STI) and in survey respons-
es from parishioners associated with the traditional Roman
Catholic worship style of the priest facing away from the con-
gregation towards the tabernacle compared to times when the
priest faced the congregation in a small church. He was also able
to demonstrate quantitative effects by statistically significant
changes in acoustical metrics and survey responses related to
the use of electronic reverberation at some times in one church,
the poor aiming of loudspeakers in a reverberant church, the
lack of even sound system coverage within a worship space and
different listening conditions due to the spatial separation of the
celebrant, music minister, choir, congregation and sound system
11 | 12
cape of

operator even in small churches.

Conclusions
These examples show that the acoustical design of worship
spaces often involves a complex analysis and design process for
a dynamic worship service where sound sources and listeners
move in the space, where there are many different sound signals
prayer (where the goal may be to establish a relationship with
a god or a higher power), speaking or reading (where one may
be conveying more objective information than when one may
be praying), meditating, singing, playing music of various types
with and without vocal accompaniment, and other activities that
must be accounted for in the design of the space. The location,
preferences and roles of the different groups of participants in the
soundscape should be accounted for in the design.
Buber [5] believes that a fundamental attribute of religious
growth is where one experiences an I-Thou relationship in
their engagement with others and with their God. He sees the
essence of the formation of an I-Thou relationship in estab-
lishing a dialogical relationship among participants of the reli-
gious experience. The dialogical relationship is formed through
tangible and intangible communication through a variety of
media. According to Truax [4], when people are joined through
the shared meanings in tangible and intangible forms of com-
munication they form an acoustical community which is the
fundamental element of a soundscape. To bridge across or to
flow out of the threshold that separates people from the cosmos
or people from God, communication in various forms is need-
ed. This could be Elijah listening for the silence on the moun-
tain, Job calling out to the voice of God in a cloud, a pastor
speaking through the microphone to 1,000 or more people in a
large sanctuary, the muezzin calling the community to prayer in
a large city, the cantor leading a congregation, or a praise band
playing with guitars, drums and other electronic instruments in
a large assembly hall with several large multimedia projection
screens and stage lighting systems electrifying the atmosphere.
Murray Schafer [6] tells how Marshall McLuhan wrote that
speech gives a structure or an invisible architecture to . . . space.
the sounds
worship
If one can seek this invisible architecture, there can be an integral
relationship developed between the basic building structure, the
architectural rooms and the acoustical rooms in worship spaces.
These acoustical rooms formed by sounds that are waiting to be
heard are the basis of the soundscape. Sacred space is space that
is set apart or consecrated. It is space that is not homogeneous. It
has breaks in it; some parts of the space are qualitatively differ-
ent from others [2]. This notion allows one to mark a significant
space that is fixed as a point of orientation in the world that sur-
rounds it. Once the space is set apart, the sound can be allowed
to form a space for hearing as it moves from the source. The
architecture can be shaped to enclose the space that is formed
by the sounds of worship in the attempt to link people on earth
to god or the skyto communicate with the godsto cross the
thresholdbetween the sacred and the profane.

References
[1] Holy Bible: New International Version.
[2] Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of
Religion. Trans. by Willard R. Trask. Florida: Harcourt, Inc.,
1959.
[3] Park, Sangbum. The Soundscape of Worship Spaces. Ph.D.
dissertation, Florida: University of Florida, 2012.
[4] Truax, Barry. Acoustic Communication. Connecticut: Ablex
Publishing, 2001.
[5] Buber, Martin. I and Thou. New York: Charles Scribner and
Sons, 1958.
[6] Schafer, R. Murray. Acoustic Space. Dwelling Place and
Environment, D. Seamon and R. Mugerauer (Eds). Dordrecht:
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1985.

13 | 14
cape of
changes and trends in
e c c l e s i a s t i c a l d e s i g n at
the turn of the 21 st
centurY e V e lY n e . w i lw e r d i n g

Evelyn E. Wilwerding, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, is a
licensed architect practicing with Solomon Cordwell
Buenz Architects in Chicago, Illinois. She has had a
love for and fascination with ecclesiastical design and
the creation of sacred space from an early age when she
stumbled across pictures of French Gothic Cathedrals.|
D riving around the modern American city, one cant help
but notice a difference between churches built as late as
the 1930s and contemporary worship spaces. What has caused
the shift? Is this a reflection of changing religious beliefs and
practices? Has the role of the church changed in modern soci-
ety? Or are other factors at play?
Historical Overview
For centuries, elements of ecclesiastical design remained rel-
atively consistent. The construction, ornament, flow of space,
and the liturgy were integrated. The floor plan of the German
Romanesque church of the ninth century was not significantly
different from the French Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame de
Chartres. The French Gothic churchs addition of side chapels
created a lace edge not seen in the more orthogonal cruciform
of the Romanesque Maria Laach Abbey, Andernach, Germany.
The tectonics, however refined, did not completely alter. The
refinements were built upon the solid construction techniques
tested over centuries. Predominately stone or brick, the church
was designed to last for hundreds of years. Throughout histo-
ry, there was a desire to reach to the heavens, building taller
and taller, stretching the material capabilities and incubating
structural innovations. Not all churches were successful. As
new heights were attempted, and more light desired, there were
churches that collapsed. But these structural failures led to the
innovation of flying buttresses which were not only functional
but also ornamental.
The spiritual journey was expressed in the compression and re-
lease of volumes. The congregation physically experienced the
transition from secular to sacred space. The connection of the
spaces was thoughtfully arranged, continually hearkening back
to the liturgy of the Mass or later to the Protestant service. The
congregation entered through a small, dark, compressed vesti-
bule or narthex to journey into the bright, soaring volume of the
nave. Light flooded the nave from many sets of windows, cast-
ing jewel like colors from on high into the darkened interior. In
addition to providing light, stained glass windows taught Bible
stories to the illiterate parishioners. As one processed through
the church, the Christian faith was expressed with the great sto-
ries of hope and inspiration. Statuary celebrated events from the
lives of the saints. The church was more than just a vessel for the
liturgy, but an interactive experience. Additional symbolism was
woven throughout in carved stonework or woodwork.
The church was sacred. When a parishioner entered, they left
behind the everyday for the spiritual. No one could mistake a
church for a marketplace or a government building. The play
of light and shadow, the niches and altars, the screened rooms
all enhanced the mystery of the Mass. And the most sacred of
places, the sanctuary where the altar and tabernacle were located
and the Mass celebrated, was preserved by a screen; allowing
glimpses but not entrance into the hallowed space.
One participated in the Mass with all five senses. The auditory
experience was as important as the visual. The long cathedral
changes and
ecclesiastica
the turn of th
naves were perfect for long reverberation times in Gregorian
chant, crucial for a liturgy that was chanted, not spoken. Music
was led by a cantor or a choir in an elevated loft, either per-
formed a cappella or accompanied by a pipe organ.
A significant liturgical change brought about by the Protestant
Reformation in the 1500s was reflected in the churches. The use
of stained glass windows often diminished as clear glass was
simpler and theologically desirable in some, but not all denom-
inations. Even when colored glass was still used, it was more
for ornament than as a tool for teaching. A theological change
in the Protestant church was the ability to read and interpret
Scripture individually. The Holy Scriptures were translated into
the vernacular language. No longer must one read Latin to have
access to the Scriptures. Technology, in the form of the printing
press, helped make the Bible more accessible to the congrega-
tion. Encouraged to read the Scriptures personally, there became
less dependence on the storytelling qualities of art. Despite
theological revisions, the format of the liturgy did not radically
change. The floor plans of the buildings reverted to the more
simple design of the cross as there was no need for the side cha-
pels. The interiors became simpler to match the liturgy. Always
the two, construction and liturgy, were united.
Beyond the liturgy, the church held a high place of social im-
portance. Located in the center of town, it served as a place of
gathering and community. It was also the final resting place of
the citizens of town. The church and the churchyard were insep-
arable. Only the most grotesque and horrific crimes condemned
a person to be buried outside of the consecrated grounds of the
churchyard. Life was hard and often brutally short. The church
provided comfort to the living and a resting place to the dead. It
was a source of great pride. No time and expense was spared in
creating the place of worship. Even economically impoverished
areas would sacrifice to build a magnificent church in which to
worship God.
For over 2,000 years, these elements that influenced ecclesi-
astical design remained relatively consistent and socially valid
throughout the early part of the twentieth century. A church
built in Chicago in 1920 was very similar to a church built in
17 | 18 Poland in the 1700s.
 trends in
a l d e s i g n at
e st
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c e n t UR Y
So what changed?

The Church in Transition

Amidst the social upheaval of the 1960s, the role of the church
and even the design of the church was questioned. The rigidly
class-based society of the past became much more fluid begin-
ning after World War I and gaining momentum after World
War II. After facing the horrors of war, large numbers of people
were questioning and/or rejecting their faith. Money was more
plentiful as well as the opportunity of advancement. No longer
did the church hold one of the most influential positions in soci-
ety. To address this paradigm shift, this cultural earthquake, the
Catholic Church called the Second Vatican Council to discuss
how to open the church to the world, to bring back into the
Church those who rejected it as antiquated and out of touch.
This view of the church as outdated and old fashioned was not
applicable to only the Catholic Church but to many denomi-
nations. Throughout the Christian church flared a desire to tear
down insular practices. Liturgical styles, outreach programs, and
emphases were changing within the traditional church as well as
the growth of the nondenominational and interdenominational
church.
So what was the outgrowth from this time of upheaval and
social unrest? In place of the traditional liturgical observance,
leaders want to create an environment that is magnetic, a place
their community sees as an asset. Churches want to engage their
communities.
The facility can influence to a large degree how the church is
perceived. Contemporary materials such as glass, steel, brick
and wood; open floor plans that allow space to freely flow from
one zone to another with flexible configurations are preferred
over traditional designated use spaces and fixed architectural
elements. The modern church is seen as more open and accept-
ing. Simpler design is being reinforced by the desire to be more
seeker sensitive. No longer is the formal Sunday dress re-
quired, but instead there is a movement towards a casual dress
code. Underlying each decision is the desire to be more ap-
proachable and welcoming.
changes and
ecclesiastica
the turn of th
Relationships
Where the traditional church focused on the liturgy, contem-
porary worship focuses to a greater degree on relationships. De-
signs are desired that enhance relationships. What happens as
people gather before worship and before they leave can be just
as important as the service itself. Fellowship is integrated with
service, not as a separate event. A close, constrictive narthex is
eliminated in favor of gracious lobbies outside of the sanctu-
ary. Members gather to socialize, often over coffee and food,
before the service. After the service, people chat before leaving
the church. Small groups, designed to strengthen spiritual and
social ties, often meet for Bible studies in seating areas sprinkled
throughout the lobby and common spaces.

Formality
Correspondingly, the formality of the service has lessened. The
separateness, the otherness, fostered in the medieval church is
eliminated. No longer is the sanctuary isolated from the con-
gregation, but rather placed in the center so that the space flows
around it instead of towards it. Everyone is encouraged to partic-
ipate. As the class structure broke down with the fluidity of the
greater strength of the middle class in society, there is a similar
reflection in the church. Roles in the church service previously
performed solely by the priest are being filled with lay members
of the congregation, including distribution of communion.

Worship Style
Still, even in the contemporary worship space, the liturgy and the
spatial flow are united. Worship styles are influenced by the look
and feel of the new worship spaces, and vice versa. The old light-
filled sanctuary with large windows is giving way to windowless
auditoriums with theater seating or movable chairs, high-tech
lighting and multi-screen projection systems. Some of the new
worship spaces have stadium seating, resembling a theater or
concert venue more than the traditional church. Churches such
as Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago, Illi-
nois, resemble a campus, with restaurants, bookstores, and na-
ture trails to support the spiritual experience.
19 | 20
 trends in
a l d e s i g n at
e st
21
c e n t UR Y
Music
Musically, the church of the end of the twentieth century is very
different from the church of the beginning of the twentieth cen-
tury. Previously, the congregation sang from hymnals led by a
choir and organ in a traditional chancel or choir loft. In modern
services, the pipe organ (or electronic organ) is no longer the
musical instrument of choice. An organ can be very expensive.
Skilled organists are becoming a scarce commodity, as fewer
people are learning to play the organ. Contemporary church
congregations enjoy worshipping with more contemporary mu-
sic styles, often provided by orchestras or bands that include
guitars, drums, keyboards, and other electronic instruments.
Many churches no longer use a choir, but ensemble vocal groups
help lead the congregational singing. Congregations follow the
words to contemporary and traditional hymns on video screens.
To support this change, the multipurpose stage is preferred over
the traditional chancel. Modern audio systems perform better
with the dead acoustics of a recording studio rather than the
more live acoustics of the traditional worship space.

Economy
Economic factors reinforce this movement away from tradition-
al designs towards flexible space in church design trends. Tra-
ditional architecture and ornate design can be very expensive.
Church architecture is becoming simpler and plainer because
of tight budgets and the need to construct more building for
less cost. A space that can serve many functions is preferable
to a single-use sanctuary. Even churches that can afford tradi-
tional designs often choose to put their resources into space and
technology rather than tradition. The increasing cost of real es-
tate, building materials, and labor has affected the market. Many
congregations are forced to construct in stages. The designs must
not only be flexible but also take into account expansion. Often
a church begins with a master plan over a 10- to 15-year time-
frame so that current construction will support and enhance
future construction. Land use is carefully considered, because
expansion is not only for the building but also for infrastruc-
ture such as parking. Limited resources mean the church has to
be very intentional about what they build, so they can carry on
changes and
ecclesiastica
the turn of th
the ministry without over-taxing the resources at their disposal.
Sustainability, with emphasis on stewardship of financial and
environmental resources, has grown in favor in the past 15 years.
In some cases, church facilities are almost indistinguishable
from community centers, schools, theaters, and even warehous-
es. It is not uncommon to repurpose existing commercial and
institutional buildings to serve as church facilities. Warehouses,
business park buildings, and abandoned retail buildings are be-
ing converted into churches. Often the plain exterior appear-
ance is retained, with only the addition of a cross or the name
of the church.

Multi-functionality
Beyond economies, church leaders do not want to build in a way
that the building gets used only once a week. They are thinking
about ways the facility can be used multiple times, even 7 days
a week, as a tool for interactive and dynamic ministry. A good
design will accommodate a variety of events that can occur si-
multaneously. There is a desire for total flexibility. The sanctuary
is often used for conferences, and education. There is concerted
effort to design programs and events for the youth with outreach
programs to the community for school age children and senior
citizens. Structures are being designed not only to house the
traditional Sunday school educational settings but also be plac-
es where the community can gather. These may include snack
bars, game rooms and play areas. There will also be rooms for
administrative and counseling ministries. The modern church
has a continuing emphasis on relationships, not only within the
existing church but also with its neighbors.

Looking Ahead
So what will the trends be for the next century? It is a question
that is often discussed among ecclesiastical architects. As soci-
ety continues to be more technology-centric, we can expect the
same to influence ecclesiastical design. There is a trend towards
some more traditional values, especially within some Catholic
churches. In the future, there may be more of an inclusion of
symbolism and tradition, without completely reverting to the
21 | 22
 trends in
a l d e s i g n at
e st
21
c e n t UR Y
structures of the past. It is an exciting time; society continues to
be more and more fluid, even global, so we should expect that
the church will respond in kind.
s t r e n gt h , f u n c t i o n , a n d
B e a u t Y i n w o r s h i p s pac e
design John a. prokos

John Prokos, FAIA, is Managing Principal of GUND
Partnership, an architecture practice in Cambridge,
MA that specializes in academic, cultural and insti-
tutional spaces. A member of the prestigious Col-
lege of Fellows of the American Institute of Archi-
tects, Mr. Prokos leads the firms design explorations
while also supervising GUNDs business practice. Ac-
tive in numerous architectural, academic and cultur-
al organizations, he received his architectural degree
from Cornell University. He lives in Winchester, MA. |
R ecently, I attended a wedding ceremony held in a charming
little countryside chapel. While the ceremony was beautiful
and the setting picturesque, the space shared a common trait
with many other worship spaces: sub-par acoustics and sound
reinforcement. Even when the mood is joyous and the seats are
full, it can be difficult for good spirits to overcome poor acous-
tics.
The importance of the acoustical environment in the success of
public spaces cannot be overstated. The Boston Globe recent-
ly sampled decibel levels at another type of public gathering
spacelocal restaurantsand noted The sound of cocktails
being shaken reverberated against the mirror behind the con-
crete-topped bar. Cooks barking orders and clanging pans in the
open kitchen competed with background music. Multiple par-
ties sharing a wood communal table in the center of the dining
room made conversation a challenge. Some customers at small
tables were practically yelling to be heard [1]. Now imagine the
worship space: sounds reverberating off of large stained-glass
windows behind an altar; congregants spread out in multiple
directions; a chorus of voices bouncing off of many hard surfaces
across a large open volume; the reverend or rabbi straining to
be heard above the background mechanical din. It doesnt take
many noisy dinners or inaudible services to realize that acousti-
cal design is essential in creating a successful public space.
While acoustical building technology has changed immeasur-
ably since the first intentional sacred spaces were constructed
thousands of years ago, the core function of these spacesto
provide a central gathering place for communal worshiphas
remained essentially unchanged. In the design of these spaces,
architecture and acoustical design intersect to create inspiration-
al and highly functional spaces for prayer, ritual and study, both
for the community and the individual. In the first century BC,
the architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, often credited as father of
architectural acoustics, famously postulated that structures must
exhibit the three qualities of firmitas, utilitas et venustasthat
is, they must be strong, functional and beautiful. These three
principles aptly describe how architectural and acoustical design
can intersect to create successful worship spaces.
Todays building standards have come to define the modern
application of firmitas and now dictate maximum background
sound levels in classrooms and ideally we should follow similar
prescriptions in worship spaces. Proper sound isolation between
the worship spaces needs to be considered particularly since
these spaces may be used simultaneously. The organization of
spaces, their adjacency and proper acoustical isolation allow for
a vibrant mix of activities. Educational and social spaces, such
as classrooms and function hallsoften connected to a catering
kitchen, loading dock and outdoor terraceneed to be highly
accessible yet isolated to prevent sound from intruding into the
main worship spaces. Hard surfaces often needed throughout a
worship facility for appearance and durability should be tem-
pered with softer elements on the upper walls and ceilings to
reduce unwanted reflection of sound and lessen noise intrusion
into adjacent spaces. The architect and acoustician should seam-
S t r e n gt h , F u
Beauty in Wo
Design
lessly integrate these acoustical materials into the architectural
design of the space (example shown to the right).
Utilitas, or usefulness for a particular purpose, necessitates that
both spoken word and song be intelligible at various distances
without interruption from background noise or sound transfer-
ence from adjacent spaces. Many of the acoustical strategies uti-
lized in theater or music hall design, such as calculating desired
spatial volume based on occupancy to effect proper reverbera-
tion times, are also critical in the design of worship spaces. The
use of early side wall reflections off hard surfaces combined with
a shaped ceiling form make speech intelligible, even without
sound reinforcement for mid-size venues. A balcony in the main
worship space can scale down a larger space and bring everyone
closer to the focus of worship.
Venustas, or delight and beauty, has defined worship spaces
throughout the millennia. Sacred spaces were often the defining
architectural expression of their time. While the resources avail-
able to construct religious buildings are not quite what they used
to be, architects and acoustical designers must still infuse these
spaces with a sense of inspiration, wonder and permanence.
Capturing natural light is perhaps the most important design
consideration to achieve these goals. Light-infused spaces con-
nect members of the congregation to the natural world and the
transcendence of a higher power. Proper building orientation,
oversized windows, skylights, glazing and interior transparency
among spaces allow light to penetrate throughout the building.
Architectural elements such as traditional verses carved into
hard materials, tapestries and pew design all contribute to not
only the beauty of the space but acoustical performance as well.
With close attention to this myriad of design opportunities, the
principles Vitruvius so simply and eloquently stated some 2,000
years ago should be achieved in the design of all public assembly
spaces today.

References
[1] Hernandez, Peggy. For restaurant owners, striking the right
noise level is key. The Boston Globe. The Boston Globe, 22
April 2014. Web 23 April 2015.
25 | 26
detail examples in the sanctuary | Chuck Choi view with balcony | Chuck Choi lobby space design | Chuck Choi
o r s h i p S pac e
unction, and
a u d i o f o r w o r s h i p s pac e s :
design for the Big picture d a n c l aY t o n

Dan Clayton has more than 35 years of professional ex-
perience in the fields of architectural acoustics, audio
design, pipe organs, theatre and music, and is the prin-
cipal consultant for Clayton Acoustics Group. Since
establishing his company in 1992, Dan has undertaken
more than 400 projects, the majority of them for church-
es and synagogues, and many of those including pipe
organs. His career began in technical theatre, followed
by a decade at a Broadway sound shop and then several
years at Artec Consultants in New York City. Dan Clay-
ton is a member of the ASA, AES, NCAC & Syn-Aud-
Con, and has chaired technical sessions on pipe organ
acoustics for ASA meetings. Dan has long held an in-
terest in the musical and technical aspects of pipe or-
gan building, served a years apprenticeship in the late
1970s with one of Americas leading mechanical-ac-
tion pipe organ builders, and is a member of the Organ
Historical Society ( VP 201315), American Institute
of Organbuilders and American Guild of Organists. |
T he fundamental challenge when embarking upon a wor-
ship space project for any faith tradition is understanding
the users and the liturgical style(s) they practice. This is as true
for audio design as it is for architecture, acoustics, lighting or the
various building engineering disciplines.
Successful traditional worship spaces (and time-honored litur-
gies) require a balance of highly valued acoustical qualities such
as reverberance for liturgical music, ensemble for choral sing-
ing, responsiveness for congregational participation, and clarity
for intelligible speech. Traditional worship music, plus congre-
gational singing and responses, may be well supported by the
warm and responsive natural acoustics of a reverberant build-
ing. Sermons, prayers and scripture readings, however, are best
served by a space with little reverberance which favors clarity of
the spoken word. As such, a reverberant worship building can be
a very complex acoustical space which must reconcile a distinct
conflict of uses, needing to simultaneously be a music room and
a lecture hall.
Speech in a reverberant building is often successful only with
use of a high-quality speech-reinforcement sound systemone
which provides clarity of the spoken word, sufficient loudness
for all listeners, natural sound quality of the voice and a true
sense of directional realism favoring the talker location over that
of the loudspeakers. Amplified worship music in a reverberant
building is often a difficult task, but can be successful if the sys-
tem is well designed and fine-tuned, if musicians understand
the natural room acoustics are an extension of their instruments
(and amplifiers!), and if the congregation accepts the sight vs.
sound compromise which may occur when worship liturgies
and music evolve faster than the buildings in which they are
presented.
Contemporary worship spaces (often with quickly evolving li-
turgical styles) have their own set of equally important, although
less conflicting, qualities such as minimal reverberance for clar-
ity of amplified worship music, and sound systems capable of
simultaneously delivering concert-quality music plus the spoken
word in an intimate, conversational style. For some buildings,
the sense of reverberance and spaciousness found in natural
acoustics is judiciously introduced into the worship space via an
electroacoustic enhancement system.
Both natural room acoustics and the sound system must fully
be part of the worship space architectural design; material and
equipment selection must serve this goal exclusively. Begin with
the theory that acoustics is architecture, as well as the equally
important corollary audio is acoustics. Follow the philosophy
that a church, synagogue or mosque should be designed for ex-
cellence in both speech and music, enhancing the participato-
ry bond between clergy, musicians and congregation. Do not
neglect the seemingly mundane tasks of sound isolation and
HVAC noise & vibration controlthe magic of human com-
munication through speech and music is lost in a worship space
which is not quiet.
Many fine, old worship buildings have been acoustically and vi-
Audio for W
S pac e s : D e s
the Big Pictu
sually compromised by installation of unsightly and liturgically
inappropriate sound absorption in an attempt to tame a poor-
ly-designed sound system. The designers may not have known
the users and building well enough to make good, proactive en-
gineering decisions at the start of the project, but instead found
themselves focused on solving perceived acoustical problems
at the end when the newly installed system did not perform as
expected.
A good sound system design solution, therefore, depends on
how one defines the acoustical problem. Reverberance is a
problem for amplified worship music, but brings to life a chant-
based liturgy or an Anglican choral service. Likewise, use of ex-
tensive sound absorbing material can be a problem for choral
and pipe organ music, but provides freedom for contemporary
musicians to work effectively with amplified instruments and
sophisticated production techniques. Congregational singing is
more robust and uplifting in a reverberant worship space, yet in
that same lively acoustical environment the spoken word may be
ineffective without amplification, or unintelligible with a poorly
designed sound system. In both situations listeners and talkers
are quickly fatigued, attention wanders and the message is lost.
Establishing a reliable and effective source-receiver communica-
tion path for each part of the message (speech, choir and organ,
acoustic instruments, amplified ensembles, etc.) is critical to the
success of the whole endeavor.
As worship practices evolve for all faith traditions, the challenge
is often finding an appropriate design path through the thicket
of conflicting needs and requirements. This can be very apparent
when the sound system is not in harmony with the room. Archi-
tectural forms and features of treasured old worship buildings
may be at odds with contemporary liturgical needs, including
speech and musical styles. Planning and design of new worship
spaces can reveal a genuine difference of opinion between the
vision of younger religious leaders and the willingness of older
congregants to pay for the project. Renovation of older buildings
can tax the adaptability of an existing structure designed for for-
mal assembly to accommodate a newer, informal worship style
(along with the technical systems demanded by the congrega-
tion). Historic preservation/restoration adds immeasurable de-
29 | 30
Worship
sign for
ure
sign complexity, requires an equal measure of compromise from
all parties, but can result in a glorious building revitalized for
another century of use. Whether a building is new, repurposed
or restored, good design compromises (and its always a com-
promise) can largely resolve these conflicts, often resulting in a
successful worship space with excellent sound which will well
serve future generations.
A case-study book of this scope will remain a useful design ref-
erence long past the practical life of present-day electronic com-
ponents, or even the arc of most current audio industry technol-
ogies, so it does not seem useful here to discuss specific audio
equipment. Yet designing high-quality, intelligible, speech-rein-
forcement sound systems for traditional liturgies practiced in re-
verberant worship buildings will remain a significant challenge
for the audio designer. Basic guidelines include:
Hands-free, automatic mixing for worship services, masses
or other events. Use a mixing console only for genuine live
mix functions. On balance, DSP-based auto-mixers will
do a better job than inexperienced and untrained volunteer
sound operators.
Provide minimal, realistic user control, whether at a fixed
location or via a wireless tablet.
Source location imaging using the Hass Effect to provide
directional realism for listeners throughout the worship
space. This can be achieved with a DSP-based Level-De-
lay-EQ-Matrix mixing and routing system.
Wireless microphones have become an essential part of any
sound system. Headworn mics place the capsule at the edge
of the talkers mouth, providing the best audio performance
and the greatest opportunity to disappear visually and au-
rally.
Individual microphone equalization (by voice and/or lo-
cation) ensures natural sound quality. Use subtle dynam-
ic-range processing to improve gain-before-feedback.
Computer-aided loudspeaker models can be excellent de-
sign tools as long as the input is based on realistic assump-
tions and the output informs the designers experience and
Audio for W
S pac e s : D e s
the Big Pictu
common sense.
Select loudspeakers to maximize direct-to-reverberant
sound energy at the listening planes and minimize spill-
over onto adjacent boundary surfaces. Locate loudspeakers
where they are visually and aesthetically compatible with
the building architecture and decoration.
Use individual loudspeaker equalization, and tune loud-
speakers of different types to sound similar (so as not to call
attention to the amplification). Maintain the lowest possible
overall system volume level. Lock all controls with keys and
strong passwords!
Always include an assisted listening system for the hearing
impaired, even on low-budget projects.
The consultant designer should work closely with the de-
sign and construction teams from start to finish. Include a
thorough sound system commissioning process to proof the
installation, plus adjust and tune the system for appropriate
performance and maximum benefit to the users.
How does one design for successful worship space audio? Take
a holistic approach; look at the big picture. People attend their
church, synagogue or mosque for many reasonsscripture,
prayer, music, sermons, education, fellowship, personal support
and more. When they come together as a corporate body in
worship their focus is on the Word. To paraphrase the early
nineteenth century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard:
The congregation are the performers, clergy and musicians the
prompters, and God the audience.
Audio is but one of several high-tech tools used by clergy, musi-
cians and worship leaders to convey the message to their congre-
gations. The sound system must do its job reliably and effective-
lyso well, in fact, that listeners shouldnt even know its there.
In the final analysis, for any house of worship its not about the
audio, lighting, projection or broadcast systemsits about en-
hancing the communication path between each individual and
their God.

31 | 32
Worship
sign for
ure
the holiness of acoustics Mark k. williaMs

Mark K. Williams is the Parish Musician of Christ
Church Anglican (1733) in historic Savannah, Geor-
gia. He has joyfully served as the Organist/Choirmas-
ter of the parish for 18 years and has enjoyed a ca-
reer as conductor, composer, organist, and clinician
in churches across the U.S. going on some 35 years. |
I n 1975, I led my first worship service at the pipe organ I was
fifteen. Nine churches and 39 years later and happily married
to a professional classical singer, I have sung in, preached in,
directed orchestras and choirs in, recorded in, or toured in my
share of acoustical spaces. I am fond of saying to folks, If the
bell in the steeple sounding out the start of worship is the voice
of a church building, then the acoustics in its rooms are its lungs,
providing life or death to the sound making within. Composer
and lecturer Alice Parker once shared with me, Mark, what the
floor is to the dancer, acoustics are to the musician. And for-
mer organ voicer and designer Larry Phelps said, Eighty per-
cent of an organs sound is the room in which it is located. Even
a bad organ can sound pretty nice in a live acoustic.
Each summer my Youth Handbell Choir tours. We have rung
in some 60 churches over our years touring and even these teens
can walk into a space and know instinctively how hard or how
easy it will be for them to make music together on a particular
nights concert. Dead room, means not being able to hear from
one side of the choir to the other; tempos will be off, beats wont
fall together, they will struggle simply to stay together. Gone will
be nuance and the joy of making music as a team as they interact
aurally in the moment of making the music. The fruit of their
many hours of rehearsal will be relegated to the base fundamen-
tals of just trying to maintain the beat while performing. Live
room, means getting something back when they make sounds
in the room, that the room gives back to the performer and
allows them to hear the ensemble and to interact with it aurally.
It means, happy night. (Admittedly, too live a room can create
problems for a musical ensemble as well but this is rarely the
situation we encounter. Nevertheless, moderation in all things).
A couple of years back our church began meeting in a large his-
toric church in downtown Savannah. I wont go into the details
of why here, but suffice it to say we had to move out of an historic
church nave with 45-foot-high plaster ceilings and 3-foot-thick
plaster walls, hardwood floors, closed-cell foam pew cushions
with reflective fabric on them and about 3 seconds of reverber-
ation time when the room was empty. We also enjoyed a refit
of the HVAC system to a low-speed/high-air-volume system
so that it was no longer audible to the naked ear. Thanks to the
guidance of a fine acoustician, in this acoustically refit room the
congregation sang, boy did they sing. And when they prayed or
read prayers or creeds together, it sounded as one voice being
offered up to the Lord.
Preaching could be heard clearly without the aid of a mic. There
was a corporateness in the worship and no one felt alone in their
worship because of the acoustics of the room.
When we moved into the temporary quarters of the large his-
toric church in downtown Savannah-quite beautiful and shared
with us by a very generous congregation I might add-we found
that the sanctuary acoustics had a dramatic impact on the life of
our worshiping congregation. With carpet under the pews, vel-
vet on the pew cushions, a domed ceiling constructed out of thin
" wood, and an HVAC system that was clearly audible at all
times, we soon found that the corporate nature of our worship
The Holines
Acoustics
was decidedly changed. Worshippers complained of not being
able to hear even the persons next to them singing or participat-
ing in the liturgy, singing lost its former gusto, and all speaking
elements of the service had to be micd. The sense of the family
gathered for worship and their combined voices being offered as
one voice to the Lord went away in this new acoustic. As thank-
ful as we were for the use of a beautiful historic space, the air
went out of the lungs of our worship and no matter what con-
volutions we came up with to overcome it, there was no fighting
this systemic disorder.
Interestingly, when it came time to design our new building, (we
also took into consideration acoustical design of the Fellowship
Hall and the main music rehearsal space) a survey was taken
of the congregation to obtain their top priorities for the new
worship space. With over 250 members participating at the end
of the tally, number one on the list turned out to be excellent
acoustics.
Clearly, in all this there is something about acoustics and ho-
liness. I walk into Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and my
conversation ceases with my wife, as it does with everyone who
walks in the door after us. Conversation turns to hushed whis-
pers and there is a clear sense that you have entered a holy place
and that occasional whispers and quiet comments are all that are
allowed. Of course, in a beautiful cathedral one could attribute
this to the grand size or to the beautiful aesthetic. And although
I value beauty, as God did not create it in vain, I believe that this
has to do more with acoustics as I have found this same effect
occurs in museums with a similar acoustic.
A couple of summers ago I visited the organ performance hall
in the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. The room
is not enormous by large cathedral standards. It is also not par-
ticularly ornate. However, it does have a grandness and a public
building formalityand it has a holiness in its acoustic. I expe-
rienced the same hushed feel and expectation walking into the
room as I did in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
Given the needs for such things as adequate restrooms, good
and flexible lighting, comfortable pews, and all of the other
things architects and planning committees deal with in design-
35 | 36
ss of

ing a church somehow, the acoustics of the space seem even

more fundamental to the space that will be inhabited by the
worshiping community. That when we walk into it our conver-
sation is hushed, and we know in our core that we have entered
into a holy place set apart for coming before our Creator God
who is not us.
g o o d s o u n d ta k e s a lo t o f
hard work! John d. waldBauM

John D. Waldbaum is the Vice Chairman of Colliers In-
ternational, where he oversees the operation of the com-
panys main office located in Omaha, Nebraska. He has 26
years of experience in commercial real estate activities in-
cluding office, retail, industrial, and multifamily proper-
ties. John is also an executive member of Temple Israel and
a board member of the Episcopal Tri-Faith Foundation. |
T he congregation of Temple Israel Omaha has been in exis-
tence since 1871. In 2003, when the decision was made to
move away from our home of over 50 years, we really had no idea
of where we would find a new location. For the next 8 years we
searched unsuccessfully in the western part of the city for a parcel
of land that would meet our needs. The journey seemed never
ending. But, along the way we met other religious congregations
searching for many of the same requirements we were and we
began down the path together.
At first, we were simply trying to recreate the neighborhood from
which we came: good neighbors and shared parking. As we con-
tinued on our journey together, we realized we had much more in
common than we had anticipated and through our new alliance
we had a wonderful opportunity to learn from one another. As
an added benefit, we found that as a group we were much more
attractive to those who would consider selling us ground. More
importantly, by combining forces and planning for a Tri-Faith
Campus, we would create the first location like it anywhere in
the world. A campus comprised of a Christian church, a Jewish
synagogue, and a Muslim mosque. On December 8, 2011, 8 years
after we started, as a united group we closed on four adjacent
parcels located within a former country club site.
For our architect, it meant creating a building that would make a
strong impression in the world. For our individual congregations,
it meant creating an inspiring place of worship.
Building inside the 155 acres of the former golf course meant our
new building would be the first reform synagogue in Omaha that
was not directly on a main street. Given this history, the architect,
Moe Finegold of Finegold Alexander in Boston, felt the building
needed to make a statement. It needed to be a beacon in the
woods for our Tri-Faith neighbors and passers-by who could see
us from long distances away. At the same time, our congregants
were asking for a new sanctuary that brought the outside in
with windows infusing the room with light. The resulting de-
sign process inspired a building with a sanctuary completely con-
structed of glass that would glow in the dark!
The size of the structure was also important given the congrega-
tions desire to handle up to 900 congregants in the main sanc-
tuary on our most significant religious days and far fewer people
on more typical days. The result was a high ceiling cube with a
balcony on two sides and glass providing wall surface on all four
sides.
From that design came many challenges relating to construction
methodolgies, HVAC systems, material selections and acous-
tics. We realized quickly that just installing a great sound sys-
tem would not be enough to overcome the issues inherent in
the room which fondly became know as the fishbowl. With
encouragement from our architect, we engaged Acentech Incor-
porated to create a sound model of the sanctuary and to advise us
on material selections to minimize the impact of the hard surfac-
es throughout space. We asked our mechanical engineer, Alvine
Engineering of Omaha, to design a system that would compli-
ment the design and minimize the equipment noise introduced
good soun
a lo t o f h a
into the space.
Separation was the first step. The mechanical room and two main
air handlers for the building were installed 240 feet away from
the center of the sanctuary to minimize equipment noise. Also,
there was no equipment on the roof deck. However, given our
architects insistence that we reach an NC rating of 25 for this
room, mere separation was not enough. We had to slow the air-
flow down significantly by expanding the size of the supply and
return ducts. Unfortunately, expanding the size of the ducts made
them too large to sit within the height of the foundation line
they were designed to hide behind.
As a result, our process was delayed while we did a Sanctuary
Underground Duct Analysis in 2012. In the end, we selected a
combination of 48-inch buried ductwork and concrete vaults to
move the air in and out of the room. Upon arrival into the sanc-
tuary, the distribution speed was further reduced through the use
of an air floor underfloor displacement ventilation system that
allowed the air to simply percolate up into the room and reduce
one component of the noise level.
With the proper mechanical system in place and the transparent
glass wall erected we were only half way to our goal. The reflec-
tions coming off the walls were brilliant and we were hopeful
that the material selections and design features would help to
mitigate the the bright spot in the center of the room.
A combination of acoustic wood panels on the balcony surface,
special acoustical material troweled on half of the shaped ceiling
28 feet in the air, and sound absorbing panels underneath the
balconies all helped to achieve our goal. However, it wasnt until
the cloth-backed pews and carpet was installed that we felt we
had overcome the issues we had created with our own design.
But, once again we found we werent done. There was a portion
of our congregation, no matter how much hard work we put into
the natural acoustics of the space, that would not be able to hear
and they let us know! Our older members are quite a vocal group
and are growing in numbers. As a result, we installed a hearing
loop in the floor as our final step, and now everyone can enjoy
the music and prayer in the sanctuary designed for the world to
39 | 40 see.
 n d ta k e s

interior rendering exterior rendering beacon in the woods

ard work!
W O R s H I P s PaC e s
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
LIst OF CONtRIBUteD WORsHIP
s PaC e s
100250 seats
Grace Lutheran Church
Naples, FL, USA
Catholic Hatsudai Church
Tokyo, Japan
Greenland Hills United Methodist Church
Dallas, TX, USA
The Chapel at St. Dominics
Jackson, MS, USA
Judea Reform Congregation
Durham, NC, USA
The Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Northern Lights Cathedral of Alta
Alta, Norway
Congregation Beth Israel
Houston, TX, USA
Reinanzaka Church
Tokyo, Japan
Milarepa Center
Cragsmoor, NY, USA
Somers Congregational United Church of Christ
Somers, CT, USA
Park Synagogue East
Pepper Pike, OH, USA
St. Mark The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church
Summerfield, FL, USA
Reveille United Methodist Church
Richmond, VA, USA
St. Michaels Episcopal Church
Raleigh, NC, USA
The Sacred Space
Boston, MA, USA

Shinanomachi Church
501750 seats

Tokyo, Japan
First United Methodist Church
Sarasota, FL, USA
St. Patricks Episcopal Church
Mooresville, NC, USA
Grace at Fort Clarke
Gainesville, FL, USA
Western Theological Seminary Mulder Chapel
Holland, MI, USA
Movement Center
Portland, OR, USA
251500 seats
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Raleigh, NC, USA
Christ Presbyterian Church
Madison, WI, USA
St. Dominic Chapel
Providence, RI, USA
The Church of St. Michael & St. George
St. Louis, MO, USA
St. Margarets Chapel
Tokyo, Japan
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Synagogue
New York, NY, USA
St. Marys Catholic Church
Johnson City, TN, USA
Congregation Or Hadash
Sandy Springs, GA, USA
St. Patrick Catholic Church
Gainesville, FL, USA
Fourth Presbyterian Church
Chicago, IL, USA
Tokyo Church of Christ
Tokyo, Japan
L I ST O F C O N
WORSHIP SP

A
University City United Methodist Church Seigakuin University Chapel
Charlotte, NC, USA Ageo, Japan

Vineyard Christian Fellowship St. Brigid Catholic Church

Cambridge, MA, USA Johns Creek, GA, USA

Williston Church of God St. Monica Catholic Church

Williston, FL, USA Dallas, TX, USA

Woodlake United Methodist Church St. Peter Catholic Church

Midlothian, VA, USA Omaha, NE, USA

Young Israel Synagogue

Brookline, MA, USA 10012000 seats

Al Farooq Masjid of Atlanta

7511000 seats Atlanta, GA, USA

Congregation of Temple Israel Ave Maria Oratory

Omaha, NE, USA Ave Maria, FL, USA

Cornerstone United Methodist Church Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Caledonia, MI, USA Springfield, IL, USA

First United Methodist Church of Birmingham The Catholic Community of Saint Francis of Assisi
Birmingham, MI, USA Raleigh, NC, USA

Holy Church of Agios Epiphanios Doshisha-Grace Chapel

Larnaca, Cyprus Kyoto, Japan

Hyde Park United Methodist Church Grace Church

Tampa, FL, USA Indianapolis, IN, USA

Immaculate Conception Church Palm Harbor United Methodist Church

Durham, NC, USA Palm Harbor, FL, USA

Saint Michael Parish Saint Agnes Catholic Church

Olympia, WA, USA Naples, FL, USA
T R I B U TE D
AC ES
Sisters Chapel at Spelman College
Atlanta, GA, USA

St. Paul Catholic Church

New Bern, NC, USA

20015000 + seats
Abundant Life Christian Fellowship
Mountain View, CA, USA

The Assembly Hall

Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Calvary Chapel Melbourne

West Melbourne, FL, USA

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lake Avenue Church

Pasadena, CA, USA

The Star Performing Arts Centre

Singapore

Victory Christian Center

Charlotte, NC, USA

Wake Chapel Church

Raleigh, NC, USA
 The Catholic Community of Saint Francis of Assisi
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Judea Reform Congregation St. Michael's Episcopal Church
Immaculate Conception Church Wake Chapel Church
Reveille United Methodist Church St. Paul Catholic Church
Woodlake United Methodist Church St. Mary's Catholic Church
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Synagogue St. Patrick's Episcopal Church
Milarepa Center University City United Methodist Church
Victory Christian Center
Somers Congregational United Church of Christ
St. Brigid Catholic Church
St. Dominic Chapel
Congregation Or Hadash
The Sacred Space
Vineyard Christian Fellowship Al Farooq Masjid of Atlanta
Young Israel Synagogue Sisters Chapel at Spelman College
Park Synagogue East Calvary Chapel Melbourne
First United Methodist Ave Maria Oratory
Church of Birmingham
Cornerstone United Grace Lutheran
Methodist Church Church
Saint Agnes
Grace Church Catholic Church

Western Theological Seminary First United

Mulder Chapel Methodist Church
Hyde Park United
Fourth Presbyterian Church Methodist Church
The Chapel of Saint Palm Harbor United
John the Evangelist Methodist Church

Cathedral of the St. Mark The Evangelist

Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church
Williston Church of God
Christ Presbyterian Church
Grace at Fort Clarke
Congregation of Temple Israel St. Patrick Catholic Church
St. Peter Catholic Church
The Chapel at St. Dominics

The Church of St. Michael

& St. George

The Chapel at St. Dominics

Congregation Beth Israel

Greenland Hills United Methodist Church
St. Monica Catholic Church

Saint Michael Parish Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Movement Center Lake Avenue Church

The Assembly Hall Abundant Life Christian Fellowship

 Seigakuin University Chapel
Doshisha-Grace Chapel
Catholic Hatsudai Church
Shinanomachi Church
Reinanzaka Church The Star Performing Arts Centre
St. Margaret's Chapel
Tokyo Church of Christ

Holy Church
of Agios Epiphanios

Northern Lights
Cathedral of Alta
Ti m e
Reinanzaka Church Lake Avenue Church Movement Center Tokyo Church of Christ

1985 1989 1993 1995

Young Israel Synagogue Congregation Beth Israel The Sacred Space St. Margarets Chapel
The Catholic Community of
Saint Francis of Assisi

1996
St. Patricks Episcopal Church
1997 1998 1999 St. Dominic Chapel Judea Reform Congregation
St. Marys Catholic Church St. Michaels Episcopal Church
The Assembly Hall Hyde Park United Methodist
Church
Immaculate Conception
Church
St. Brigid Catholic Church

2001
Palm Harbor United Methodist
Church
Wake Chapel Church

Catholic Hatsudai Church

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
University City United Methodist Church
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Victory Christian Center

2000 2002 2003

 lin
The Chapel of Saint John the Park Synagogue East
Evangelist
Vineyard Christian Fellowship
Shinanomachi Church
First United Methodist Church of
Grace Lutheran Church Birmingham
Grace at Fort Clarke Saint Michael Parish
Seigakuin University Chapel Sisters Chapel at Spelman
College
St. Paul Catholic Church
2005 2006 2007
Abundant Life Christian
Fellowship
Calvary Chapel Melbourne
Ave Maria Oratory
Grace Church
2004 2008 2009 2010 Christ Presbyterian Church
Congregation Or Hadash
Northern Lights Cathedral of Alta
Woodlake United Methodist Church
Congregation of Temple Israel
St. Monica Catholic Church
St. Peter Catholic Church
2013
Saint Agnes Catholic Church
St. Patrick Catholic Church
Cornerstone United Methodist
Church
Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception
Greenland Hills United Methodist
Church
First United Methodist Church
2011 2012
Somers Congregational
United Church of Christ
2014 2015
e
The Church of St. Michael & St.
George
Al Farooq Masjid of Atlanta
St. Mark The Evangelist Ro-
man Catholic Church
Williston Church of God
Doshisha-Grace Chapel
The Chapel at St. Dominics
Reveille United Methodist
Church
Western Theological
Seminary Mulder Chapel
Fourth Presbyterian Church
Holy Church of Agios
Epiphanios
The Star Performing Arts
Centre
Milarepa Center
Congregation Beit Simchat
Torah Synagogue
W O R S H I P S PAC E S
100250 S E AT S
The Chapel at St. Dominics
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

C AT H O L I C H AT S U D A I C H U R C H
1 2

4 5

53 | 54
Nagata Acoustics, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-30-32
Yasui Architects & Engineers, Inc.
3.5
3,000 m3 50

240 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$11,874,800
2002 30

2.0
Tokyo, Japan 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Catholic Hatsudai church was built in 2002 as the re-

construction of the original church. The new main chapels
dimensions are 14 m width, 22 m length, and 12.5 m maximum
space with the HVAC system on.
Left hand page image captions: 1. front view; 2. brick of front
wall; 3. plywood of side wall; 4. rear view; 5. closely-situated
height. The chapel has 240 seats on the main floor. The choir road.
area and pipe organ ( Juget-Sinclair, Canada, 18 stops, installed
in 2004) are located on the balcony at the back of the chapel.
The desired acoustical goals were for the organ and the choir
to sound rich and for sermons to be heard clearly. In order to
achieve the clarity of amplified sermons, the sound-absorbing
materials were adopted around the altar where microphones
were used, and at the lower part of the side walls near the seat-
ing. At the center area of the front wall of the altar, spaced brick
masonry with glass wool was arranged and the floor was cov-
ered with a carpet. The lower part of the side walls are partly
the perforated plywood boards with glass wool. In addition, the
perforated plywood boards backed with glass wool were partly
arranged on the ceiling to achieve a suitable reverberation time.
In order to diffuse sound, the lower part of the side walls were
finished by the wave form board, the windows on the upper part
of the side walls were fixed like a niche to create some irregular
surface, and side walls of the altar were angled gradually, becom-
ing narrow toward the back wall.
transverse section

The altar side of the chapel is facing a trunk road with heavy
traffic. To reduce the road traffic noise, a passage was located on
the back area of the altar and double concrete walls were adopt-
ed between the altar and the exterior. Also double-layer glass
with air space was used for the rose window at the front of the
altar and side windows of the seating area.
For the sound system, the main loudspeakers were installed at
both front walls of the chapel, and sub loudspeakers were in-
stalled at the side walls approximately midway between the
front and rear, and fold back loudspeakers were installed above
the doors of both side walls of the altar.
The space was designed to support choir and pipe organ music.
The audio systems designer was Nagata Acoustics, Inc. Sound is
typically amplified during services. The reverberation time data
and the background noise data were measured in the unoccu-
pied space. The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied
seat
 main/balcony level plan

55 | 56
longitudinal section
plan view | Barlow Eddy Jenkins
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

T H E C H A P E L A T S T. D O M I N I C S
1 2

57 | 58
Oxford Acoustics 60 4.0
Barlow Eddy Jenkins, P.A.
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

2,485 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
100 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
2012
Jackson, MS, USA 30 2.0

1.5
Christianity: Catholic 20
Roman 1.0
Chapel 10
0.5

0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Chapel at St. Dominics is an iconic space for perform-

ing mass, prayer and meditation, inspired by the geometric
clarity of ancient church forms that gives appropriate symbolic
evens out to ~1.5 seconds in occupied conditions across speech
frequencies.
The clarity and acoustic reinforcement of speech from the altar
presence to the hospital purpose and mission. is such that no amplification is necessary, but a modest and well-
The altar is in the traditional position east of the nave, with the blended system is available for those that desire it. The piano
sacristy behind the altar. Only sacred functions are located in requires no amplification.
the chapel. Daily service with mass is conducted Monday through Saturday,
The entrance vestibules are completely surrounded by colored with a vigil on Saturday. The Chapel at St. Dominics is for hos-
glass and are located at the corners of the cross. The 1" thick pital patients, their families and friends, all hospital employees
glass bricks were chosen for their richness of color saturation and is also open for public use by anyone needing a place to pray
and hand crafted quality. These kaleidoscopic glass chambers, or worship.
full of colored light, have a cathartic effect and function as The space was designed to support piano and congregation-
threshold spaces separating the outside world from the sanctu- al singing. The audio systems designer was Oxford Acoustics.
ary of the chapel. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified during ser-
Interior finishes are austere. Wall finishes are multiple shades vices. The reverberation time data were measured in the unoc-
of white and act as blank canvases for the play of colored light, cupied space. The background noise level data were measured in
revealed upon striking the interior surfaces of the chapel. Dif- the unoccupied space with the HVAC system on, and with 18
fused light enters through clerestories located above the three wheeler traffic on 5% grade 50 feet away in the rain.
arms of the nave. A three-sided skylight illuminates the sacristy. Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior view from southeast;
The floors are patterned black and white marble, with white slab 2. view from side of altar; 3. interior vestibule; 4. view from rear
marble edging in the nave and marble rubble on the sacristy nave. All photos credited to Tom Joynt Photography.
floor.
Above the altar wall, two small skylights allow the only direct
sunlight into the nave. At certain times sunlight strikes the sur-
faces of the glass tile on the altar wall making it appear to shim-
mer behind the Crucifix making it conducive to meditation,
reflection and prayer.
The interior concave walls were treated with strategically placed
acoustic plaster, blended with the gypsum surfaces on the final
finish to reduce sound focusing effects without over-deadening
the room. All skylights were designed and constructed to isolate
the building from the weather and outside highway traffic.
The reverberant decay of sound is characterized by a double
slope decay: a strong start followed by a pleasant lower level tail
that comes from the open tower in the center of the building
central vault

which has been treated with pockets of sound absorptive mate-

rial, retaining the austere room finish. Room reverberation time
 plan view

59 | 60
 Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

T H E C H A P E L O F S A I N T J O H N T H E E VA N G E L I S T
1 2

4 5 6

61 | 62
Alvin Holm AIA Architects
876 m3
150
New construction and expansion
2004
Milwaukee, WI, USA

Christianity: Anglican
Episcopal
Chapel

T he chapel is a one-story addition to a modernist high rise

residential building on the shore of Lake Michigan, so the
exterior has been designed to relate stylistically to its context.
Finally, we are happy to find that, although designed for spe-
cific requirements of the traditional Episcopal liturgy we have
received compliments from visitors as diverse as Congregation-
The interior however displays classical forms and iconography alists and Greek Orthodox who have all found it congenial for
to express and augment the liturgical requirements of the tradi- worship. My client, Father Robert Woodbury, was very well
tional Episcopalian Service. The general configuration of the in- pleased.
terior including the dome was inspired by Saint Stephen Walk- The space was designed to support pipe organ, harpsichord,
brook in London designed by Christopher Wren. string quartet, and small chamber concerts. Sound is typically
Almost as important as the visual aspects of the design were the both amplified and unamplified during services. A noise rating
acoustic requirements, both for the liturgy itself and for the mu- of NC-35 was calculated for the unoccupied space.
sic programs Saint Johns enjoys. The most resounding success Left hand page image captions: 1. dome and alter; 2. sacristy
of our chapel design has been the excellent acoustic qualities entry; 3. icon with harpsichord; 4. side aisle south; 5. lectern; 6.
we have achieved, acclaimed enthusiastically by clergy, speak- exterior. All photos credited to Alvin Holm.
ers, congregation and musicians. Choir members, instrumental
soloists and concert goers have marveled at how good the hall
sounds.
Because of its success as a chamber music venue, the Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra uses the chapel for auditions.
We sought to mimic good traditional designs with special at-
tention to the configuration of the lovely Wren church men-
tioned previously. Because our chapel is relatively small we did
not have to deal with issues like long reverberation time and late
reflections. We believe the columns along the aisles are useful in
breaking up reflected sound, and that the arched windows serve
to enhance early reflection. The domed ceiling which we worried
might focus sound to the detriment of good distribution actual-
ly proved to enhance the distribution by virtue of the coffering
and the exuberant ornamental plasterwork of which the dome
is composed. The coffers in the soffits of the colonnade serve
similarly. It is well known that the best seats are generally in the
center of the hall, and here, because the chapel is narrow as befits
the pre-Vatican II liturgy, the seats are good. In post-Vatican II
practice the seats tend to be spread more broadly and concentric
as the pastor faces the congregation during the liturgy. The altar
here is placed in such a way that the mass may be performed in
either direction; our clear preference, however, was for the more
OLJKW[WXUHV

traditional practice where the pastor leads the flock toward the
liturgical East.
section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

C O N G R E G AT I O N B E T H I S RA E L
1 2

2 3 4

5 6

63 | 64
Charles M. Salter Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
Daniel Solomon, FAIA and Gary Strange Architects
3.5
2,188 m3 50

170 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$3,000,000
1997 30

2.0
Houston, TX, USA 1.5
20

Judaism 1.0
Reform 10

0.5
Chapel
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Congregation Beth IsraelThe Herman & Elaine Pro-

ler Family Chapel, a reform Jewish synagogue in Houston,
Texas, wanted to provide an outdoor worship space on an unde-
erated using wireless microphones and automatic microphone
mixers. The control system was hidden and specified to be user
friendly, i.e., one on/off switch and automatic settings.
veloped section of the Congregations cemetery. Their vision for Provisions were made to meet the American Disabilities Act
this memorial chapel and cemetery included a 170-seat chapel requirement for hearing assistance in public assembly spaces,
with additional standing room for up to 130 people. The project connection to portable audio-visual equipment, and for future
also included crypts for 456 above-ground internments, a med- system expansion.
itation garden, a memorial wall, a reflection pool sustained by
rainwater captured in an oversized gutter along the edge of the The concrete front wall reflects sunlight coming through the
roof, 2.5 acres of landscaping, an office, bathrooms, and storage open sidewall. The roof slit allows a small beam of sunlight to
space. shine on the front wall directly behind the bimah. The beam of
sunlight also serves as a natural clock as it moves over the wall
The client building committee chose a California design team through the duration of the day.
because of their ability to design environmentally sensitive
buildings. The design intent was to maintain the openness of In 1998 The American Institute of Architects, California Coun-
the outdoors, provide shelter from the sun, and isolate the space cil conferred a Merit Award on the design team of Daniel Sol-
from traffic noise coming from an adjacent roadway. omon, FAIA and Gary Strang, Architects, Charles Salter, P.E.
for Excellence in Design.
The building was naturally ventilated and not air conditioned.
Ceiling fans moved fresh air throughout the structure. The audio systems designer was Charles M. Salter Associates,
Inc. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified during
To address room acoustics requirements, 850-square-foot per- services. The reverberation time data were calculated for the un-
forated metal diffusing panels were used in conjunction with a occupied space.
stainless steel perforated deck to provide diffusion and absorp-
tion in the chapel. The absorbing material was 2" thick wrapped Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior view with pond; 2.
insulation. These ceiling and rear wall elements eliminated flut- chapel ceiling; 3. exterior view of tree; 4. chapel seating; 5. close-
ter echoes between the opposing concrete floor and front wall. up of entrance column; 6 chapel. All photos credited to Timothy
Hursley.
In 1992 during the design phase, on-site traffic noise measure-
ments were conducted. A steady stream of vehicular traffic gen-
erated an average of 65 dBA. Maximum sound levels of 70 dBA
were generated by motorcycles.
The curved baffle panels that make up the rear wall incorporated
a second external layer of screens. 1,400 square-feet of 3/4 inch
thick polyolefin foam core was used to reduce the traffic noise.
The curved shape of the panels also blocks direct sight lines to
the roadway while allowing air to flow into the space.
To meet architecture design requirements, the six ceiling-mount-
ed loudspeakers for speech reinforcement were hidden behind
the spaced metal slat ceiling. Two loudspeakers provided sound
plan view

coverage to outdoor overflow areas. The audio system was op-

 plan view

65 | 66
section
site plan
M I L A R E PA C E N T E R
T he primary aspiration of the Mahamudra Buddhist Hermit-
age is to offer a peaceful quiet place for serious practitioners
to experience a Buddhist retreat. Traditionally, practitioners spend
3 years, 3 months and 3 days at the hermitage exploring their
spirituality. The importance of quietude within the design of the
Buddhist Hermitage is paramount. The atmosphere must be free
of distraction in order for practitioners to achieve a level of en-
lightenment during their spiritual stay. SoundSense was engaged
by the architectural firm Lothrop Associates to create a design
with proper acoustics to ensure that noise would not distract prac-
titioners from their spiritual goals. The following design details
are for the Milarepa Center, comprised of four buildings, which is
the first part of larger Mahamudra Buddhist Hermitage project.
The final project will include 15 buildings on 27 acres.
Every space was reviewed for the optimal acoustic environment.
However, first, each room needed to be critically engineered for
the Noise Criteria. The MEP drawings were reviewed to make
certain that there was no disturbance from any mechanical, elec-
trical, and/or plumbing noise that would interrupt the quietude.
Since the additional goal of incorporating sustainable and ener-
gy-saving techniques can also produce disturbing noise, the Noise
Criteria for every single location within the facility, including
67 | 68
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
some exterior locations (such as outdoor areas of meditation that
were close to mechanical exhausts) were evaluated. Additionally,
the acoustic separation from room to room and floor to floor was
properly reviewed to ensure that individuals would not be dis-
turbing to one another. This seperation, in turn, allows both resi-
dents and visitors throughout the Hermitage to fulfil their spiri-
tual practice needs. Acoustic products specified for this aspect of
the design included, but were not limited to, SoundSense LV-A,
QB111 and QA2.
After acoustic separation was addressed to provide the proper lev-
el of quietude, each room was reviewed for optimal acoustic envi-
ronment. The goal was to preserve the aesthetic presentation for
the spiritual aspects of the design, while simultaneously optimiz-
ing the reverberation time in all areas. The acoustic environment
is critical. Any space that is too reverberant will be uncomfortable
for occupants; further, any noise that would enter a reverberant
space will in turn become amplified and very distracting. This is in
contrast to the goal of quietude within the environment. It is not
possible to focus on quieting the mind if there are exterior dis-
tractions, especially those that would be of a transient form. This
inhibition of intrusive transient sounds is also important to the
goals of the teachings to overcome stress and illness, as disturbing
SoundSense, LLC

site elevation
Lothrop Associates, LLP
1,166 m3
160
New construction
$11,000,000
2015
Cragsmoor, NY, USA

Buddhism
Vajrayana
Meditation/Teaching Hall

noises trigger adrenaline that works against a goal of well-being.
Acoustic products specified for this aspect of the acoustic design
included, but were not limited to, Lumitex.
Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified during services.
The noise rating is NC-20, predicted for the unoccpied space with
the HVAC system on.
Image captions as follows: lower left: longitudinal elevation of
Building C | Lothrop Associates, LLP; lower right: 2nd floor
plan of Building A; upper right: transverse elevation of Building
C | Lothrop Associates, LLP.
 RRUSODQ%XLOGLQJ$

69 | 70
site plan
section | Centerbrook Architects
PA R K S Y N AG O G U E E A S T
T his new building is a sanctuary, school, and community
center that serves as the East Campus for the renowned
Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights, designed by Eric Men-
delsohn in 1950. Like its older sibling, it offers welcome, shel-
ter, and blessing to its congregation.
The building is a simple steel-frame box clad in a stick and pan-
el mosaic of copper. Three large organic shapes burst from the
boxa Jerusalem stone sanctuary and two great copper-covered
canopies leading to a two-story lobby. These entrances of equal
importanceone for the school, the other for the sanctuary, li-
brary, and offices bend towards each other in a gesture of wel-
come and blessing.
The sanctuary is surrounded inside and out by gently curving,
monumental stone walls. The stone is coursed in large horizon-
tal bands reminiscent of early Jerusalem temples. Chapel day-
light comes indirectly from four edges, giving it a soft glow for
quietude and solace. The sanctuary is divided into three flexible
synagogue from street showing embedded chapel
71 | 72
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
spaces. At the center is a chapel that holds 190 people in fixed
seats. A large meeting room and a community hall open to the
chapel from either side for large gatherings. Both spaces have
arched wood ceilings facing the chapel.
Rising from the back of the Bimah is the ark. Above it, and
inspired by the sounding boards of church podia, a large curv-
ing canopy of interwoven wood beams emerges, reflecting voices
and music and also offering a sense of shelter.
To each side of the central chapel, guillotine-style doors drop
to separate the chapel from adjacent spaces to block sound
transmission from events that may occur simultaneously with
services. On the inner side of the doors, acoustic fabric panels
soften stray sounds from the fixed seating to focus the room
acoustically on the Bimah. Acoustically treated clerestory win-
dows harvest indirect light while blocking noise from the nearby
highway. The room offers an acoustic sense of peace and security
promised by the thick stone walls surrounding it.
The roof above the arks wood canopy consists of wood slats
dripping vertical lamps that glow like stars at night, recalling
both the original tented tabernacle and the framed structures of
wooden Eastern European synagogues. At the same time they
reflect sound softly to make a large space feel intimate.
The acoustics design for the chapel is an effective response to the
architectural design. It needed to function in different modes,
including formal services and informal events, when it would
function as a social hall. The volume per seat ratio is quite large,
nearly 500 cubic feet per seat; the reverberation target was a
mid-frequency average of about 1.3 seconds. Therefore, the de-
sign incorporated extensive acoustical absorptive treatment on
the ceiling by means of an open wood slat design with glass
fiber batts behind, while taking advantage of the profound and
poetic overhead reflecting canopy above the Bimah for early di-
rect reflections. The goal was to allow the congregation to hear
the rabbi clearly and also to support congregational singing and
liturgical response.
The batts behind the wood slats were placed close to the back of
the slats to improve low-frequency absorption. The solid portion
of the slats kept the absorption coefficient of the ceiling from
Acentech Incorporated 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Centerbrook Architects and Planners
3.5
2,690 m3 50

190 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$13,891,460
2005 30

2.0
Pepper Pike, OH, USA 1.5
20

Judaism 1.0
Conservative 10

0.5
Synagogue
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

being too absorptive at high frequencies, thus helping to main-

tain a degree of clarity and brightness in the room.
The chapel was the most sensitive space in the building for low
background sound, and the design criterion was NC-25, requir-
ing carefully controlled low-velocity air movement, silencers in
the duct path, and internal acoustical lining.
Other acoustical concerns included attention to noise reduction
performance of the roof to reduce rain noise, sound reduction
lobby entry to chapel

through large operable walls, a high-performance sound ampli-

fication system with flexible and multiple configurations, envi-
ronmental noise control with acoustical windows incorporating
a 2" airspace, and noise from an outdoor chiller.
The space was designed to support piano music. The audio sys-
tems designer was Showtime Sound Company, with acoustical
design modeling and technical consulting from C.L. Pugh &
Associates. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified
during services. The reverberation time data were calculated for
the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calculated for the
unoccupied space. All photos credited to Scott Frances.
synagogue entries facing south
chapel with side doors open for large services

Bimah showing acoustic sounding board

 RRUSODQ

73 | 74
section looking at chapel, lobby and entry
interior elevation | HUFFMORRIS
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

REVEILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

R eveille Church was formed in 1951 from a merger between

Union Station Methodist Church and Monument Meth-
odist Church. Union Station Church was relocating to the West
End due to the changing demographics of its neighborhood on
Church Hill. Union Station (named because it was a station,
or single-church, appointment instead of a circuit) traced its or-
igins back to a Methodist class founded in 1835 by members of
Trinity Church and Centenary Church.
From matching the clay roofing tile and detailed brick to the
design of a more intimate space for worship and gathering,
it was important that the addition of a chapel and gathering
area blend with the beauty and distinctiveness of the existing
architecture.
exterior view | HUFFMORRIS

The chapels curved seating layout creates a sense of community

among the people that gather to worship and minimizes the
distance of the rear seating to the chancel. Natural lighting via
large arched windows provides a warm glow within the space.
It was important that any measures taken to address acoustics
became a part of the architecture and the traditional appearance
of the space. Treating the hard surfaces on the walls and ceiling
proved challenging due to the historic nature of the building.
The acoustical finishes not only had to match the look but to
satisfy the room acoustics requirements for music and speech
clarity.
The mechanical system consisted of a roof-top air conditioning
unit with compressor fans. Due to the close proximity of the
roof-top unit to the worship space, close coordination with the
mechanical engineer was very important. The unit was connect-
ed to acoustically lined duct on the supply and return sides. The
NC level in the space was satisfactory to the owner and met the
design criteria.
The 13,587-square-foot addition also included a multi-purpose
youth area, gathering and fellowship area, an accessible entrance,
and parking for the chapel and existing Sanctuary.
The space was designed to support piano music. The audio sys-
Chapel | HUFFMORRIS

tems designer was Acoustonica, LLC. Sound is typically ampli-

fied during services. The reverberation time data were measured
in the unoccupied space. The background noise level data were
measured in the unoccupied space. A noise rating of NC-40 was
75 | 76 calculated for the unoccupied space.
 Acoustonica, LLC 60 4.0
HUFFMORRIS ARCHITECTS
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

2,284 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
120 3.0
New construction and renovation 40
2.5
$3,897,669
2012 30 2.0
Richmond, VA, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
United Methodist Church 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
interior view | Walid Tikriti
 RRUSODQ

77 | 78
rear wall elevation
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

T H E S AC R E D S PAC E

A fire at the location of the North-

eastern University Bacon Me-
morial Chapel necessitated the con-
struction of a new spiritual center on
campus. The design of the new Multi-
faith Spiritual Centernow called the
Sacred Space in the Center for Spiri-
tuality, Dialogue, and Service, was built
in the shell of the former chapel. It is
an ecumenical space open to all faiths.
The design meets the specific func-
tional requirements of a broad range of
faith traditions and seeks to foster en-
gagement and dialogue between them,
without focusing or relying on any par-
ticular tradition or iconography.
The facility is of modest sizea sin-
gle-height room with an intimate am-
biance that seats no more than about
150 individuals. The program called
for a quiet room to support meditation,
private worship, and small gatherings.
Acoustically, this meant a very quiet
background sound (NC-25 maximum)
interior view of ceiling

and a reasonably low reverberation

time. Because the new space was to be
built in the shell of the existing chap-
el, meeting the stringent background
sound requirements proved challeng-
ing, since there was little room for large
duct sizes necessary for a quiet venti-
lation system. Furthermore, a fan in
the ablution room designed to exhaust
odors from shoes proved particularly
noisy.
Consultants at Acentech worked with
architects at Office dA and engineers
at Cosentini to isolate the noisy fans
and to design an appropriately quiet
79 | 80
Acentech Incorporated 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-20
2IFHG$
3.5
368 m3 50

150 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$400,000
1998 30

2.0
Boston, MA, USA
20
1.5

Multifaith 1.0
House of Worship 10

0.5

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

HVAC system. In addition, the design team developed criteria

for sound-absorbing treatment at the ceiling plane to control
reverberation and boost speech intelligibility in the space. A key
design solution for both HVAC noise control and reverberation
control is seamlessly integrated with the most visually striking
aspect of the rooms architecture: the stunning rose-shaped ceil-
ing clouds.
Perforated and unperforated metal panels comprise the ceiling
roses. Above the ceiling is a plenum; supply air is ducted to the
plenum, and is then distributed to the occupied space via the
perforations in the metal petals that make up the ceiling cloud
roses. Acentech specified a sound-absorbing plenum liner board,
which was installed in the upper and side areas of the plenum
above the perforated metal panels in the rose-shaped ceiling. The
absorption serves two purposes acoustically: it provides much
needed sound absorption in order to control reverberation in
the space, and it is also a key component in the strategy to con-
trol mechanical noise in the plenum. Other aspects of HVAC
noise control involved duct layout and sizing, the judicious use
of sound attenuators, and careful equipment selection and place-
interior view toward front

ment. The result is a peaceful space with well-controlled noise

and an acoustic environment well suited to speech, small gath-
erings, and private meditation or worship.
The space was designed to support congregational singing.
Sound is typically unamplified during services. The reverbera-
tion time data were calculated for the unoccupied space. The
background noise level data were measured in the space with
the HVAC system on. The noise ratings were calculated for the
unoccupied space. All photos credited to Dan Bibb.
interior view with prayer rugs
 RRUSODQ

81 | 82
cross section
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

SHINANOMACHI CHURCH
1 2

4 5 6

83 | 84
Nagata Acoustics, Inc. 60 4.0
Shozo Uchii + Uchii Architects
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

2,000 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
214 3.0
Renovation 40
2.5
2004
Tokyo, Japan 30 2.0

1.5
Christianity: Protestant 20
Non-denominational 1.0
Chapel 10
0.5

0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S hinanomachi Church, a member of the United Church of

Christ in Japan, was designed by the architect Shozo Uchii
and Uchii Architects in 2004 as the reconstruction of the orig-
inal church. The design of the new main sanctuary uses an oc-
tagonal-shaped footprint and has a three-story-high ceiling. The
altar is nestled in one corner of the octagonal-shaped room, with
fixed seating for about 200 congregants placed in concentric,
curved rows, filling the nave to the rear of the main sanctuary.
In 2005, a pipe organ with 15 stops built by the Dutch organ
builder GEBR. REIL was installed at the rear of the sanctuary.
The desired acoustical goals are for congregants to clearly hear
sermons and for a rich sound quality for hymns and organ mu-
sic. To obtain the speech clarity for sermons under compara-
tively long reverberation, compact line-array loudspeakers with
narrow vertical coverage were selected, because that can mini-
mize the potential for excitation of reverberation. Additionally,
sound-absorbing material, that is glass wool board covered with
wood ribbing, was arranged on the wall behind this surface and
producing acoustical feedback. The naves pews were covered
with fabric upholstery to prevent the rooms reverberation time
from becoming excessively long when there are a small number
of congregants in the sanctuary. For rich sound quality of hymns
and organ music, wide and narrow ribbing was arranged on the
surface of walls to promote sound diffusion.
The space was designed to support choir and pipe organ music.
The audio systems designer was Nagata Acoustics, Inc. Sound
is typically amplified during services. The reverberation time
data were measured in the unoccupied space. The background
noise level data were measured in the unoccupied space with the
HVAC system on. A noise rating of NC-25 was calculated for
the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. view from above; 2. pulpit; 3.
congregational seating; 4. choir seating; 5. diffusion on wall; 6.
compact line-array loudspeaker.
view from pulpit
 main level plan

85 | 86
section
RRUSODQZLWKORXGVSHDNHUFRYHUDJH
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. P A T R I C K S E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H

2 3 4

87 | 88
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Dixon Weinstein Architects, PA
3.5
2,520 m3 50

250 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$1,500,000
2000 30

2.0
Mooresville, NC, USA
20
1.5

Christianity: Anglican 1.0

Episcopal 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S aint Patricks Episcopal Mission is designed to support a tra-

ditional style of worship with emphasis on speech clarity and
allowance for multipurpose use. Acoustical treatment included
system controls are preset to accommodate the normal worship
service schedule. To meet the goals set forth by the church, the
sound system accommodates inputs from all four sides of the
approximately 900 square feet of mostly 1-inch fiberglass panels worship space. A connector panel located at the rear, left side
with some 2-inch panels. Additional wall surfaces were recom- of the worship space provides ability to locate an audio mixing
mended to be irregular. The architect accomplished this by in- console within the worship space for use during special dramatic
corporating a laid-up stone faade below the main glass window presentations.
that is opposite the main worship space entry. The roof/ceiling The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
is laminated wood deck, while the floor is a stained and sealed boards, piano, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, wood-
concrete. Movable upholstered chairs provide flexible seating. A winds), and acoustic guitar music. The audio systems designer
number of musicians have praised the acoustical quality of this was F.C. Schafer Consulting, LLC. Sound is typically both am-
worship space. plified and unamplified during services. The reverberation time
The HVAC noise control was particularly challenging. The data were calculated for the unoccupied space. The noise rating
original plan was to place two fan units in a closet sitting on was simulated for the unoccupied space with the HVAC system
the floor. The supply ducts were underground in the floor of on.
the closet. The return also had a short path. Since the supply Left hand page image captions: 1. view from front; 2. chancel; 3.
ductwork was underground, no lining was used. This amounted ceiling; 4. view from rear.
to a fan connected by a speaking tube to the sanctuary. As is
often the case with small systems, no sound data was available
and it had to be estimated. The fan was raised in the closet and
placed above a custom lined plenum with angled lined baffles to
force the sound to turn several times before exiting the plenum
into the supply duct. The plenum did not really qualify in size as
a plenum. It was more like a large elbow with 4 inch lining. For
the return side, to achieve the necessary sound attenuation, one
branch was relocated to provide additional length of duct and
extra silencing was specified for the other branch. Diffuser flow
velocity was kept slow.
Given the desired reverberation time and required speech in-
telligibility, the configuration of the sound system design would
need to keep reinforced sound as close as possible to the listen-
section with loudspeaker coverage

er while minimally interacting with the wall surfaces. A sound

system design with distributed speakers accomplished this goal.
Speakers are suspended from the main roof deck with a speaker
cable that is rated to support the speaker/enclosure unit. Each
distributed speaker is wired directly to amplifier channels in the
main equipment rack to allow the ability in the future to delay
the reinforced signal to each of the speakers to support the nat-
ural sound emanating from various locations in the space. Sound
 RRUSODQ

89 | 90
section
RRUSODQ_(OHYDWH6WXGLR
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY MULDER CHAPEL

1 2

4 5 6

91 | 92
Acoustics By Design 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
Elevate Studio
3.5
991 m3 50

150 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$1,250,000
2012 30

2.0
Holland, MI, USA
20
1.5

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

Reformed Church In America 10

0.5
Chapel
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

W estern Theological Seminary is a mid-sized seminary

affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, es-
tablished in 1866. Its once-traditionally designed chapel was
Mechanical noise was also a consideration within this project. A
new mechanical unit was placed in the original organ chamber.
Noise isolation of the casing radiated noise as well as duct lining
renovated in 2011 as a contemporary, flexible space intended and specialized supply and return air silencers were incorporated
to, prepare our students to lead the churchs worship life. The into the design to achieve an NC-25 rating.
chapels main function is to host daily chapel services and small The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, pia-
worship services, but it is also occasionally used as a meeting and no, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns,
conference space, and a place for weddings and organ recitals. woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The
Similar to the existing visual aesthetic of the chapel, the existing audio systems designer was Acoustics By Design. Sound is typ-
acoustics were suited for traditional worship services and it was ically both amplified and unamplified during services. The re-
therefore the main acoustical goal of the space to choose more verberation time data were calculated for the unoccupied space.
suitable reverberation characteristics for a multi-function room
and to properly shape the sound of the new rounded design. All photos credited to JRP Studio LLC. Left hand page image
captions: 1. chapel interior with lowered screens; 2. chancel; 3.
Large wooden columns were added to the existing space to chapel interior towards rear; 4. chapel interior prior to reno-
transform the existing rectangular plan into an ellipsoidal plan. vation; 5. detailed view of chancel; 6. chapel interior towards
The chancel was located in a circular space inscribed at the end chancel.
of the major axis of the ellipse, opposite of the entry. To ac-
commodate diverse uses, flexible seating was used to allow for
multiple room configurations. Seating layouts were designed to
accommodate approximately 50150 users in both linear and
circular layouts. An ellipsoidal wood ceiling was designed over
the main space with a separate circular wood ceiling above the
chancel.
The existing reverberation time was reduced in order to result
in a room that retained the classic acoustical feel of a traditional
chapel but also allowed the room to be more acoustically inti-
mate when used for meetings, conferences, and lectures. In order
architectural model of renovation | Elevate Studio

to accomplish this, the floor was carpeted and the central ellip-
soidal ceiling was specified to be perforated wood. The ceiling
above the audience area (approximately thirty percent of the
ceiling area) had a fiberglass backing. In order to balance the
reverberation time at lower-frequencies, proper thicknesses of
the column materials were specified.
In order to direct speech and music from the circular chancel
into the adjacent space, the ceiling above the chancel was speci-
fied to be a planar solid wood reflector. To avoid focusing of the
acoustical energy, an eight foot tall band of QRD734 diffusers
by RPG Inc. was installed around the entire circular wall.
 RRUSODQ

93 | 94
W O R S H I P S PAC E S
251500 S E AT S
Northern Lights Cathedral of Alta
SUHUHQRYDWLRQRRUSODQ
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

1 2

4 5 6

97 | 98
Scott R. Riedel & Associates, Ltd.
Groth Design Group, Inc.
2,718 m3
400
Renovation
$3,500,000
2013
Madison, WI, USA
Christianity: Protestant
Presbyterian
Church
C hrist Presbyterian Church is a 400-seat, 1960s era Contem-
porary Style building, located on the shore of Lake Men-
dota in Wisconsins Capitol City. The congregation has a lively
worship life, conducting traditional and contemporary services,
along with offering a diverse range of theatrical and musical pre-
sentations to the community. The former small chancel and rear
musicians gallery arrangement did not facilitate this diversity of
uses. The congregation therefore undertook the recent worship
space renovation project with the following key goals:
R5 An expanded chancel platform that would be completely
flexible for the breadth of liturgical and music celebrations
R5 Full ramp access to the platform for movement of instru-
ments and to provide access for liturgists and musicians of
varying physical abilities
R5 A Reredos backdrop for the platform that would be in-
spirational, but at the same time functional; the backdrop
should provide access to storage behind the platform, pro-
jection on the mid face, and sound transparency at the upper
face to allow the projection of sound from the antiphonal
organ pipe chamber behind
R5 Individual chair nave seating for flexibility and for unlimit-
ed accessible seating options
R5 Improved lighting and power infrastructure
R5 Upgrades to the sound system and a sophisticated video
projection system
R5 Acoustic corrections to the building
Other improvements to the churchs campus included creating a
prominent main entry with hospitable circulation, total building
accessibility, adding gathering and hospitality spaces previously
nonexistent, along with new meeting, classroom and fellowship
spaces, and upgrades to the existing office, all to provide com-
fort, convenience, and flexibility.
The worship spaces pre-renovation acoustic challenges included
a reverberation time that was too low to support traditional or
contemporary music styles well (averaging only 1.0 seconds, un-
occupied). The reverberation time was also too low to enhance
60
4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
3.5
50
3.0
Reverberation Time (s)
40
2.5
30
2.0
1.5
20
1.0
10
0.5
0
0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
congregational sung and spoken participation during worship
services. Interior finishes included carpeted aisles, wood parquet
flooring in the chancel and under pews, vinyl tile floor in the
rear gallery, and plaster walls and ceiling.
The churchs main organ is located in the rear gallery, with an
Antiphonal division of pipes placed at the front of the space,
above and behind the chancel. The tone of the Antiphonal or-
gan pipes was severely inhibited by heavy tone grille fabrics and
obstructive building features.
The room now has primarily hard surface flooring, with built
up wood deck construction in the chancel and wood laminate
in the center aisle and under pews. Low pile, level loop carpet
is used in side aisles only. Under floor cavities are treated with
batt insulation to suppress footfall noise. One inch thick sound
absorbing treatment was applied to the front face of the balcony
and to walls adjoining the contemporary bands space to avoid
unwanted reflections from the sound system and to balance per-
cussion effects. The angled chancel backdrop wall profiles and a
reflective cloud behind the reredos wall above the Antiphonal
Organ chamber now project and diffuse sound energy, and fur-
ther, allow the Antiphonal division organ pipe tone to be dis-
tributed throughout the space. The reverberation time is now
1.5 secondsa mid-range time selected to accommodate the
diversity of traditional and contemporary music styles as well as
dramatic and concert events.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano,
harpsichord, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g., strings,
horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) mu-
sic. The audio systems designer was DSH Audio Visions LLC.
Sound is typically amplified during services. The reverberation
time data were calculated for the unoccupied space. The noise
ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions and photo credits: 1. nave and
chancel | Scott R. Riedel; 2. chancel | Scott R. Riedel; 3. organ
and choir balcony | Scott R. Riedel; 4. nave and chancel | Scott
R. Riedel; 5. nave | Scott R. Riedel; 6. pre-renovation nave and
chancel | Groth Design Group, Inc.
 UHQRYDWHGRRUSODQ

99 | 100
SUHUHQRYDWLRQRRUSODQ 
longitudinal section
T H E C H U R C H O F S T. M I C H A E L & S T. G E O R G E
T he Church of St. Michael and St. George in St. Louis,
Missouri is an Episcopal church with traditional Episco-
palian worship. Sermons, congregational singing with pipe or-
gan accompaniment, choral anthems, and special concerts with
pipe organ accompaniment are all in occurrence.
The rectory of the church was originally built in 1914. Later, in
order to enlarge the church to about twice its original size, the
1,700-ton, two-story building was raised from its foundation
and moved in 1928. The church was enlarged to provide seating
for 500 by extending the nave three bays to the west. The con-
figuration of the church is the traditional cruciform design. The
walls are made of plaster and the ceiling is made of wood.
An acoustical renovation was implemented by electro-acoustic
means in 2007. Before the renovation, an acoustical investiga-
tion identified several issues, as follows. For speech use, the nat-
ural room reverberation is appropriate (1.3 seconds). However,
the reverberation time is too short for choir and pipe organ per-
from the pulpit
101 | 102
Acoustical Consultant l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Worship Space Type l
formances. In addition, there is a significant difference between
the area of the choir seating and the congregation seating. The
acoustics in the choral seating is live, but the acoustics in the
worshipers seating is a little dry.
The church had an existing enhancement system that had failed
and was no longer in use. Although there was no vital problem
of intelligibility, it was necessary to improve the sound quality
because of uneven response in the low frequencies. There was
inconsistent distribution throughout the room resulting from
phase cancellation in the overlapping area where the distributed
speakers radiated.
The details of the acoustical renovation that was carried out
are as follows. First, an acoustic enhancement system (Active
Field Control: AFC) was implemented to solve the poor acous-
tic environment for pipe organ and choral performances. This
poor environment was caused by the short reverberation time.
The AFC system improved the uniformity of reverberation be-
tween the choral and congregational seating areas. Second, the
performance of the main sound system speakers was improved
by using constant directivity, one-box-type speakers to achieve
a consistent sound pressure level distribution throughout the
room and improve the sound quality. Third, the sound system
was improved by using a digital mixing engine to realize a sim-
ple but advanced sound system.
After the renovation, acoustical measurements were taken to
confirm the appropriate conditions. AFC can extend the rever-
beration time up to 2.7 seconds depending on the application.
The system has three presets corresponding to the variety of
applications found in the venue. The Speech setting provides
suitable reverberation for sermons for the actual room size. This
setting also improves the inconsistent sound impression between
the sanctuary and the audience area. The Solo setting provides
suitable reverberation for pleasant vocal solo performances and
improves acoustic inconsistencies, as well. The Choir/Organ
setting gives suitably longer reverberation for various pipe organ
and choral music events.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, and classi-
cal ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds) music. The audio
Yamaha Corporation 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
3,370 m3
3.5
500 50

Renovation 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

$110,000 40

2.5
2007
St. Louis, MO, USA 30

2.0

1.5
Christianity: Anglican 20

Church 1.0
10

0.5

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

systems designer was Cignal Systems, Inc. Sound is typically

both amplified and unamplified during services. The reverbera-
tion time data were measured in the unoccupied space. All pho-
tos credited to Yamaha Corporation.

RRUSODQ
from the nave
exterior view
 RRUSODQDQGORQJLWXGLQDOVHFWLRQ

103 | 104
section view
C O N G R E G AT I O N B E I T S I M C H AT T O RA H S Y N AG O G U E
T he renovation of three floors of a landmark Cass Gil-
bert-designed warehouse in New York City created a new
synagogue for the worlds largest LGBTQ Jewish community.
The renovation includes spaces for worship, community life
and social justice activism. New Yorks LGBTQ congregation
embraces all who enter, and does so with song, sincerity, and a
reverence for the traditions of the Jewish faith and culture. Pri-
or to occupying their permanent home, the congregation would
alternate between available worship spaces around the city. Thus,
once a permanent residence was established, Congregation Beit
Simchat Torah (CBST) could invest monetarily, temporally, and
spiritually in their religious home.
Music is a crucial element of each service. From the Bimah area,
a choir fills the space with energy while the congregation sings
along with the service. The musical element of the synagogue
is supported by hard ceiling and wall surfaces, leaving the pew
cushions and the congregants themselves as the dominant ab-
sorption. The sanctuary is a study in how to pack an exuberant
service into the confines of a 16' tall volume without putting a
lid on the musical expression. The synagogue achieves a sense
of grandeur within a relatively short former retail space within
Americas most populous city.
The sanctuary is both a sacred space and a venue for life-cycle
events. The audio systems, designed by Threshold Acoustics,
supports a full range of speech, individual song, choir, and in-
strumental music and are typically used during services. Within
the relatively small floor plan of 2,200 square feet, the sanctuary
seats 299 and the Bimah provides a stage for a full choir, clergy
members, and a piano. Rather than utilizing standardized, off-
the-shelf products, special consideration was taken by the design
team to integrate crucial acoustical performance into architec-
tural elements in order to maintain both the acoustic character
and the visual aesthetic. A sloping, deeply diffusive, concrete wall
is located at the front of the sanctuary providing a backsplash
for Bimah activity. The shaped, precast concrete wall supports
low-frequency sound while softening what would otherwise be
a rigid rectilinear geometry. The undulations grow deeper at the
midpoint of the walls height, above which, the diffusion grad-
ually diminishes as it becomes less critical. Half-size mockups
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
were used to evaluate and detail the diffusion, which scatters
reflections that would degrade clarity without losing that energy
to absorption.
The sanctuary is situated away from the faade to limit the in-
trusion of city noise, but a large skylight over the Ark extends
the length of the diffusive wall, maintaining a connection to nat-
ural light while modeling the wall itself. Augmenting the typical
insulating-glass-unit by changing pane thicknesses and airspace
depth between panes yields a protective, yet transparent layer re-
ducing din from the city and nearby mechanical equipment and
maintaining the serene environment needed for such a space.
Because the synagogue is on the lower two floors of a mostly
residential building, being a good neighbor was as important as
protecting the sanctuary from city noise. After visiting the ex-
isting building prior to CBST starting construction, an analysis
was completed to characterize the isolation performance of the
existing conditions between the future Synagogue and the res-
idential spaces above. Resiliently hung barrier ceilings were in-
corporated into the design to address the potential disturbance
and are limited in their depth via compact resilient hangers to
preserve as much height as possible in the sanctuary.
The space was designed to support choir, piano, and congrega-
tional singing. The reverberation time data, as well as the back-
ground noise values were calculated for the unoccupied space.
Right hand page image captions: 1. balcony; 2. front of sanctu-
ary; 3. floor plan. All photos credited to Architecture Research
Office.
Threshold Acoustics 60

4.0
Background Noise: RC-20-25 N
$UFKLWHFWXUH5HVHDUFK2IFH$52
3.5
949 m3 50

299 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Adaptive reuse 40

2.5
$6,000,000
2015 30

2.0
New York, NY, USA 1.5
20

Judaism 1.0
Conservative 10

0.5
Synagogue
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

2 3
RRUSODQ

107 | 108
section view
section
C O N G R E G AT I O N O R H A D A S H
C ompleted in March of 2013, the new worship facility for
The Congregation Or Hadash in Atlanta, Georgia is an
adaptive reuse of a vacant automotive paint and body repair fa-
cility constructed primarily of concrete, masonry, and metal. The
synagogue, which was designed to accommodate 400 families,
contains a sanctuary, social hall, chapel, offices, and classrooms
along with exterior courtyards and gardens.
The focal point for the synagogue is the 450-seat sanctuary
which, due to the multinational nature of the congregation, was
designed to yield a high degree of speech intelligibility to cater
to those for whom English may not be their native language.
However, music, often comprising live instrumentation such as
guitar, keyboards, and percussion, also plays a prominent role in
typical services; therefore, the acoustics of the room needed to
achieve a compromise between the often conflicting demands of
these two different types of programs.
The rectangular plan of the sanctuary allows for strong lateral
view from aisle | Jim Roof
109 | 110
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
reflections while accommodating fan-shaped seating and a nov-
el, sculpted ceiling was designed to bolster two-way projection
between the bimah and the congregants. Multiple angles and
architectural features were used throughout the sanctuary to
bolster diffusion and mitigate flutter echoes and acoustic glar-
ing. Multiple layers of gypsum board were used on wall and ceil-
ing surfaces to limit excessive low-frequency absorption (as well
as increase sound isolation between the sanctuary and adjacent
corridors and the exterior) and an acoustically absorptive plas-
ter system was used on the upper rear wall to mitigate echoes
and provide for a target mid-frequency reverberation time of
approximately 1.4 seconds. Sliding glass doors below this ab-
sorptive surface allow the sanctuary to be opened to the social
hall, providing an expanded space to accommodate larger ser-
vices and varied seating arrangements.
The synagogue is located in a suburban setting with a high
school football stadium located directly to the south. A site
noise assessment was performed during two football games on
Friday evenings, when services would take place in the sanc-
tuary, to characterize the existing soundscape. These measure-
ments indicated sound levels routinely exceeding 75 dBA at the
building site with low frequency levels driven predominantly
by the marching band and mid and high frequencies driven by
public address announcements and cheering crowds. These find-
ings drove space planning to a significant extent and resulted in
locating classrooms (which would not be in use during games)
along the south faade and appropriate glazing and wall design
where the sanctuary did have exposure to the exterior.
Finally, rooftop units, which comprised the majority of the
HVAC system, were located over offices and other support spac-
es. Heavy gauge ductwork and internal lining was used to limit
sound levels within these spaces as well as inside the sanctuary,
social hall, and chapel.
Post-construction measurements indicated that design goals
were met and the end result was a quiet sanctuary that provided
a high degree of speech intelligibility and audibility throughout.
The space was designed to support modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. The audio systems designer was Shade Tree Au-
Arpeggio Acoustic Consulting, LLC 60 4.0
BLDGS
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

1,982 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
450 3.0
Adaptive reuse 40
2.5
$2,800,000
2013 30 2.0
Sandy Springs, GA, USA 1.5
20
Judaism 1.0
Conservative 10
0.5
Synagogue
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

dio Video. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified

during services. The reverberation time data were measured in
the unoccupied space. The background noise level data were
measured in the unoccupied space with the HVAC system on.

interior | Fredrik Brauer

Cooling Rack
Cooling Rack

Warming Oven
True_
Warming Oven
True_

CHSB1716C
(w/ faucet)

Elkay

Bunn
5-Pot
Coffee Maker

Manitowoc
Ice Maker i500
Single or Double
Convection OVENS
Vulcraft VC4E

Dean
Fryer
Ultra-Max 24" Grill

Convection OVENS
Single or Double
Vulcraft VC4E
Southbend 460_DD 6-burner w/ Griddle

DAIRY Stove/Oven
RNSF8354LR
Elkay
RNSF8354LR
Elkay

(w/ faucet)
CHSB1716C
Elkay
ceiling lights | Fredrik Brauer
exterior | Jim Roof
RRUSODQ_%/'*6
RRUSODQ
 Vulcraft VC4E
Cooling Rack Cooling Rack
Single or Double
Convection OVENS
Elkay True_ True_
RNSF8354LR Warming Oven Warming Oven
Dean
Ultra-Max 24" Grill
Southbend 460_DD 6-burner w/ Griddle Fryer
(w/ faucet)
CHSB1716C
Elkay
CHSB1716C
(w/ faucet)
Elkay

Bunn
Coffee Maker
5-Pot
Ice Maker i500
Manitowoc
DAIRY Stove/Oven
RNSF8354LR
Elkay
Convection OVENS
Single or Double
Vulcraft VC4E

111 | 112
RRUSODQ
section
section
F O U RT H P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H
T he Fourth Presbyterian Church, Genevieve and Wayne
Gratz Center, has a long history in the Chicago commu-
nity. The congregation began in 1871, the year of the Great
Chicago Fire. The congregation persevered and moved to its
current location on Michigan Avenue with the construction
of its neo-Gothic sanctuary, designed by Ralph Adams Cram,
in 1912.
When nearing 100 years at their current location, expansion
was required to allow the church meet the needs of a growing
congregation. Originally dubbed Project Second Century, the
newly constructed Gratz Center opened in 2012. The five-story
facility is located west of the original sanctuary and Parish
House. The main level gathering space provides a common
entry point for congregation members and visitors arriving at
Fourth Presbyterian Church from all directions. Within this
space, acoustic considerations were made to control overall
sound level for large receptions or events.
chapel interior | Richard Barnes
113 | 114
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
The 350-seat Buchanan chapel is an elegant space used for
worship, overflow seating during holidays, Childrens Chapel,
weddings, and a full range of Church programs, including a
chamber music series and occasional amplified worship bands.
Seating is flexible, and the room is often sparsely furnished to
expose the stone labyrinth inlaid on the chapel floor. Childrens
Chapel benefits from this flexible arrangement, allowing chil-
dren to sit on the floor and easily move around during their
services.
A line array system provides sound reinforcement for speech,
but most music use is not amplified. Music groups of various
sizes are located either on the front altar platform or in the
upper rear balcony.
The acoustic goal for the space was to create a room with a
pleasing reverberation for music presentation, yet accommo-
date a wide variety of programming with ease. Acoustic solu-
tions were integrated seamlessly into the clean modern archi-
tectural vocabulary of the room. Subtle angles at side walls and
an undulating ceiling control flutter while providing natural
support from both altar and balcony. A balanced mix of lam-
inated glazing, multilayer gypsum, and masonry support re-
verberation without resulting in boominess. Fixed absorption
is provided with a light touch only at the lower rear wall for
echo control.
Acoustic variability is subtly realized through the deployment
of light control shades. When fully occupied, reverberation is
reduced but the room remains pleasantly responsive to acoustic
presentations.
Sound isolation was an important consideration in the design
of the chapel. Exterior noise sources include sirens and traffic
noise and rooftop and commercial kitchen exhaust equipment
from neighboring buildings. The west chapel wall is a double
layer structure to provide separation from the highest exte-
rior noise sources. The architect utilized the interior wall to
create the story of the timing of the liturgical year through
the rhythm of glass panels. Curtainwall glazing systems within
the chapel were designed to appropriately reduce exterior traf-
fic noise, and attention was paid to the cantilevered structure
Threshold Acoustics 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
Gensler
3.5
3,115 m3 50

350 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$38,200,000
2012 30

2.0
Chicago, IL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

Presbyterian 10

0.5
Chapel
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

forming the base of the chapel, including much of the altar

platform, which extends outside the main floor volume to the
south property line.
The building houses a daycare facility, kitchen and dining hall,
childrens activity center, classrooms, and offices. The efficient
planning of the facility located the daycare below the chapel
and classrooms above, requiring acoustic attention. The chapel
ceiling doubles as a noise barrier, and great care was taken in
the connection of curtain wall glazing to the slab at the side
walls of the chapel. A displacement supply air system required
balcony plan

acoustic separation of structure and ductwork from the daycare

center below.
Equipment selection and shielding assures that property line
noise level requirements are met in this densely built area
of the city. Separation between the new building and origi-
nal structures allows disparate uses to occur simultaneously
throughout the facility without disruption, yet spaces old and
new can open onto the new gathering space for large commu-
nity events.
The construction of the Gratz Center has expanded Fourth
Presbyterian Churchs ability to achieve its goal of being a bea-
con within the city and serve the community. Amid the activi-
ty, it is possible to enter the chapel to mediate and find respite
from the city outside.
The space was designed to support choir, piano, harpsichord,
handbell, ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns,
woodwinds), and chamber music ensembles. Sound is typically
both amplified and unamplified during services. The reverber-
ation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
chapel interior | Richard Barnes
 RRUSODQ

115 | 116
section
longitudinal section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

G R A C E LU T H E R A N C H U R C H
1 2

4 5 6

117 | 118
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-33
Andrea Clark Brown Architects, P.A.
3.5
2,483 m3 50

375 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$2,300,000
2004 30

2.0
Naples, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

Lutheran 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Grace Lutheran Church in Naples, Florida, expanded

their sanctuary to accommodate both a growing congrega-
tion and a new organ. Room volume was inherently limited due
on a major road became necessary in order to reduce sounds
and vibrations from cars driving by.
7. Additionally, to reduce noise and vibrations generated with
to a constrained site and structural limitations of the existing in the building due to its mechanical equipment, noise and
buildings. The existing sanctuary was rectangular in shape with vibration control for the HVAC system was undertaken.
a gabled ceiling. To increase the room volume, two side wings
with lower ceilings were added on both sides of the main ex- 8. A sound system for reinforcing the spoken word was de-
isting seating area. The rear of the room was also expanded to signed by others. The architect required that the loudspeak-
accommodate a new choir area and to provide space for a new ers be concealed within the structure which resulted in ef-
organ designed by Timothy Fink & Company, Inc. The prima- forts to maximize sound distribution from the loudspeakers
ry acoustical challenges in the design were to provide adequate to the congregation.
reverberation to support the new organ in a very limited room The space was designed to support pipe organ, piano, handbell
volume and to make an acoustical space out of three potentially ensemble, and classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, wood-
distinct volumes as the two wings were constructed. The pri- winds) music. The audio systems designer was Siebein Asso-
mary acoustical design concepts are described below: ciates, Inc. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified
1. The effective acoustical volume of the room was maximized during services. The reverberation time data were measured in
to the extent possible by raising the ceiling surfaces to the the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calculated for the
underside of the building structure. unoccupied space.
2. Every surface in the room was made sound reflective to Left hand page image captions: 1. pipe organ from platform; 2.
maintain as much controlled reverberation as possible in the side convex and concave curved shaped walls; 3. pulpit; 4. front
limited volume. convex-curved shaped walls; 5. seating area; 6. pipe organ. All
photos credited to Siebein Associates, Inc.
3. Wall and ceiling surfaces are shaped in subtle ways to diffuse
sound reflections to the congregation from the antiphonal
choir and organ as well as from the altar. Each surface in
the room as carefully designed to give it an acoustical and
architectural function.
4. Concave geometry in a room focuses sound as it is reflect-
ed off these surfaces. This is not desirable in the worship
because it creates uneven areas of high and low sound in-
tensities. For this reason, sound diffusing articulation was
used in the platform area to reduce sound focusing from the
concave geometry of the enclosure.
pulpit from seating area

5. To maximize reverberation within the worship space where

the volume was limited, marble was used throughout the
floor area.
6. The sanctuary expansion pushed the building much closer
to the highway. Noise and vibration control for traffic noise
RRUSODQ

119 | 120
longitudinal section
RRUSODQ Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

GREENLAND HILLS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Glory Be Hall | Howard Pelton

121 | 122
Acoustonica, LLC 60 4.0
Oglesby Greene
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

917 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
300 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$1,030,000
2011 30 2.0
Dallas, TX, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
United Methodist Church 10
0.5
Chapel
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

A building addition of 4,900 square feet was added to the

existing 1948 limestone church and educational building
structure. It was occupied in February of 2011. This $1,030,000
addition included the following spaces:
R5 1,800-square-foot multipurpose room, 60' 30' 18', with a
full glasswall to take advantage of the view of the large trees
on the property. A moveable wall was included at a 1/3 point
to provide flexibility in utilization of the room.
R5 Four pre-school classrooms, 20'20'10', for a certified pre-
school and Sunday childrens spaces.
spaces. They can easily carry on a conversation and also clearly
hear talkers from the overhead sound system speaker array.
The space was designed to support handbell ensemble, classical en-
semble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g.,
guitar, drums) music. The audio systems designer was Acoustonica,
LLC. Sound is typically amplified during functions. The reverber-
ation time data were measured in the unoccupied space. The back-
ground noise level data were measured in the unoccupied space. The
mechanical system includes rooftop units serving the space. A noise
rating of NC-25 was calculated for the unoccupied space.

R5 Large corridor between the classrooms and multipurpose

room, 50' 10'12'.

R5 New entry foyer and reception/secretary space and Pre-school

Directors office, about 900 square feet.

R5 Mechanical and restroom areas between corridor and

multipurpose room.
The multipurpose room or Glory Be Hall (GBH) is the main
interior | Howard Pelton

focus of the addition, intended to provide an acoustically pleas-

ant space, with good intelligibility for a variety of programs
throughout the year. These include musical events of many types,
meeting rooms, classrooms, receptions of various types, and
church-wide sit down meals. The 18-foot, NRC 0.85 lay-in ceil-
ing provides a very spacious feeling, along with an open feeling
to the outside of the large glass south wall. Visually, it provides a
serene feeling to the space. The photos show the acoustical wall
treatment which is a stretch wall built in place. There is a rich
wood grain coating that extends up to about 8 feet and provides
good sound conditioning as well as flutter echo control. This
treatment is located on the north wall opposite the glass wall.
There is an acoustical panel on the back wall of the space and
exterior view | Walid Tikriti

opposite the front wall with a full-height limestone fireplace.

There are many closets for storage of tables, chairs, and a state of
the art sound system. The speakers are located in the ceiling and
can be used for the full open room, or individual divided spaces.
The measured T60 is 0.95 seconds, providing a comfortable space
for the variety of programs. Church members speak highly of the
longitudinal section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

J U D E A R E F O R M C O N G R E G AT I O N

T he congregation wanted a space that was not lively, where

speech could clearly be heard, and where singing was rein-
forced. Based on discussions with them, the design goal was set
to achieve a mid-frequency reverberation time (RT) of 1.21.3
seconds when two-thirds occupied. As a result of working with
the architect, sound absorption is concealed in a slat wood ceil-
ing system around the perimeter. The pews are cushioned and
the floor is carpeted. Some wall panels were recommended but
not installed. Therefore, the RT is estimated from empty room
measurements to be around 1.4 seconds when two-thirds occu-
pied. Speech is still very clear, but low occupancy conditions are
reverberant. The mid-frequency measured empty reverberation
time is 1.7 seconds, while the fully occupied condition is 1.3
seconds at mid-frequencies.
The HVAC system had a short return path with the inlet in a
poor location. This was reconfigured to increase the path length
and relocate the inlet. The system is acceptable with an NC 29
exterior view

rating. However, the contribution due to outdoor noise is sur-

prisingly NC 25, probably due to the windows and exposed roof
system. The space is not located adjacent to any major noise
sources. Without this sound from outside, the resulting HVAC
noise level would be NC 26, controlled by air device noise.
The architecture is quite interesting. The roof has a changing
pitch with a shallower slope at the wide end and steeper slope
at the narrow end. The room has a slightly concave front wall,
which is not a problem for where the typical sources are. A lot
of wood and windows are used to create a truly interesting place.
The sound system is a distributed system, making speech intel-
ligibility clear.
The space was designed to support choir, piano, and instru-
mental music. The audio systems designer was Custom Light
and Sound. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified
during services. The reverberation time data were measured in
the unoccupied space. The background noise level data were
view towards ceiling

measured in the unoccupied space with the HVAC system on.

123 | 124
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60 4.0
Richard A. Gurlitz Architects
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

3,038 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
350 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$3,000,000
2003 30 2.0
Durham, NC, USA 1.5
20
Judaism 1.0
Reform 10
0.5
Synagogue
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
view towards Bimah
RRUSODQ

125 | 126
longitudinal section
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

N O R T H E R N L I G H T S C A T H E D R A L O F A LT A
1 2

4 5 6

127 | 128
Kahle Acoustics, Akukon Oy, and Sinus AS
Schmidt/Hammer/Lassen Architects + Link Arkitektur A/S
4,300 m3
350
New construction
$19,300,121
2013
Alta, Norway
Christianity: Protestant
Lutheran
Church
I n Alta, Finnmark County of Norway, 500 kilometers north of the
Arctic Circle, a new building opened in February 2013 to officially
replace the old nineteenth century church, The Nordlyskatedralen. It is
Norways only official cathedral.
As a whole, this construction is ethereal and vaporous. It offers the Arctic
winter periods natural phenomenon, the Aurora Borealis, a support to
blossom out.
With a 47-meter height crowned by a belfry at its top, the overall struc-
ture is clad in small titanium patch thatching. Its interior is made of raw
concrete walls, wooden floors, wooden panels and wooden ceilings. This
scandinavian sculptural outcome is a keystone to the area and its people.
In addition to church services, the building will act as a key music venue
for organ concerts, choirs, jazz, world and chamber music.
Along the 350-seat nave, are distributed a vestry, a caf, a lecture hall,
church offices and a youth centre.
Spread along a 10-year period, the design and construction of the curves
and the sloping concrete walls have been very challenging both creatively
and technically.
The architectural spiral shape leads to a natural distinction between an
inner room surrounded on most sides by an additional buffer volume.
The acoustic concept is the logical extension of this. It combines the vi-
sual and acoustic intimacy of the smaller inner space with the possibili-
ty of a somewhat larger and reverberant, more open sounding coupled,
acoustic volume.
One major geometric element of the Nordlyskatedralen is that most
walls are concavely curved.The sound might tend to uneven distribution,
with focusing into small zones and eventually disturb speakers, musicians
and audience with strong fluttering echoes and some frequencies being
more amplified than others.
To obtain a sensitive balance between all these mechanisms and to ben-
efit from the concave surface whilst avoiding possible disturbing faults,
Kahle Acoustics opted for the naves rear wall to be flattened out, and for
long vertical coryan staves laid out on the concrete walls, breaking up the
sound waves and lighting up the space.
Other key elements to pay attention to in order to get succesful acoustics
are the size, the location, the radius of surfacess curvatures, as well as the
relative position of audience, speakers and musicians. What also plays an
60
4.0
Background Noise: N/A
3.5
50
3.0
Reverberation Time (s)
40
2.5
30
2.0
1.5
20
1.0
10
0.5
0
0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
important role are the materials and the overall surface roughness.
For a higher degree of acoustic clarity, meaning speech intelligibility and
good musical presence, the need for lateral reflections and solid angle
versus surface area was also considered. The design was optimised by
downkickers or surfaces reflecting the sound back down towards the
floor. Kahle Acoustics worked with the architects to integrate acoustic
reflectors with an appropriate inclination and a combination of both hor-
izontal and vertical surfaces into the architecture.
As the architects wanted devices to be as invisible as possible, 24 moto-
rised acoustic curtains were hidden in the ceiling space above the wooden
slats and 6 in the side volumes, allowing the reverberation to be adapted
as required.
Even though ideal acoustics does not exist and will always rely on the
type of music performed and musicians artistic tastes, the Nordlyskate-
dralen proves to be an acoustic success.
With its ample reverberation possibilities along a considerable span of
acoustic variability, the objective of promoting a wide range of music
events is met both for concerts and recordings. There are no fluttering
echo effects from the curved geometry at any time. The acoustic condi-
tions on stage were also judged to be very good.
In the Nordlyskatedralen, curtain settings will be adapted over time
through collecting musicians and audiences experiences. There will al-
ways be room for improvement. But for the time being, the challenge of
a pan-curved geometry has been won.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano, harpsi-
chord, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds), jazz, world,
and chamber music. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified
during services. The reverberation time data were measured in the unoc-
cupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. ice sculptures lining the en-
try walkway pulpit | Hundven-Clements; 2. entering the 47-m
height church | Hundven-Clements; 3. dynamic sculptural ex-
terior and landscape | Schmidt/Hammer/Lassen; 4. close-up on
the structure clad in titanium thatching | Hundven-Clements;
5. nave with perforated concrete wall and wooded ceiling | Kah-
le Acoustics; 6. the nordlyskatedralen, a single element | Hun-
dven-Clements.
 RRUSODQYLHZIURPVHFRQGRRU_6FKPLGW+DPPHU/DVVHQ

129 | 130
section | Schmidt/Hammer/Lassen
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

REINANZAKA CHURCH
1 2

3 4 5

131 | 132
Nagata Acoustics, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25-30
W.M. Vories & Company Architects Ichiryusha
3.5
3,500 m3 50

350 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$7,803,440
1985 30

2.0
Tokyo, Japan 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

The United Church of Christ in Japan 10

0.5
Meeting House
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he present Reinanzaka Church was built in 1985 as the

reconstruction of the original church as part of the redevel-
opment plan of Akasaka-Roppongi area called ARK HILLS
The audio systems designer was Nagata Acoustics, Inc. Sound
is typically amplified during services. The reverberation time
data were measured in the unoccupied space. The background
in Tokyo. The new chapel has dimensions of 16.5 m width, 20 m noise level data were measured for the unoccupied space with
depth and 14 m height which has the image of the former chap- the HVAC system on. The noise ratings were calculated for the
el. The chapel has 350 seats. The former chapel had a consider- unoccupied space.
ably short reverberation time compared with other churches in Left hand page image captions: 1. rear view; 2. front view; 3.
Japan and Europe. The chapel had been highly appreciated by GRC panel with short slit of ceiling; 4. perforated brick of rear
the church community for its unique acoustics with reverber- wall; 5. perforated panel of rear wall of main floor.
ation times of lower frequencies shorter than the reverberation
times of mid-range and high frequencies.
Our acoustical design goal of the new chapel was to reproduce
the unique acoustics of the former chapel while creating the
rich sound quality for pipe organ music, two opposite acoustical
characteristics required for a single space.
The key aspects of the acoustical design were as follows:
Although a longer reverberation time was intended, consider-
ing the good speech intelligibility of the former chapel, the re-
verberation time was aimed at about 1.6-1.8 seconds (occupied).
In addition, in order to decrease the difference in the rever-
beration times between when the chapel is unoccupied and oc-
cupied, the wooden seats adopted are upholstered with cushions
only on the seat and front of the seat-back.
In order to heighten the performance of the pipe organ music,
the reverberation time of the chapel was set up to be longer in
the low frequencies compared with mid-high frequencies, with-
out disturbing the good speech intelligibility.
Considering the adjustment of the reverberation time after the
construction, we designed the sound absorbing structure of the
ceiling GRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) panel with short
slits to adjust the reverberation characteristics by covering and
uncovering the slits behind the panel.
wooden seat with cushion

To achieve good speech intelligibility by the sound system in

the space with a relatively long reverberation, the sound system
was improved substantially compared with the former chapel.
The noise level in the chapel was suppressed as low as possible.
The space was designed to support choir and pipe organ music.
 main level plan

133 | 134
longitudinal section
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

SOMERS CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

S omers Congregational Church was gathered on March 15,

1727, and called its first pastor later that same year. The
declaration of American independence and Revolutionary War
have been from an earlier organ, perhaps dating back to the
mid-nineteenth century. A larger Casavant pipe organ was in-
stalled in 1970, displacing the previous instrument.
were still more than a half-century away. In 1842 the congre- On the 1st of January 2012, the 170-year-old meeting house was
gation built its third meeting house in the Georgian style with destroyed by fire. The congregation rallied and formed building
a steeple but no spire. In the tradition of the churchs Puritan and organ committees to replace the lost meeting house with a
forebears, the meeting house (sanctuary) interior did not have a new church in similar style and appearance, but brought up to
separate chancel or altar, only a simple platform at one end, in code, and to be constructed with modern fire-resistant materials.
the center of which stood a tall pulpit.
The new sanctuary is optimized for music and congregational
The interior of the church was given a sleek, shallow, curved- participation in a traditional Protestant liturgy. A speech-re-
vault ceiling and other moderne details in a 1920s renovation, inforcement sound system is essential for intelligibility of the
and a formal chancel was later grafted onto the sanctuary, re- spoken word. In this sense, the acoustics are well balanced, with
placing the original pulpit and platform. In spite of these chang- neither music nor speech favored to the detriment of the other.
es, the original New England meeting house character of the
building remained firmly intact. Acoustical goals included power and clarity of choir, organ and
instrumental music, strong early sound to support congrega-
A small Austin pipe organ was installed in the rear balcony in tional singing and responsive readings, a pleasing sense of re-
the 1920s, inside a decorative wooden case which appears to verberance (where the eye and ear are in agreement), full-range
frequency response to provide warmth and envelopment, and of
course intelligible speech. Acoustician, architect and pipe organ
builder all contributed to the sound of the new meeting house.
Room shaping was determined almost entirely by the congre-
gations desire to rebuild their church as much like the former
chancel and nave from rear balcony | Clayton Accoustics Group

meeting house as possible, including the original footprint and

roof height. Fortunately, it is a design tested and proven over the
centuries. Some interior changes were necessitated by modern
code and accessibility requirements. Other changes were adopt-
ed to improve musical acoustics, such as 2-inch wall and ceiling
plaster in place of thinner original material, solid masonry bal-
cony walls around the choir and organ loft, and a new ceiling de-
sign incorporating coffers, moldings of varying sizes and depths,
with a raised center vault along the main axis of the sanctuary.
Carpet is limited to the center aisle. Pew cushions are used on
the main floor, but not in the balcony.
A low-velocity HVAC system with remote mechanical room
was provided for the sanctuary.
Traffic noise from the busy street just outside the front doors is
effectively isolated from the worship space by double-wall con-
135 | 136
Clayton Acoustics Group 60 4.0
Clohessy Harris & Kaiser, LLC
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

1,897 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
354 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$5,900,000
2014 30 2.0
Somers, CT, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
United Church of Christ 10
0.5
Meeting House
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

struction: the exterior walls with metal studs and sprayed ther-
1
mal insulation, airspace, and the interior walls with metal studs,
thick plaster and glass-fiber batt insulation. The operable dou-
ble-hung windows have 2-3/4-inch wood sashes holding 1-1/4-
inch insulated glass (monolithic exterior & laminated interior)
plus leaded stained glass panels at the interior.

balcony and nave from chancel

A hands-free speech-reinforcement sound system with DSP au-
to-mixing and signal processing, passive-steered column loud-
speakers, and an FM hearing-enhancement system is installed
in the sanctuary.
The fourth meeting house of Somers Congregational Church
was completed in time for Easter services in April 2014. Instal-
lation of the new Richards, Fowkes & Co. mechanical-action
pipe organ in the rear-balcony choir loft began in May and voic-
2
ing of pipework was finished in July 2014.
The project also included a ground-floor multipurpose social
hall, prepared to receive an audio-visual system in the future.
Meeting rooms, offices, storage space and mechanical rooms oc-
cupy a new connector building between the church and existing
VKH\HYLHZIURPOHIWEDOFRQ\

structures.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano,
harpsichord, handbell ensemble, and classical ensemble (e.g.,
strings, horns, woodwinds) music. The audio systems designers
were Clayton Acoustics Group and Altel Systems, Inc. Sound
is typically both amplified and unamplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The background noise level data were measured in the unoccu-
pied space with the HVAC system on. 3

Right hand page photo credits as follows: 1. Clayton Acoustics

Group; 2. Clayton Acoustics Group; 3. Somers Congretional
third meeting house burns in 2012

Church.
longitudinal section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. M A R K T H E E VA N G E L I S T R O M A N C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
1 2

4 5

137 | 138
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-30
KP Studio Architects, P.A.
3.5
9,220 m3 50

490 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$6,600,000
2010 30

2.0
6XPPHUHOG)/86$ 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S t. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Summerfield,
Florida built a larger sanctuary seating approximately 1,600
to accommodate both a rapidly growing congregation and an
electronic organ. The room volume expands into a 46-foot-high
ceiling in the central nave that has two side wings with lower
ceilings on both sides of the main seating area. The choir and
instrumentalists are located on a balcony at the rear of the room
that also includes space for an electronic organ. The primary
acoustical challenges in the design were to provide a perception
of natural acoustical propagation of sounds in the room through
the sound reinforcement system, to maintain high levels of clar-
ity of the spoken word in a relatively reverberant room, and to
control noise and vibration from the many air handling units lo-
cated very closely to the sanctuary. This design was further com-
plicated by the three separate acoustical volumes present in the
room: (1) the main central nave with a high ceiling; (2) and (3)
are the lower ceiling areas on the sides of the main nave located
under the sloped ceilings.
The primary acoustical design concepts are described below:
R5 The effective acoustical volume of the room was maximized
to the extent possible to maintain a reverberation time of
approximately 1.5 seconds when fully occupied.
R5 Large areas of sound absorbent materials are located on the
tall rear walls to reduce echoes from these surfaces.
R5 The upper wall area above the altar is also covered with
sound absorbent material because it is the rear wall for
sounds produced by the choir and instrumentalists on the
balcony at the rear of the church propagating from the rear
to the front of the church.
R5 The wall surfaces around the choir are shaped in subtle ways
to provide diffuse sound reflections to the congregation
from the antiphonal choir and organ as well and to assist in
allowing the choir members to hear each other.
R5 An alternating pattern of sound diffusing and absorbing
materials are used on the clerestory walls to control rever-
beration and reduce flutter echoes between the long, parallel
upper wall areas.
R5
R5
The floor of the room is tile to maximize reverberation.
The ceilings over the congregational seating areas are sound
reflective to maintain a lively congregational response when
the congregation sings and prays.
R5 Noise and vibration control for the 12 air handling units
used in the HVAC system was undertaken with severe lim-
itations on available area to obtain adequate duct lengths
and sizes to maintain NC 25 conditions in the room.
R5 The sound reinforcement system was designed to provide
even coverage of all seating locations in the three distinct
acoustical volumes in the room and localization of the
sound source for sounds produced by the priest, lay readers
and cantor located on the altar platform at the front of the
church as well as for musical sounds made by the choir and
instrumentalists located at the rear of the church. This re-
quired that time delays for the loudspeakers were able to be
programmed for sounds propagating from the front of the
room to the rear as well as for sounds that propagate from
the rear of the room to the front.
R5 There is an array of loudspeakers located on a truss over
the front of the balcony at the rear of the room to provide
localization of musical sounds as propagating from the rear
of the room.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/
keyboards, piano, and classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns,
woodwinds) music. The audio systems designer was Siebein As-
sociates, Inc. Sound is typically amplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. congregation seating area; 2.
sound absorbing and diffusing panels on side wall; 3. sound ab-
sorbing and diffusing panels on rear wall; 4. side wall shaping; 5.
rear wall shaping. All photos credited to Siebein Associates, Inc.
RRUSODQ

139 | 140
longitudinal section
section view showing loudspeaker placement
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. M I C H A E L S E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H

chancel from rear nave

141 | 142
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60 4.0
K. Daryl Carrington, Architect
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

3,936 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
350 3.0
Renovation 40
2.5
$2,000,000
2003 30 2.0
Raleigh, NC, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Anglican 1.0
Episcopal 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he church was in need of new finishes, a new HVAC sys-

tem, and needed to replace its aged sound system. Stew-
art Acoustical Consultants investigated the room acoustics and
tuned and delayed to match the sound spectrum provided by
the front speaker element and the natural sound coming from
the chancel area.
HVAC noise issues and F. C. Schafer Consulting provided a The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, and piano
new sound system design. music. The audio systems designer was F.C. Schafer Consulting,
The space has a traditional worship style. The existing mid-fre- LLC. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified during
quency RT was 2.53.0 seconds empty, and 1.41.5 seconds ful- services. The reverberation time data were measured in the un-
ly occupied. At two-thirds full it was in a desirable range around occupied space. The background noise level data were measured
1.7 seconds. The only carpet was in the chancel and there were in the unoccupied space.
no pew cushions. The HVAC noise was NC 35 near the front
and NC 30 near the back. The fan was located in a room under
the organ chamber at the left front. Sound was leaking out of
this room through poor seals on a door directly into the sanctu-
ary. It was discovered that another door between the mechanical
room and organ chamber was regularly left open giving another
path of sound leakage.
Initial recommendations included fixing the HVAC isolation
items and adding pew cushions or carpet under the seats as well
as some other options to reduce the variation in the reverbera-
tion. The church replaced the HVAC system without noise anal-
side chapel from rear nave

ysis.
The church opted to put carpet in the aisles and added pew
cushions on the seat bottoms. This resulted in a deader space
with significantly less variation. The HVAC system was replaced
with a higher capacity system without noise analysis. The result-
ing HVAC noise was initially much worse as the large fan was
blowing much more air through the same diffusers and the door
to the organ chamber was still open. Some limited modifications
were done to the diffusers, but the noise in the space still aver-
ages NC 34.
The existing sound system was not meeting the needs of the con-
gregation so a new system was recommended. The new system
design provided increased high frequency control to minimize
reflections of amplified sound from the rear wall of the sanctuary.
nave seen from chancel

This was accomplished using a second speaker element located

approximately 1/3 of the way toward the rear of the congrega-
tion which receives a signal that is delayed so it arrives slightly
behind the sound emanating from the front speaker element. A
small side chapel seating area utilizes ceiling speakers that are
RRUSODQ

143 | 144
section view showing loudspeaker placement
W O R S H I P S PAC E S
501750 S E AT S
St. Dominic Chapel
longitudinal section | RBK Architects
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
T he First United Methodist Church is located in an historic
building in the middle of downtown Sarasota, Florida. The
sanctuary was renovated to accommodate a growing congrega-
Sounds from the organ that was recessed in a niche behind the
choir did not project into the room effectively. The room had a
mid-frequency reverberation time of 1.21.4 seconds that was
tion and to improve the natural acoustical qualities of the space, increased to 1.61.8 seconds when half occupied. The primary
particularly for natural acoustic propagation of liturgical music. acoustical design concepts are described below.
A custom-designed coffered ceiling and choir enclosure with R5
details to match the historic character of the room were designed
to reflect and diffuse natural acoustic sound from the platform
to the congregation as well as to direct sound reflections across
the room so choir members could hear each other. The room is
also used for natural acoustical music performances by choral
groups, musical ensembles of various types and orchestra.
The primary acoustical challenge in the design was to provide
a rich, textured, natural acoustical environment to support the
natural acoustic propagation of the spoken word and liturgical
music. The existing environment was perceived as too dry and R5
choir members stated that they could not hear each other well.
R5
R5
R5
R5
R5
exterior view
R5
147 | 148
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
The existing sound absorbent ceiling was removed and a
new ceiling with deep coffers filled with curved sound dif-
fusing panels was built in its place. The diffusing panels are
shaped to allow for cross-room reflections in the choir area
so choir members can hear each other. They are designed to
provide overhead reflections from the front and the sides
of the room in the congregational seating area to provide a
rich, textured sound field in the room and a series of early
sound reflections to create perceptions of clarity, intimacy
and envelopment.
The platform was expanded and moved into the congrega-
tional seating area to make an intimate and direct connec-
tion between the minister, readers and choir on the platform
and the congregation.
A fully enclosed storage space was built behind the new
choir location and covered with an acoustical lid to reduce
the loss of reverberant sound into this previously open space.
The shaped ceiling and the enclosed storage space allowed
the rich sounds of the organ pipes to propagate into the
main volume of the room.
A custom-designed sound diffusing shell was constructed
to form an acoustical enclosure for the choir in their new
location in the main acoustical volume of the room.
Similar elements will be built on the face of the balcony as
funds become available.
Almost every surface in the room was made sound-reflective
to maintain as much controlled reverberation as possible in
the limited room volume.
Wall and ceiling surfaces are shaped in subtle ways to diffuse
sound reflections to the congregation from the choir, plat-
form and organ.
Shaped sound diffusing elements were designed for the rear
Siebien Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-37
RBK Architects
3.5
6,258 m3 50

720 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$1,400,000
2011 30

2.0
Sarasota, FL, USA 1.5
20

1.0
Christianity: Protestant
United Methodist Church
10

0.5
Church 0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

wall at the upper and lower levels.

R5 The floor of the room is tile with carpeted aisles to maxi-
mize reverberation.
R5 Enhancements to the sound system are desirable to imple-
ment in the future to fully develop the acoustical potential
of the room.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano,
handbell ensemble, and classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns,
woodwinds). The audio systems designer was Siebein Associ-
choir platform

ates, Inc. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified

during services. The reverberation time data were measured in
the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calculated for the
unoccupied space. All photos credited to Siebein Associates, Inc.
congregation seating area from platform
shaped ceiling from balcony
RRUSODQ

149 | 150
longitudinal section
cross section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

G RA C E AT F O RT C L A R K E
1 2

4 5 6

121 l 122
151 | 152
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-36
Brame Architects
3.5
4,672 m3 50

622 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$2,848,000
2004 30

2.0
Gainesville, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

United Methodist Church 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Grace United Methodist Church in Gainesville, Flor-

ida is a medium-sized sanctuary that is used for both tra-
ditional and contemporary services with a seating capacity of
approximately 650. The existing sanctuary could not handle
either the increasing size of the congregation or the contem-
porary services that were being added to nurture a growing,
younger group within the congregation. The project provid-
ed the opportunity to explore and model some of the unique
acoustical challenges of combining traditional, natural acoustic
worship and largely amplified contemporary services.
The ceiling height of the room is only 40 feet which was not
adequate to support the natural reverberation required for the
traditional services with a closed ceiling. Therefore, it was es-
sential to maximize natural acoustic reverberation to the extent
possible within the constraints of the project budget. Extensive
computer model studies were conducted to optimize the acous-
tical response of the room and sound system for the dual wor-
ship styles. Major design features include:
R5 The room has a stepped angled ceiling where each plane
was designed to cast early sound reflections from the pastor,
lay readers and choir to the congregation in an overlapping
pattern. This results in more sound reflections arriving at the
rear of the congregational seating area to increase the loud-
ness of sounds there where the direct sound is the weakest.
These reflections increase loudness, clarity and intimacy for
natural acoustic propagation of the spoken word and tradi-
tional liturgical music throughout the room.
R5 The reflective ceiling also provides ceiling reflections when
the congregation sings and prays to naturally enhance these
sounds.
R5 The ceiling is one continuous sound isolation membrane,
designed to reduce rain noise sounds as well as noise from
a large number of fan-powered variable air volume (VAV)
boxes located above the ceiling.
R5 The room is hexagonal in plan with the platform located
across one of the ends.
R5 The side walls on the platform side of the room and the
wall behind the platform are sound-reflective to assist in
propagating sound reflections from the platform to the
congregational seating area.
R5 The rear wall and the side walls that are located away from
the platform are covered with sound absorbing materials to
reduce long-delayed reflections from these surfaces from
natural acoustic and amplified sources.
R5 The large expanse of windows separating the Cry Room and
other areas from the Sanctuary are angled within the wall
thickness to scatter sounds that strike them to avoid echoes
from these surfaces.
R5 Acoustic treatment is provided in the choir area to project
choir sounds to the congregation and to allow choir mem-
bers to hear each other.
R5 A full featured, distributed sound system with narrow dis-
persion loudspeakers, subwoofers and digital snakes was
used to cover the seating area with uniform levels of rein-
forced sound and to provide the flexibility needed for both
contemporary and traditional services.
R5 Noise and vibration control was designed for the HVAC
system to provide a quiet, contemplative environment for
worship and prayer.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/
keyboards, piano, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g.,
strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. The audio systems designer was Siebein Asso-
ciates, Inc. Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified
during services. The reverberation time data were measured in
the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calculated for the
unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. platform and congregation
seating areas; 2. congregation seating area from choir platform;
3. sanctuary; 4. sanctuary seating; 5. interior; 6. exterior view. All
photos credited to Siebein Associates, Inc.
 RRUSODQ

153 | 154
cross section

MOVEMENT CENTER
T he Movement Center is a community of yoga practitioners
dedicated to growing spiritually through the practice of
Kundalini, a form of yoga. The Movement Center is nonde-
nominational. The Centers approach to spirituality emphasizes
working directly with the universal creative energy that tran-
scends any religious identity. The Center also teaches ritual
practices from both Tantric Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism.
The Movement Center was established by Swami Chetananan-
da in Indiana in 1971, at the direction of his guru, Swami
Rudrananda (Rudi), and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts,
in 1982. In 1993, the former Mann Home in Northeast Port-
land, Oregon became its new home. In Portland, for the first
time since its inception, the Center has enough space to house
its residents under one roof and enough land to build a medita-
tion hall large enough to accommodate all residents, local mem-
bers, and out-of-town students who come for meditation prac-
tice retreats. In addition, the Portland ashram includes beautiful
Hatha Yoga studio spaces and a classroom.
The former Mann House, listed in the National Register of His-
toric Places, was built in an area of Portland called Laurelhurst.
Laurelhurst was designed by the firm Olmsted Brothers. Spe-
cific sections within Laurelhurst were set aside for development
other than residential housing. The Mann House was one such
section and was first intended to be a refuge for women and
then ultimately an elder home. The original Mann House was
designed by Whitehouse & Foulhaux to offer the feeling of a
155 | 156
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
warm embrace for all who entered its doors.
The Movement Center community has lived and worked to-
gether for over 40 years, seeking to create an environment that
is tolerant and flexible, appreciating human diversity in every
single way, without losing its focus on spiritual development.
The community includes people of all ages and from a variety
of professions, cultural backgrounds, and interests. Since the
Movement Center welcomes and embraces anyone who is sin-
cerely interested in exploring his or her highest potential, the
design intent of the Mann house was symbiotic to the beliefs of
the Movement Center.
When the Mann House was chosen by the Movement Center
the main building was returned to its original architectural goal
to offer the feeling of a warm embrace. All that remained was
creating a large and beautiful meditation hall with a lower yoga/
classroom floor. The meditation hall design needed to not only
honor the original architecture but also allow for the full spec-
trum of activities. This includes not only daily meditation but
other programs such as daily chanting, monthly Kirtans, guest
speakers, and sacred music performances. The design of Sam Yo-
der resulted in an elegant blend of old and new.
The design of the meditation hall accomplished its aesthetic
goals, but the acoustic portion was challenging. The Movement
Center necessitated an acoustical requirement that the medita-
tion room needed to reach a state of quietude, during its regu-
lar, as well as open eye, meditation. Additionally, the Movement
SoundSense, LLC 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Whitehouse & Fouilhoux
3.5
2,464 m3 50

600 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Adaptive reuse 40

2.5
$1,500,000
1993 30

2.0
Portland, OR, USA 1.5
20

Hinduism 1.0
Kashmir Shaivism 10

0.5
Meditation/Teaching Hall
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

Center has within its membership extremely talented, some tended for chanting. Sound is typically both amplified and
classically trained, musicians that enhance these various activi- unamplified during services. The reverberation time data were
ties. These musicians felt the space should be designed to honor calculated for the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were cal-
the pure tones provided by their remarkable talents and train- culated for the unoccupied space.
ing. Finally, classes in spirituality given by the Swami placed a Left hand page image caption: exterior view. Floor plans cred-
requirement for the meditation hall to have acceptable speech ited to Sam Yoder.
intelligibility. The Center clearly defined its acoustic goals to
address both the environment within the space to provide an
atmosphere that was both quiet and uninterrupted by outside
noise, but also an atmosphere that would promote speech intel-
ligibility, enhance music, and allow practitioners to concentrate.
The first goal of quietude was challenging, since one wall of
the Movement Center meditation hall was in proximity to a
highway. The beautiful landscaping on the property helped to
increase the absorption properties of the ground. Additionally,
the windows to the meditation hall that faced the main acoustic
path of the potentially disturbing exterior noise each received a
custom panel insert that significantly increased the STC of the
window.
PHGLWDWLRQKDOORRUSODQ

The second goal to correct reverberation time was the original

concern of the ashram that had brought Dr. Bonnie Schnitta of
SoundSense into the project. The initial work was simple and
the improved reverberation time was accomplished by adding
Paradise Foam behind the various Thankas on the wall to bring
the reverberation time to within the preferred 2 seconds. When
the location of the platform where the swami sat during med-
itation and teachings was changed, then a problem arose. The
swami had been located under a peaked section of the ceiling.
Lumitex was draped in a manner to negate the acoustic reflec-
tions that had wave interactions inclusive of phase cancellation.
This in turn resulted in improved speech intelligibility.
Once the acoustic criteria were met, the Center was able to pro-
meditation hall east elevation

vide a Meditation Hall that could be utilized to enhance the

personal and communal experience through words, music, and
mediation. The feeling of 3D sound will be true for the young
and old alike. Presently, the music gives a smooth blend of bright
clear sound and reverberation.
The space was designed to support guitar and instruments in-
RRUSODQ
O U R L A DY O F LO U R D E S C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
T he worship space was dedicated in 1973, serving the
parish and school. The sound system was not intel-
ligible and there was a concern about the room acoustics
contributing to the problem at this Catholic Church with
modern architecture but a traditional worship style. The
room acoustics and sound system were evaluated, with
recommendations for to each.
The great distance from end to end and an overhead
walkway dividing the room were major concerns. The two
corners where the front and rear walls meet create very
audible long-delayed reflections if sound is directed to-
wards them. One could stand under the walkway and set
up strong echo patterns simply by clapping hands at the
right tempo. The existing sound system configuration
which aimed speakers horizontally and towards one of
these endswas blurring speech beyond the walkway
and very badly under it. An echo would probably have
been heard on the other end if these speakers were a little
louder.
157 | 158
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
Reverberation time was measured at several locations
due to the odd geometry. Material properties were ad-
justed in the room acoustics analysis calculation so that
there was better agreement between measurements and
calculations. The variation in reverberation with occu-
pancy is strong due to hard pewsvarying from 2.75
seconds at mid-frequencies when empty, to 1.75 seconds
two-thirds full, to 1.5 seconds when fully occupied. Pew
cushions and a curtain at the walkway to reduce room
size for smaller services were suggested. Walls construct-
ed of 1/2" gypsum on 7/8" furring strongly absorb much
of the low-frequency sound giving the room poor bass
response. The chancel area with the high volume above
the altar is very lively, possibly affecting the sound sys-
tem performance, so that absorption in the area would be
desirable. While many corrective measures were explored,
the church decided to live with the room acoustics and
focus the available funds on upgrading the sound system.
The original sound system had speakers located on the
main chancel wall and the rear wall without signal de-
rear seating under entry walkway
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60 4.0
John D. Latimer & Associates, Inc.
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

5,233 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
530 3.0
Renovation 40
2.5
2002
Raleigh, NC, USA 30 2.0

1.5
Christianity: Catholic 20
Roman 1.0
Church 10
0.5

0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

lay processing. This was replaced with two asymmetrical

pattern speaker cabinets located forward of the chancel
area along with additional speakers over, under, and on
the rear side of the elevated entry walkway. Digital signal
processing provides appropriate signal delays and tuning
for each individual speaker unit.
The space was designed to support choir, piano, handbell
ensemble, dulcimer, and guitar music. The audio systems
designer was F.C. Schafer Consulting, LLC. Sound is
typically both amplified and unamplified during services.
The reverberation time data were measured in the unoc-
cupied space. The background noise level data were mea-
interior

sured in the unoccupied space with the HVAC system on.

sanctuary from entry walkway

XSSHURRUSODQ
interior
RRUSODQ

159 | 160
XSSHURRUSODQ
exterior elevation | Keefe Architects
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. D O M I N I C C H A P E L

R ealizing a decades-old dream for a large, self-standing

chapel, Providence College in February 2001 proudly ded-
icated St. Dominic Chapel, the campuss new worship space in
which the community comes together in worship and prayer.
The Chapel contains 20,000 square feet of space, including
the main sanctuary with seating for up to 600 worshipers, the
Campus Ministry Center on the lower level, and offices for the
Chaplain and the campus ministry. St. Dominic has created a
vital spiritual center for student ministry and community service
for all of Providence College. Cavanaugh Tocci was responsible
for room acoustics of the main sanctuary, noise and vibration
control of mechanical systems, and sound system design.
Extra layers of gypsum board were added to the walls of the
organ niche and to other specific parts of the church so that the
room would be able to sustain low-frequency energy for the new
organ. Pew cushions were recommended to provide consistent
holtkamp organ

reverberation between the occupied and unoccupied conditions,

but were decided against. Therefore, reverberation is a gener-
ous 3 seconds, (mid-frequency, unoccupied), due to very little
absorbing material in the space, but is significantly less during
well-attended services. St. Dominic has become an ideal place
for organ music school concerts.
Speech intelligibility in the space does not suffer in the rever-
berant environment, however. A main loudspeaker cluster con-
taining three horns and a subwoofer covers most of the central
audience area. Supplemental front-fill loudspeakers mounted
on the predella provide coverage to those seated in the for-
ward-most pews.
Other interesting features of St. Dominic Chapel include 45
original stained-glass windows by stained-glass artist Sylvia
Nicolas, and a custom-made, concert-quality pipe organ by
Holtkamp Organ Company.
All photos credited to Christopher A. Storch.
view toward entry

161 | 162
 Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
Keefe Associates
3.5
6,598 m3 50

600 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New Construction 40

2.5
$8,000,000
2001 30

2.0
Providence, RI, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Chapel
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
altar
RRUSODQ

163 | 164
east-west section
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. M A R G A R E T S C H A P E L

chapel interior

165 | 166
Nagata Acoustics, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
John Van Wie Bergamini
3.5
2,800 m3 50

600 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
1999
Tokyo, Japan 30

2.0

1.5
Christianity: Protestant 20

Non-denominational 1.0
Chapel 10

0.5

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S t. Margarets School is an all-girls high school located in the

quiet, upscale Tokyo suburb of Kugayama, in Suginami City.
The school is associated with St. Paul University, a well-known,
floor joists. We layered the gypsum board, putting between four
and eight layers under each oak floorboard, and we added ad-
ditional vertical supports between the substructure and the oak
Jesuit-founded university, also located in Tokyo. floorboards as well.
The schools St. Margarets Chapel was built around 80 years ago The space was designed to support pipe organ music. Sound is
and included a pipe organ. However, the pipe organ deteriorated typically amplified during services. The reverberation time data
over time. The school decided to replace it with a new pipe organ were measured in the unoccupied space.
and commissioned Taylor & Boodie, a U.S. organ builder locat-
ed in the state of Virginia, to build the new instrument. Taylor
& Boodie requested adjustments to the chapels room acoustics
so that the new organ would sound its best. The school asked
Nagata Acoustics to consult on the renovation project for this
purpose.
The framework of the chapel building and its floor are entire-
ly made of wood. Moreover, the area around the altar is wood
paneling. Upon investigation, we confirmed that the vibrations
of these wood elements were absorbing the low register sounds.
chapel interior seen from the altar

Because the pipe organ is installed at one side of the altar, we de-
termined that strengthening the walls and floor of the altar area
would be an effective strategy to improve the chapels acoustics.
We removed a piece of wall paneling from the altar area to learn
about the walls construction. We discovered that the panels
were made of oak, each approximately 40 cm (15.75 inches) in
width and approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches) thick. Each panel
was supported by a brace, and was kept in place by a narrow top
beam decorated with delicate carving.
Between the chapel buildings frame and the panels was space
filled with nothing but air. Therefore we devised a plan to fill in
the space between the structures frame and the paneling, as we
knew that this would stop the wall panels from vibrating and ab-
sorbing low register reverberation. We affixed numerous layers
of gypsum board to both the chapel frame and the frame-facing
sides of the oak paneling. Then we filled in the small remaining
crevices with a gypsum-based adhesive.
The original Chapel floor was made of oak boards supported by
joists. The substructure was Japanese-style wood joinery, with
exterior photo

the wood spaced at 40 cm intervals. To strengthen the floor, we

used adhesive and screws to affix 8 mm (0.3 inch) gypsum board
to the underside portions of the wood boards in between the
 main level plan

167 | 168
longitudinal section
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. M A R Y S C A T H O L I C C H U R C H

169 | 170
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-31
Shaw and Shanks Architects
3.5
8,206 m3 50

670 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$3,250,000
2000 30

2.0
Johnson City, TN, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S t. Marys Catholic Church is a very reverberant space with

a well-designed sound system to provide speech clarity. This
is an example of a church that sought limited guidance on the
their coverage pattern, they were located as close as possible to
the congregational seating.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano,
architectural acoustics, chose to make the room more reverber- and classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds) music.
ant than recommended, and put emphasis on the sound system. The audio systems designer was F.C. Schafer Consulting, LLC.
The acoustical consultant was told the church wanted a rever- Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified during ser-
berant room and asked to evaluate and comment on the room vices. The reverberation time data were calculated for the unoc-
acoustics of a proposed design. This initial design included cupied space. The noise ratings were measured for the unoccu-
cushioned pews but no other soft absorption in the room. The pied space.
expected reverberation was more than normally recommended Left hand page image caption: floor plan with loudspeaker lay-
by the consultant. Some added absorption was recommended out.
along with some guidance on the location and arrangement of
the music area. Analysis and control of the ventilation system
noise was excluded from the scope.
The church chose to initially keep the room more reverberant.
The extra absorption was not added and the cushions were de-
leted from the pews, though some upholstered chairs were add-
ed for extra capacity. After some experience, the congregation
asked the architect to deaden the room some and about half
the initially recommended absorption was installed. The acous-
tical consultant was asked to visit and evaluate the situation.
The complaints were that while the sound system provided clear
speech, listening was uncomfortable for many. Several options
for additional treatment were considered, but emphasis was in-
stead placed on further improvements to the sound system.
chancel

With a reverberation time significantly above 2 seconds it be-

came the responsibility of the sound system to provide intelli-
gible speech as well as reinforcement for musical instruments.
As an added challenge, it was requested that the sound system
interior view towards chancel from rear

impact the aesthetics of the openness of the post and beam truss
design as little as possible. Following exploration of a number of
options, it was agreed that the main sound would be provided
by an expanded cluster of speaker units that could provide sig-
nificant control across their operating spectrum. These speakers
provided coverage to the center seating and either side of the
near front seating. However, a significant amount of sound from
these speakers was blocked by the beam structure. The two sup-
port beams that course from one end of the sanctuary to the
other provided a location to hide small speakers. While broad in
 RRUSODQZLWKORXGVSHDNHUOD\RXW

171 | 172
RRUSODQ_%UDPH$UFKLWHFWV
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S T. P A T R I C K C A T H O L I C C H U R C H
1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

173 | 174
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-35
Brame Architects
3.5
5,380 m3 50

530 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$3,824,200
2009 30

2.0
Gainesville, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S t. Patricks Catholic Church in Gainesville, Florida built a new
and larger sanctuary seating 530 to accommodate a growing
congregation. The room occupies 3/4 of a Greek cross in plan with
the fourth arm of the cross being used for the sacristy and other support
spaces. The room volume expands into a 37-foot-high wood ceiling
with an articulate structure of exposed wood trusses above the con-
gregational seating area. The choir and instrumentalists are located
to one side of the altar platform. There is provision for a future electronic
organ to be used in the room. The primary acoustical challenges
in the design were to maintain one continuous acoustical volume
in the room given the nave and two transepts of the cross-shaped
plan by maximizing the ceiling heights in each area and by letting
the space flow freely between each leg, to maintain high levels
of clarity of the spoken word in a relatively reverberant room, to
integrate the design of the reinforced sound field with the natural
acoustic sound field in the room, and to control noise and vibration
from the air handling units located very closely to the sanctuary.
The primary acoustical design concepts are described below:
R5 The effective acoustical volume of the room was maximized
to the extent possible to maintain a reverberation time of
approximately 1.51.6 seconds when fully occupied and
1.81.9 seconds when partially occupied.
R5 Sound absorbent materials are located on the parts of the rear
walls of the nave and two transepts of the cruciform-shaped
plan that would create echoes from these surfaces.
R5 The glazing in the rear wall surfaces is splayed in plan within
the thickness of the wall to reduce delayed sound reflections
from these surfaces.
R5 The wall area behind the altar is covered with a sound re-
flective wood screen designed by the architect to assist in
projecting natural acoustic sounds to the congregational
seating area.
R5 The side wall surfaces and the walls around the choir are
shaped in a subtle splayed pattern to provide diffuse sound
reflections to the congregation from these surfaces as well
and to assist in allowing the choir members to hear each
other by scattered reflections from these surfaces.
R5
The floor of the room is stained concrete to maximize re-
verberation.
R5 The ceilings over the congregational seating areas are
sound-reflective wood to maintain a lively congregational
response when the congregation sings and prays.
R5 Noise and vibration control for the air handling units used
in the HVAC system was undertaken to acheive appropriate
background noise conditions in the room.
R5 The sound reinforcement system was designed to provide
even coverage of all seating locations in the room and lo-
calization of the sound source for sounds produced by the
priest, lay readers and cantor located on the altar platform
as well as for musical sounds made by the choir and in-
strumentalists located to the side of the altar. This required
that controlled dispersion loudspeakers were located to
project sound into the nave and two transepts of the cruci-
form-shaped room without exciting the reverberant field of
the upper room volume.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
boards, piano, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, wood-
winds), and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The audio
systems designer was Siebein Associates, Inc. Sound is typical-
ly amplified during services. The reverberation time data were
measured in the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calcu-
lated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. front of sanctuary; 2. con-
gregation seating area and pulpit; 3. exterior view; 4. choir plat-
form; 5. exterior view; 6. pulpit; 7. exterior view; 8. seating area
and pulpit; 9. back of sanctuary. All photos credited to Siebein
Associates, Inc.
RRUSODQ

175 | 176
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

T O K YO C H U R C H O F C H R I S T
1 2

4 5

177 | 178
Nagata Acoustics, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-30
Maki & Associates
3.5
3,800 m3 50

700 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$11,705,160
1995 30

2.0
Tokyo, Japan 1.5
20

Christianity: Restorationist Movement 1.0

International Churches of Christ 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T okyo Church of Christ was reconstructed in 1995 as part

of expansion project of Yamate road, one of the arterial
roads in Tokyo. The wide front wall by the altar is completely
in sound absorption. After the completion of the chapel, the re-
verberation time with the chapel unoccupied is also longer than
was planned at the beginning of the project.
covered by glass skin giving a bright and modern impression to The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
those who come to the church, while other parts of the interior boards, and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The audio
are finished by wood panels that provide warmth as the church systems designer was Nagata Acoustics, Inc. Sound is typical-
community requested at the beginning of the project. The mod- ly amplified during services. The reverberation time data were
ern space of the new chapel measures 23m width, 17m depth measured in the unoccupied space. The background noise level
and 10m height and accommodates about 700 people. data were measured for the unoccupied space with the HVAC
In our acoustical design of the chapel, insulating the traffic noise system on. The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied
from the arterial road close to the glass-covered wall and achiev- space.
ing the appropriate acoustics, focusing on the clearness of the Left hand page image captions: 1. front view; 2. rear wall of
sound, were two main subjects. main floor; 3. rear wall of balcony; 4. side wall; 5. rear view.
The key aspects of the acoustical design were as follows:
Under this limited site condition, the architectural design was to
plan the whole west side of the church to face the main road and
to make this wall the light wall behind the altar. Considering
the solar heat and traffic noise, the west wall was designed as
the structure of a double skin using glass. The space between the
outer and inner walls is about 990mm.
To adopt this structure, it was considered as noise control so that
road traffic noise transmitted into the chapel might be reduced
to about NC-30 to 35. Consequently, the actual road traffic
noise is NC-25 to 35.
In addition, the target value of HVAC noise was about NC-30,
and silencers were installed.
In the room acoustical design, to prevent undesirable echoes
and to reduce excessive reverberation, the wall opposite to the
altar was finished with a sound absorbing surface and the side
walls were arranged as sound diffusive surfaces or distributed
with sound absorbing material. Furthermore, since undesirable
echoes due to the ceiling configuration were expected and to
reduce the reverberation time differences due to varying occu-
pancies, seating with sound absorption was planned at the be-
stacking chairs

ginning of the project. However, in the end, the only sound ab-
sorbing surface is the wall opposite to the altar, and the seats of
the chairs are woven from the strips of hemp, which is deficient
 main level plan

179 | 180
longitudinal section
balcony plan view
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

UNIVERSITY CITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

2 3 4

181 | 182
Stewart Acoustical Consultants
Garner Brown Architects
7,781 m3
640
New construction
$7,100,000
2002
Charlotte, NC, USA
Christianity: Protestant
United Methodist Church
Church
U niversity City United Methodist Church in Charlotte,
NC, reaches out to its congregation with a choice of wor-
ship styles. The early service is traditional in style, while the
midmorning service ministers to those members who prefer a
Praise and Worship style. The late morning service is tailored
to those church members that enjoy a service that embraces a
contemporary style of worship. This diversity of worship styles
presents definite challenges for both the room acoustics and the
electro-acoustics.
The acoustical challenge involves making an initial decision as
to which part of the reverberation time scale should take pre-
cedence; traditional, blended or contemporary? The choice was
to aim at the midpoint. This allows the worship space to be live
enough to support congregational singing while not being too
live and discriminating against a contemporary worship style.
The option of having variable acoustics was removed from the
options available early in the design process due to budget con-
siderations.
Acoustical wall panels were carefully located to address key re-
flection concerns and to meet the reverberation time goals. One
key area of concern for reflections was sound reflecting from the
loudspeakers off the balcony face and arriving late in the front
seating area. Several concepts were considered for the balcony
face including making it sound absorptive, angling the balcony
face to redirect the energy, and making the face convex to scatter
the sound. It was decided to make the face convex. This elimi-
nated the strong reflection in the seating area. However, during
a field visit it was discovered that this permitted sound to scatter
onto the stage from the loudspeakers and focus somewhat where
the reflections from the multiple faces of the balcony crossed.
Stage monitors with early direct sound corrected this.
Recommendations were provided to address the HVAC noise.
The noise level was disappointing at RC 35. It is unclear if rec-
ommendations were properly implemented, and no opportunity
was provided to investigate. The initial impression was that the
air devices at the balcony face had excessive airflow.
The original sound system design involved three multi-cabinet
clusters each containing three speakers suspended to the left,
60 4.0
3.5
Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]
Reverberation Time (s) [square]
50
3.0
40
2.5
30 2.0
1.5
20
1.0
10
0.5
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
center and right above the forward area of the main chancel
platform. This Left, Center, Right configuration was found to
be problematic in coverage and control and was redesigned as an
exploded center cluster. This exploded cluster was configured as
a three-way system to allow for both level and time alignment
control of all the cluster elements to provide smooth coverage
throughout the entire congregational seating area.
Low frequency elements were alternated between the mid-high
elements to limit the vertical configuration of the speaker clus-
ter as much as possible. Control of the low frequency build-up
associated with this type of cluster was accomplished using a
low-frequency unit located just behind the main speaker array,
which was then time-aligned to create a cancellation of low-fre-
quency energy on the main chancel platform. On-site testing
revealed that a decrease of between 11 and 12dB of low-fre-
quency energy was achieved on the platform in relation to the
main seating area using this technique.
While the under balcony area is not significantly deep, the bal-
cony overhang does restrict direct sound emanating from the
central cluster array from reaching the rear-most seats. A series
of high quality, 8-inch cone speakers that provide a delayed sig-
nal from the sound console were located in the under balcony
ceiling surface to resolve this condition.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/
keyboards, piano, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g.,
strings, horns, woodwinds), modern band (e.g., guitar, drums),
and chimes. The audio systems designer was F.C. Schafer Con-
sulting, LLC. Sound is typically both amplified and unampli-
fied during services. The reverberation time data were calculated
for the unoccupied space. The background noise level data were
measured in the unoccupied space with the HVAC system on.
Left hand page image captions: 1. view from balcony above con-
trol console; 2. interior view from right side of balcony; 3. view
from choir; 4. congregational seating.
RRUSODQ

183 | 184
balcony plan view
RRUSODQ_&%7$UFKLWHFWV
V I N E YA R D C H R I S T I A N F E L LO W S H I P
T he Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Greater Boston had
outgrown its existing space, a rented gymnasium at an ele-
mentary school, and was looking to establish a permanent home.
In 2004, Vineyard purchased a church in Cambridge, MA from
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston: Our Lady of Pity
Church, designed by Charles Greco and dedicated in 1923. Our
Lady of Pity operated until the late 90s, when the Archdiocese
of Boston closed it due to financial hardship.
Vineyard hired Childs Bertman Tseckares (CBT) to develop
the architectural design for renovation and hired Acentech to
provide acoustical recommendations. The Cambridge Vineyard
uses amplified rock music as an integral part of its worship. It
was clear that the church sanctuary in its existing form would
not work well for Vineyards music ministry.
Acentech measured a mid-frequency reverberation time (RT) of
about 2.8 seconds in the sanctuary, longer than the 1.7 second
mid-frequency RT measured in the rented gymnasium. Acen-
tech recommended a 1-inch thick spray-on absorptive finish for
the vaulted ceiling of the sanctuary and advised CBT on the de-
sign of suspended panels that would provide helpful communi-
cating reflections for congregational singing. Glass fiber panels
with a sound-reflective finish were used as the reflector panels,
because structural concerns precluded the use of gypsum board
acoustical clouds | Acentech
185 | 186
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
or wood panels. Acentech also recommended wall absorption
in the Sanctuary and on stage, especially in the drum alcove.
Acoustic computer modeling was used to confirm the efficacy of
the new finishes during design.
In addition to the acoustical upgrades, the renovation also re-
oriented the building 180 in order to make space for a more
expansive lobbya central element of Vineyards mission of
fellowship. A new entrywaycreated from the former sac-
ristyopens to a new lobby under the apse; a 50-foot-tall glass
wall separates the lobby from the main worship space. We have
completely flipped the orientation of the building, taking out
pews and old fixtures and installed a soaring glass wall to create
a lobby under the apse. At the same time we have kept some
of the beautiful architectural and artistic elements such as the
eighty-year-old French stained glass. The changes are subtle but
define theological differences, states Glenn Knowles of CBT. I
think people will find that the building preserves the best of the
traditional elements and simultaneously incorporates contem-
porary comforts and conveniences. While the lobby is an exam-
ple of theology intersecting with architecture, the placement of
more comfortable chairs, a family room with a television feed,
new bathrooms, the installation of elevators and handicap ac-
cessibility demonstrate modern necessities that work to foster
the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Cambridges desire to be
accessible and inclusive.
Music is a great way to connect with God and with people
concurrently through diverse musical languages, says Vineyard
Christian Fellowships Worship Pastor Christopher Greco. The
renovations embrace a historic legacy of worship through art
while at the same time innovating and adding ones own voice
to the chorus.
Upon completion, the congregation was very pleased with the
acoustics in their new worship space.
The space was designed to support modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. The audio systems designers were Ryan Line-
han and Fowler Design Group. Sound is typically amplified
during services. The reverberation time data were measured in
the unoccupied space. No HVAC work was done as part of this
Acentech Incorporated 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-20
CBT Architects/Childs Bertman Tseckares
3.5
7,249 m3 50

750 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$2,000,000
2005 30

2.0
Cambridge, MA, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

Non-Denominational 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

renovation project. The building does not have any forced-air

ventilation. The building only contains radiators for heat. The
background noise level is therefore controlled by exterior noise.
At times of low traffic, the background noise level is extraordi-
narily lowwell below NC-15. At times of higher traffic, the

longitudinal section | CBT Architects

noise level can increase significantly, to NC-20 or greater de-
pending on the severity of the traffic noise intrusion. Unfortu-
nately, the windows to the exterior were not upgraded during
the renovation.
transverse section, original| CBT Architects

nave and acoustical clouds | Acentech

front of renovated church | Acentech
UHHFWHGFHLOLQJSODQ_&%7$UFKLWHFWV
RRUSODQ

187 | 188
longitudinal section
longitudinal section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

WILLISTON CHURCH OF GOD

1

2 3 4

189 | 190
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Robert Hanselman AIA Architect
3.5
5,578 m3 50

550 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$5,000,000
2010 30

2.0
Williston, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

Pentacostal 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Church of God in Williston, Florida is a large sanctuary

that is primarily used for contemporary, largely amplified
services with congregational seating for approximately 550. The
worship center is just one component of a religious life facility
including a Family Life Center, Childrens Gathering Room,
classrooms and offices. The project provided the opportunity to
explore and model some of the unique acoustical challenges of
this exciting worship format. The worship services are character-
ized by integrated music, singing, preaching and praying modes
allowing active participation by the congregation interspersed
with quiet moments of reflective prayer and contemplation.
Acoustical design features include the following:
R5 The room has large, folded plate sound reflecting/diffusing
clouds made of 2 ft. x 2 ft. gypsum board tiles in a standard
ceiling grid over much of the congregational seating area to
direct early sound reflections to the rear of the congregation
to increase loudness, clarity and intimacy.
R5 The ceiling also provides reflections when the congregation
sings and prays to naturally enhance these sounds.
R5 The large spaces between the ceiling clouds also allow
sound energy to move between the panels into the ceiling
cavity and re-enter the main room volume at a later time
increasing the sense of reverberance in the room.
R5 A utility sound absorbent blanket is provided on exposed
areas of the roof deck so some of the sounds that propa-
gate between the clouds are absorbed before they re-enter
the main room volume. This helps to control the reverber-
ation time in the room to approximately 1.4 seconds in the
mid-frequencies.
R5 The lower portion of the rear wall and the rear portion of
the side walls are covered with sound absorbing materials
to reduce long delayed reflections from loudspeaker sounds
pulpit and choir platform
ple singers and instrumentalists with an 87 member choir
standing behind them on risers. Therefore, the sending end
of the room has acoustical shaping to diffuse reflections so
members of the choir and instrumentalists can hear each
other, as well as to help propagate their sounds throughout
the room.
R5 The aisles are carpeted and the floor under the padded indi-
vidual seats is concrete.
R5 A full featured A/V system with two large projection screens
flanking the center of the platform was designed as an integral
part of the worship experience and an essential component of
the acoustical design of the room. The audio, video and natural
acoustical systems work in conjunction with each other to cre-
ate a multi-sensory, immersive worship experience.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
boards, piano, and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The
audio systems designer was Siebein Associates, Inc. Sound is
typically both amplified and unamplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. suspended ceiling panels; 2.
suspended ceiling detail; 3. side wall shaping and panels; 4. lob-
by. All photos credited to Siebein Associates, Inc.

striking these surfaces.

R5 The side walls and the upper portion of the rear wall are
covered with broadband sound diffusing surfaces to scatter
lateral reflections across the congregational seating area.
R5 The platform is often used by a praise band with multi-
RRUSODQ

191 | 192
longitudinal section
section view Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

WOODLAKE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

interior view

193 | 194
Acoustonica, LLC 60 4.0
HUFFMORRIS ARCHITECTS
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

4,035 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
550 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$3,309,152
2013 30 2.0
Midlothian, VA, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
United Methodist Church 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T hree into one. Joining this congregation from three loca-

tions onto one site was the goal of this project. In 1999,
WUMC bought 25 acres of land at the corner of Hampton Park
data were measured in the unoccupied space. The space is served
with two main cooling units, one on each side of the stage.
The background noise level with the units running averaged
Drive and Hull Street. In 2011, WUMC began moving forward 37.9dBA. The background noise level with the HVAC system
to start Phase II of their Greater Things Capital Campaign. off averaged 32 dBA/NC-26. The noise ratings were calculated
Construction included a large sanctuary, staff offices, kitchen, for the unoccupied space.
expanded parking lots, and entrance. In 2013, over 800 people All images credited to HUFFMORRIS ARCHITECTS.
gathered at the new location in Hampton Park. The first services
in the new Worship Center took place on June 1 & 2, with the
Grand Opening on June 8 & 9.
The new, all-in-one campus features a Worship Center that
seats 550, a large Gathering Space, Student Center, Nursery,
and staff officesall connected to the Discipleship building.
The new addition to the existing education building utilized a
pre-engineered building structure for the building frame while
air conditioning packaged unit | Walid Tikriti

blending the building exterior with the existing architecture by

matching exterior finishes.
The new 550 seat worship space used natural materials to en-
hance the warmth and appearance of the chancel while incorpo-
rating current audio/visual technology throughout the chancel
and worship area. The acoustics design focused on achieving a
balance between the amplified sound system, the background
noise level from the mechanical equipment, the noise isolation
from adjacent spaces including nursery and public spaces, the
room acoustics, and the speech clarity.
The location of the mechanical system was modified to save
money to meet the construction budget. This created noise chal-
lenges as the two package units were running directly under the
main stage area and the return grille openings were facing the
front seats causing noise impact concerns. Acoustonica coordi-
nated a design modification to the system by recommending
sound attenuators and adding additional acoustically lined el-
exterior view | Walid Tikriti

bows. The room acoustics and background noise in the worship

area satisfied the design criteria.
The space was designed to support choir and piano music. The
audio systems designer was Acoustonica, LLC. Sound is typi-
cally amplified during services. The reverberation time data were
measured in the unoccupied space. The background noise level
RRUSODQ

195 | 196
elevation
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

YO U N G I S RA E L S Y N AG O G U E

view from bimah | Chistopher A. Storch

197 | 198
Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Inc. 60 4.0
Gund Partnership
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

3,044 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
550 3.0
New Construction 40
2.5
$4,000,000
1996 30 2.0
Brookline, MA, USA 1.5
20
Judaism 1.0
Orthodox 10
0.5
Synagogue
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T emple Young Israel in Brookline, MA is the largest Ortho-

dox Jewish congregation in the Boston area, and includes
many prominent members of the Boston community. Their syn-
both spaces towards Jerusalem. The building also includes a so-
cial hall, chapel, classrooms, and a large two-story lobby.

agogue was destroyed by an electrical fire in January 1994, but

the congregation quickly mobilized to rebuild on the same site.
The new Temple Young Israel, designed by Graham Gund, was
dedicated in November 1996.
The building was designed to respond to Orthodox traditions,
which led to some interesting acoustical challenges. Electronic
speech reinforcement was not to be used in the sanctuary. Also,
following Orthodox tradition, the womens seating section is
separated from the main sanctuary with a screen (mechitza), but
one which gave them visual and auditory access to the services.
The acoustical goals therefore became to provide the maximum
speech intelligibility in all parts of the sanctuary, distributed as
evenly as possible between the main floor and the balcony.
Fortunately, the architect chose a fan-shaped plan that allowed
relatively short sight lines to all 550 seats. Cavanaugh Tocci As-
sociates provided recommendations for adjusting the angles and
RRUSODQ_*XQG3DUWQHUVKLS

dimensions of some surfaces, and did careful analysis to get the

right balance of acoustic finish materials. The ceiling was kept
low and was designed with reflective materials to direct early
overhead reflections downward to the seating areas.
To maximize the signal to noise ratio required for good speech
intelligibility, Cavanaugh Tocci worked to keep the reverbera-
tion time and background noise low. Carpeting was used in the
aisles and among the seating rows, seats are generously uphol-
stered, and the rear wall is covered with sound-absorbing panels.
The measured reverberation time is 1.0 seconds (unoccupied),
with no audible echoes. The reverberation is relatively flat with
view from ezrat nashim | Steve Rosenthal

frequency, consistent with the emphasis on speech rather than

music.
The mechanical system is extremely quiet, with a measured NC
rating of 12. The congregation has been very happy with the
acoustics in this room.
Some other interesting features of the building include light-
ing xtures and pews that were handcrafted in Israel. The Main
Sanctuary and Chapel are skewed with respect to the prevail-
ing street grid, resulting from the congregations desire to orient
 RRUSODQ

199 | 200
longitudinal section
W O R S H I P S PAC E S
7511000 S E AT S
St. Monica Catholic Church
section view
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

C O N G R E G AT I O N O F T E M P L E I S RA E L

interier view toward bimah | Finegold Alexander + Associates

203 | 204
Acentech Incorporated 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Finegold Alexander + Associates
3.5
9,345 m3 50

900 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
2013
Omaha, NE, USA 30

2.0

1.5
Judaism 20

Reform 1.0
Synagogue 10

0.5

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T emple Israel is a Reform synagogue located on a 14-acre

parcel in Omaha, NE. The Sanctuary, which seats 900, ex-
presses itself to the exterior via luminous material in the upper
portion of the room that glows like a beacon in the park. The
building also features a Community Court, a 125-seat Chapel, a
large Social Hall, and a range of other public and support spaces.
Acentech worked with architects at Finegold Alexander + As-
sociates to design the acoustics and noise and vibration control
for the building. The Temple Israel community has a strong mu-
sic program; the Sanctuary was designed to support not only
speech (amplified and unamplified), but also music: the cantor,
a choir, and congregational singing were all important consid-
erations in the acoustical design. With the large areas of glazing
GLVWULEXWLRQRI63/IURPXQDPSOLHGYRLFH_$FHQWHFK
Church, Islamic Center, and a Tri-Faith center to be built on
adjacent parcels as part of a Tri-Faith Initiativethe first of its
kind in the United States.
The space was designed to support choir, piano, solo voice, and
congregational singing. The audio systems designer was Diver-
sified Design Group, Inc. Sound is typically both amplified and
unamplified during services. The reverberation time data were
calculated for the occupied space. The background noise level
data were the design target. The noise ratings were calculated for
the unoccupied space.

in the upper volume, the ceiling became a critical acoustical de-

sign element: just over half of the ceiling has a sound-absorb-
ing finish (toward the rear and periphery, above and behind the
balcony), while the balance is hard and acoustically reflective,
improving congregational singing and chanting by supporting
each worshipers ability to hear his or her voice in the context
of the whole congregation. Acentech created a 3-D computer
model of the space, which was used both to refine the extent and
location of sound-reflecting and sound-absorbing surfaces and
by local sound system designers to confirm suitable intelligibil-
ity of amplified speech.
In addition to room acoustics design, consultants at Acentech
worked closely with the design team to control and predict me-
chanical noise, particularly associated with airflow noise in large
underground ducts that serve the Sanctuary. This included a
exterior view | Finegold Alexander + Associates

simulation of noise levels for leadership of the Congregation in

Omaha, given various design alternatives and heat-load condi-
tions, which helped the team to refine the noise criteria for the
space.
Acentech also advised the team on acoustical treatments to the
nearly circular Chapel (which features significant sound-ab-
sorbing finishes), in the Social Hall to control the build-up of
activity noise, and in the Cantors Office where a high degree of
sound isolation was an important design objective.
The synagogue is part of a larger whole, with an Episcopal
RRUSODQ

205 | 206
section
RRUSODQ
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

CORNERSTONE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

sanctuary view from audience

207 | 208
Acoustics By Design 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
Progressive AE
3.5
10,421 m3 50

900 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New Construction 40

2.5
$9,000,000
2009 30

2.0
Caledonia, MI, USA
20
1.5

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

United Methodist Church 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

W ith a steadily increasing congregation, Cornerstone

United Methodist Church decided to build a brand new
59,300-square-foot campus which was completed in fall 2009.
were chosen with hard seat backs, and 90 gypsum wallboard
acoustical kickback reflectors were hung from the ceiling and
angled carefully.
The design intention of the project was to create an engaging Noise isolation of the classrooms adjacent to the rear of the
and welcoming facility that would be flexible enough to accom- sanctuary was also a concern and demising walls were carefully
modate the needs of the community, and the acoustical and designed to minimize sound transfer. Furthermore, vestibules
AVL design was no exception. and additional sets of entry doors were included as sound and
The worship services in the 900-seat sanctuary feature multi-me- light locks.
dia presentations and a live contemporary band. Because of the The congregations response to the acoustical environment and
large volume, amplified speech and music, and minimal contem- the AVL Systems has been outstanding. The church received
porary aesthetic, the provision of sufficient acoustical material the award for Best Audio/Visual Design from the Associated
to suit the reverberation time needs was a major concern within Builders and Contractors Awards Program. The church truly
the space. Conversely, due to the importance of congregational sounds as good as it looks. Since the facility opened, attendance
engagement, the enhancement of congregational singing was increased by over 40% and Cornerstone now has the sustainable
also desired. Therefore, proper balance between natural acoustics facility it needs to handle the growth of its ministries.
to enhance singing and adequate absorption for the amplified
audio was necessary. The space was designed to support electronic organ/keyboards,
piano, modern band (e.g., guitar, drums), and congregational
To provide appropriate control of unwanted sound and the shap- singing. The audio systems designer was Acoustics By Design.
ing of the desired sound, a design reverberation time of 1 second Sound is typically amplified during services. The reverberation
was chosen. Acoustical absorption was incorporated into the time data were measured in the unoccupied space. All photos
space with padded seating, carpeting in the aisles and stage, and credited to Acoustics By Design.
fabric-covered acoustical panels. The panels were placed from
the finish floor to approximately 15'0" above finished floor on
the side walls and cover 100% of the rear wall. In addition to the
overall room absorption, this specific placement aids to control
flutter echoes and prevent strong reflections back onto the stage
platform. Bass traps were added to the structural columns.
A particular challenge within this space was the corridor on the
side the sanctuary with large openings into the sanctuary which
were made necessary by building code requirements. This creat-
ed a coupled volume on the side of the sanctuary which would
have increased the desired reverberation time and created dele-
sanctuary view from platform

terious delayed reflections. To mitigate these effects, acoustical

panels were placed on the side walls of the corridor and acousti-
cal ceiling tile was used throughout.
To enhance congregational singing, exposed concrete floor-
ing was specified underneath the seating, the fixed seats
RRUSODQ

209 | 210
long section of sanctuary
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF BIRMINGHAM
M ichigans largest United Methodist Church, First Unit-
ed Methodist Church of Birmingham (FUMC), had a
vision for a house of worship that would reward its rich musi-
cal programming without altering its architectural character or
breaking the bank.
The magnificent interior of FUMC was decorated with orna-
mented plaster walls, exquisite woodwork, and stunning stained
glass. Unfortunately, that visual beauty did not extend to its acous-
tic behavior. The relatively low total acoustic volume (270,000
cubic feet) and the extensive use of plaster walls made the rooms
natural acoustic signature short and brittle. When coupled with
other sound-defeating elements (including acoustic wall tile, ab-
sorptive carpeting, noisy mechanical systems, and a concealed
organ), the result was a space with scant musical warmth for ei-
ther voice or organ. It was easy to feel isolated when in the pews
because the room gave so little sound back to the congregations
singing, and the organ could not fill the space with a sound to
match the congregations spirit.
In 2000, the church embarked on a major campaign to improve
the acoustics, replace the sound system, and add a new organ.
Jaffe Holden collaborated with architects Jickling Lyman Powell
and Schoenstein & Co. organ builders to guide the church
through important architectural improvements during the ren-
ovation:
R5 FUMCs noisy air-handling equipment (previously locat-
ed in closets adjacent to the Sanctuary) was replaced with
quieter units in remote spaces, connected to the Sanctuary
through absorptive lined ducts. The result is a background
noise measured at NC-25, no longer a distraction to services.
R5 Absorptive carpeting in the Chancel and front part of the
Sanctuary was replaced with stone, acoustic tile was removed
and plastered, and the Chancel woodwork was redesigned to
cross section of sanctuary
better feature the choir, pulpit, and lectern.
These changes boosted the natural reverberation time of the
room from 1.4 to 1.6 seconds and provided a better sound stage
for the choir.
However, improving the bricks and mortar acoustics of the re-
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
mainder of the Sanctuary was not feasible from either a cost or
timing perspective. Instead, Jaffe Holden designers implemented
an electronic architecture system (ERES) to electronically fill in
and extend the rooms natural sound for acoustic music, and also
designed a state-of-the-art audio reinforcement system to pro-
vide warm, intelligible spoken-word reinforcement for services
and amplification for occasional reinforced music presentations.
One of the keys to understanding good electronic architecture
is that these systems are not reinforcement systems in the tra-
ditional sense of the word; electronic architecture creates virtual
walls in a space, making existing walls seem to reflect sound dif-
ferently from their natural ability, or even changing the apparent
volume of the room. The objective is to subtly fill in what the
room should or could have, not to create some artificial space un-
related to the real room. Its very different from a reinforcement
systemsound reinforcement systems for churches are about
clarity and coherence combined with the majesty of The Word,
but electronic architecture is about diffusion, decorrelation, and
the art of shaping a musically three-dimensional acoustic space.
The solution at First United Methodist is two separate systems
(one for electronic architecture and one for sound reinforce-
ment) that are linked together for shared control structures and
interoperability. The electronic architecture uses predominantly
hidden speakers to create the churchs new virtual walls, while
a state-of-the-art audio system provides reinforcement for the
spoken word.
Jaffe Holden Acoustics 60 4.0
Jickling Lyman Powell
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

7,646 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
800 ERES On 3.0
Renovation 40
2.5
$6,500,000
2005 30 2.0
Birmingham, MI, USA ERES Off
1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
United Methodist Church 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

One of the features of an electronic architecture solution is its

flexibility. The room can subtly transition between different
states, including a relatively dry environment for the spoken
word, a normal default state for contemplation, congregational
singing and choral singing, and a bigger, more open sound for
solo organ. In practical terms, this translates into a speech mode
reverberation time of approximately 1.6 seconds with a neutral
acoustic tail, a music mode reverberation time of approximately
2.0 seconds with a slightly warm decay pattern, and a solo organ
reverberation time of approximately 2.6 seconds, with yet slightly
view to balcony

more warmth in the last part of the decay tail.

Providing for a very hands-off system added a new level of so-
phistication and integration. To eliminate the need for a system
operator, the electronic architecture system runs a constant back-
ground program evaluating the content of the sound in the room,
automatically transitioning between the default music setting
and the dryer speech setting. At the same time, the various
wireless microphones used for pastors as well as the fixed lectern,
pulpit, and altar microphones are all being automatically mixed
and gain-staged to provide uniform reinforcement of the spoken
word.
The end result for First United Methodist Church is, to quote
the Churchs music directors, nothing short of miraculous. For
the choir members, looks of wonder turned to tears of joy as they
sang. The following Sunday, Senior Pastor Bill Ritter looked out
over the congregation after the opening hymn and quietly said
organ

after twelve years in this pulpit, for the first time today I have
truly heard you sing.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano,
handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, wood-
winds), and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The audio


systems designer was Jaffe Holden Acoustics. Sound is typically

both amplified and unamplified during services. The reverbera-
RYHUYLHZIURPPDLQRRU

tion time data were measured in the unoccupied space. The back-
ground noise level data were measured in the unoccupied space
with the HVAC system on. The mechanical system includes
a chiller and air handlers. All photos credited to Jaffe Holden
Acoustics.
 RRUSODQ

213 | 214
longitudinal section of sanctuary
RRUSODQ_6S\URV3LHUDV$UFKLWHFWV
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

H O LY C H U R C H O F A G I O S E P I P H A N I O S

T he recently completed, imposing church of Agios Epipha-

nios lies on the top of a hill, in the village of Lympia, only a
few minutes away from Nicosia, in the island of Cyprus. Lym-
ments in its liturgy. As the emphasis is on speech, we aimed for
a value of 1.9 seconds, uniform over the frequency range. While
the problem was rather easy to diagnose and its solution was
pia is a shortened version of Olympia, the original name of the literally screaming, finding sufficient surfaces to apply acoustic
ancient Greek settlement. The erection of the church was made absorption was an impossible task, since essentially all walls and
necessary by the population increase, but also by the fact that ceilings are kept bare for iconography in the future.
the village has been deprived since 1974 of one of its other two Acoustic absorption was added mainly by using:
churches, The Holy Cross (Timios Stavros), since this lies just
on the other side of the line dividing the island into Turkish R5 Perforated melamine panels in the form of shelving doors,
Occupied Area and Cyprus Government Controlled Area. on the back side of the iconostasis
For a village church, serving a population of about 3,000, Agios R5 Porous polyester panels to house the air conditioning grills
Epiphanios is voluminous! It has a seating capacity of 900 people
occupying an equal number of pews. Its dome rises to a height R5 Perforated melamine in the ceiling under the gallery and
of 18 m above the ground. It is in many respects typical of most the lower part of the rear wall
churches recently erected on the island. The trend dictated im-
R5 Perforated melamine on one side of the gallery wall and
pressive size and almost invariably the same building and inte-
polyester on the other
rior decorating materials, all of them acoustically hard: plastered
concrete walls and ceiling, marble or granite floors, many glass R5 Porous polyester behind the lower part of the pews in the
windows to ensure adequate day light, bare wooden pews and gallery (it is unnoticeable!)
an engraved hardwood iconostasis (separating the altar from
the nave). Essentially all the walls and ceilings are kept bare so R5 By designing the base supporting the pews to function also
that they may be covered with iconography at some future time. as panel resonators
Marble staircases at the rear lead to an upper gallery and a rear
wall door opens into an auxiliary, much smaller church, whose The resulting, measured T60 in the empty church is now 2.9
floor and walls up to the middle are covered in granitein short seconds and about 2.0 seconds when full. The T60 is fairly uni-
a very convenient reverberant chamber! form up to 3.5 kHz. The T60 decreases above 3.5 kHz, due to
Whereas visually the church was awe inspiring, the acoustical the effect of air absorption. Intelligibility is excellent throughout,
effect caused by the excessive reverberation was overwhelming.
It converted all speech and chanting signals into a tiring, noise
floor and amplified the sounds from falling seats, people cough-
ing and babies crying, causing pandemonium. Unaided speech
was unintelligible from a distance of just 4 m, and only two to
three spoken words out of ten could be recognised at the far
end of the church. The sound system installed with its very di-
rectional speakers made insufficient improvement either in the
intelligibility or the annoyance.
the iconostasis

PHI ACOUSTICS were called in at this stage. The average T60

was 9.4 seconds, totally inappropriate for any church, especially
for a Greek Orthodox Church that employs no musical instru-
PHI ACOUSTICS 60 4.0
Spyros Pieras
3.5
10,500 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
900 3.0
New Construction 40
2.5
$6,500,000
2012 30 2.0
Larnaca, Cyprus 1.5
20
Christianity: Orthodox 1.0
Greek 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

including the area of the dome, which however causes unwelcome

audible reflectionsno absorption was applied there as the surface
is reserved for iconography. One solution considered is to put

church elevation | Spyros Pieras Architects

transparent micro-perforated acrylic absorbers in the windows.
Alternatively, the iconography can be painted on canvas placed
over polyester panels. Tests have shown that this works very
well, offering good absorption in the middle frequencies where
it is actually most needed.
The pillars, engraved furniture and iconostasis, the ceiling with
its multiple curvatures and even its concave dome act as excellent
sound diffusers, since its focal point is high above the congregation.
The space was designed to support choir music on rare occasions.
The audio systems designer was Megasound S.V. Ltd. Sound is
typically amplified during services. The reverberation time data
were measured in the unoccupied space. The background noise
level data were measured in the unoccupied space. The central
heating/cooling system has been installed but has not been set
into operation yet. A noise rating of NC-34 was calculated for
the unoccupied space. All photos credited to Great&Famous.
church interior

perforated melamine under the ceiling under the gallery

exterior view
RRUSODQ

217 | 218
church elevation
longitudinal section | RBK Architects
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

H Y D E PA R K U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H
1 2

4 5 6

219 | 220
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-32
RBK Architects
3.5
5,465 m3 50

775 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$3,200,000
2003 30

2.0
Tampa, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

United Methodist Church 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

H yde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida,

expanded their sanctuary to accommodate both a grow-
ing congregation in a revitalized urban area and the inclusion
of an active, contemporary worship service in addition to the
traditional services. The historical architectural character of the
building was maintained in the renovation, so limits on the
magnitude of design changes to the room as well as the materi-
als used in the room were an important part of the design.
The church has two very active worship groups within it that
were both thriving. A traditional worship group had natural
acoustic vocal music with an organ and other instrumental ac-
companiments. This group wanted the reverberance of the ex-
isting building to be retained in the renovation design. A noted
musician had also established a vigorous contemporary worship
group with praise singers, electronic musical instruments and a
drum set.
The acoustical design concepts consisted of integrated architec-
tural and electronic components that were intended to optimize
both traditional and contemporary worship services as well as
fit within the historic character of the existing building that was
valued by all. Acoustical design features include the following:
R5 The existing ceiling in the room was removed and a new,
sound reflective ceiling was installed at the bottom of the
existing trusses to maximize the room volume and increase
the reverberation time to the extent possible.
R5 The front and rear of the sanctuary were switched in the
renovation to maximize the use of the floor area and volume
within the existing architectural shell.
R5 A new balcony was added at the rear of the room to increase
the seating capacity to approximately 775 people without
having to extend the sanctuary and increase the distance
from the farthest seat to the platform.
R5 The new air-conditioning equipment was located within the
towers at the entrance of the building and within the floor
cavity of the balcony. This required constructing the balco-
ny as an isolated Mechanical Room enclosure. Noise and
vibration control for the expanded air-conditioning system
was necessary due to the limited space and locations within
the historic building that equipment could be located.
R5 Sound diffusing panels in the form of zig-zag gypsum board
insets were placed on the side walls of the room to soften
reflections from these surfaces.
R5 The face of the balcony was sculpted to soften reflections
from this surface.
R5 Variable acoustic elements including a portable stage shell
and acoustical drapes were installed to allow the space to be
transformed into a drier environment suitable for contem-
porary amplified services in the very short period of time
between services. The drapes that cover the network of dif-
fusing wall sections on the sidewall allow the room to make
an acoustical transition between traditional and contempo-
rary styles of worship.
R5 A full featured, central cluster sound system with delay rings
was also included in the room.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, classical
ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band
(e.g., guitar, drums) music. The audio systems designer was
Siebein Associates, Inc. Sound is typically amplified during
services. The reverberation time data were calculated for the
unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calculated for the un-
occupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior view; 23. congre-
gational seating area from platform; 4. view from balcony; 5.
acoustic drapes deployed; 6. acoustic drapes retracted, zigzag
side wall shaping revealed. All photos credited to Siebein As-
sociates, Inc.
RRUSODQ

221 | 222
longitudinal section
longitudinal section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

I M M A C U L AT E C O N C E P T I O N C H U R C H
1 2

4 5

223 | 224
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60 4.0
McClure Hopkins Architects
3.5

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

11,270 m3

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
1,000 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$4,000,000
2003 30 2.0
Durham, NC, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Catholic 1.0
Roman 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T his space is very large in volume which required efforts to

control reverberation. The church has a traditional style
of worship. The goal was to keep the mid-frequency reverber-
mal font; 2. transept-south; 3. baptismal font (rear of nave); 4.
chancel; 5. pipe organ/choir seating transept north.

ation time (RT) during their normal occupancy (two-thirds

occupied) to 1.81.9 seconds and no more than 2.0 seconds.
The church is pastored by Franciscan friars and thus the spirit
of Saint Francis of Assisi is followed in the building design.
The church did not want pew cushions or carpet in the aisles.
The aisles are unsealed brick. Kneelers and carpeting in the
seating areas help absorb sound and reduce the variation in
RT from empty to full occupancy. In addition, an unsealed
split-face block was selected for the walls. Since no sound ab-
sorption data was available, the block manufacturer (Adams
Products) and architect were persuaded to have the block test-
ed. Even with all of this about 2,000 square feet of 2 inch
cloth-covered fiberglass wall panels were recommended due
to the large room volume. However, the church decided not
to have the wall panels. Without the panels, the two-thirds
occupied mid-frequency RT is around 2.5 seconds. This gives
uncomfortable listening conditions for speech and too much
reverberation for most music, even for traditional churches.
The reverberation time tests confirm the predicted results.
Analysis and guidance on HVAC noise was omitted from the
scope of work which led to excessive noise.
The architecture is very attractive and yet unpretentious. While
the reverberation is a little more than desired, it was strongly
moderated using materials that are not obvious as acoustical.
The exposed wood deck is charming. The split-face block walls
and unsealed brick aisles give it a very humble but handsome
finish.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, electronic
organ/keyboards, piano, and guitar music. The audio systems
designer was Spectrum Sounds, Inc. Sound is typically both
amplified and unamplified during services. The reverberation
time data were measured in the unoccupied space. The back-
ground noise level data were measured in the unoccupied space
with the HVAC system on.
RRUSODQ

Left hand page image captions: 1. chancel towards baptis-

RRUSODQ

225 | 226
longitudinal section
 Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S A I N T M I C H A E L PA R I S H
1

2 3

227 | 228
The Greenbusch Group, Inc.
MSGS Architects
7,929 m3
850
Renovation
$110,000
2005
Olympia, WA, USA
Christianity: Catholic
Roman
Church
S aint Michael Parish is one of the largest parishes in the
Archdiocese of Seattle, serving as many as 2,600 families at
its two locations. Its main downtown location in Olympia has a
seating capacity of 850 and total room volume of 280,000 cubic
feet.
Although the acoustics of the church were considered good for
music and the pipe organ, the intelligibility of speech at Saint
Michael Parish was deemed inadequate. The music programs
of the Catholic masses had evolved but the sound system of
the church was not up to the task of amplifying guitars, piano,
drums, and electronic keyboards.
The goal of the renovation was to upgrade the sound system to
improve intelligibility of speech and increase frequency band-
width and output capability for music, while preserving the nat-
ural acoustics of the church space. The renovation had several
aesthetic constraints; the hanging tapestries and sculptures of
the space restricted large loudspeaker clusters and potentially
interfered with speaker coverage. Furthermore, loudspeakers
were not allowed to block any views of the hanging objects.
The reverberation time of the church is 2.5 seconds midband,
which presented a challenge for the sound system to provide
an adequate ratio of direct to reverberant energy. The original
sound system utilized overhead distributed 8-inch speakers that
gave insufficient directivity and coverage, resulting in poor to
very poor intelligibility.
A digitally controlled line array was chosen because the small
size is visually unobtrusive, and the vertical coverage angle is
remotely controllable. A center array is used for voice reinforce-
ment. There are two shorter arrays on the side walls that provide
multi channel augmentation for music.
Unfortunately, there are many seats that cannot see the main
loudspeaker. Fill loudspeakers were mounted at the edge of low
ceilings to provide coverage in these wing areas. These were
aimed to have the same angles of propagation as the main array,
to allow use of delay to synchronize their sound with the main
array and to use the Haas effect to minimize localizing on the
fill speakers.
60 4.0
3.5
Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]
Reverberation Time (s) [square]
50
3.0
40
2.5
30 2.0
1.5
20
1.0
10
0.5
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)
Providing coverage to the choir was also a challenge. The ex-
isting soffit-mounted speakers provided marginal coverage, and
disturbing localization. However, a fold-back element at the
main array location would add too much energy to the reverber-
ant field and would provide poor intelligibility of speech for the
choir. Both elements were used. The high element was band lim-
ited to only high frequencies and was set to a low level (barely
enough level to achieve Haas localization). Most of the energy
comes from the low-mounted soffit speakers.
The existing system was excessively complex to set up, with
much manual switching and patching; worse, the new design
goals would add many new Input/Output (IO) points. Existing
raceway would not allow a large enough snake cable to the new
mixing console, and the church could not afford a sufficiently
large console to cover all IO plates. Finally, portable sub-mixing
carts used by the band and choir needed to move between mass-
es to accommodate their differing setups.
Cobranet became an ideal solution for both problems. The net-
work provides a virtual snake from console to carts and IO
plates, and a large multipair cable was not needed. Moreover, the
network allows the carts to be moved and plugged into any net-
work jack, without reconfiguration. Finally, remotely controlled
bundle switching replaced the cumbersome manual patching.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, electronic
organ/keyboards, piano, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble
(e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. The audio systems designer was The Greenbus-
ch Group, Inc. Sound is typically amplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The background noise level data were measured in the unoccu-
pied space with the HVAC system on. A noise rating of NC-37
was calculated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. interior of church space from
organ pipe loft; 2. interior showing line arrays and fill speakers;
3. exterior of Saint Michael Parish. All photos credited to The
Greenbusch Group, Inc.
RRUSODQ

229 | 230
exterior elevation
EDOFRQ\RRUSODQ
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

SEIGAKUIN UNIVERSITY CHAPEL

2 3

231 | 232
Yamaha Corporation 60 4.0
Hisao Kohyama Atelier
3.5
7,636 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

50
1,000 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$16,964,000
2004 30 2.0
Ageo, Japan
1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
Non-denominational 10
0.5
Chapel
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Seigakuin University Chapel, which was built to cele-

brate the one hundredth anniversary of Seigakuin Univer-
sity, was completed in November 2004. In addition to serving
pattern control system. Upon completion, acoustic issues caused
by the room shape were eliminated through the room acous-
tics and electro-acoustic means. The liveness and clarity of the
for daily worship by a few hundred people, the chapel is also sound field could be controlled independently according to the
used as an auditorium for ceremonies, lectures, concerts, sympo- application, whether worship, a ceremony, or a concert. In terms
siums, and so on, accommodating up to one thousand people. It of audibility, concentrations and echoes were not detected, and
is characterized by an oval-shaped seating arrangement around voices could be clearly heard in such a reverberant field.
the altar, and as a result the inside of the chapel is shaped as an The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
elliptical plane topped by a dome-shaped ceiling. boards, piano, and classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, wood-
In terms of the room acoustics, the removal of acoustic concen- winds) music. The audio systems designer was Kankyo Engi-
tration by the room shape was a major challenge. Furthermore, neering Inc. Sound is typically amplified during services. The
different acoustic characteristics for different applications were reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
required. This included an appropriate reverberation for chorus, The background noise level data were measured in the unoccu-
a natural sermon sound suitable for a worship space, speech in- pied space with the HVAC system on. A noise rating of NC-25
telligibility for ceremonies, and suitable reverberation for con- was calculated for the unoccupied space
certs. To meet these requirements in a chapel without stage Left hand page image captions: 1. front view | Seigakuin Uni-
equipment such as reflectors and drapes, we considered individ- versity; 2. rear view; 3. side view.
ual measures for acoustic design, including room shape, interior
specifications, and sound reinforcement system.
Regarding the room shape, we avoided concentrations of reflec-
tions based on acoustic analysis. Specifically, along with making
the main floor seating area walls convex and using large indent-
ed V-shaped paneling on the balcony walls, the ceiling dome
was constructed of a four-sided pyramid and sound-absorbing
surfaces.
With regard to the interior specifications, we focused on the low
sound absorption characteristics of the wooden bench chairs
and ensured sufficient liveness (reverberation time of 3.3
seconds, unoccupied) by not fitting them with cushions. Addi-
tionally, we opted to actively use the increase in sound absorp-
tion achieved in the presence of an audience. As a result, we
ensured a rich sound suitable for a church during daily worship
by a few hundred people (3.1 and 2.6 seconds when 100 people
and 400 people, respectively, are seated), allowing a sufficient
reduction of reverberation (2.0 seconds when 1,000 people are
transverse section

seated) during ceremonies attended by up to 1,000 people.

In terms of the sound reinforcement system, we ensured high
speech intelligibility using line array speakers and an output
 RRUSODQ

233 | 234
transverse section
interior elevation | CDH Partners
S T. B R I G I D C A T H O L I C C H U R C H
S aint Brigid lived in Ireland in the fifth century; a holy wom-
an, granted by the grace of God, great gifts of spiritual lead-
ership, devotion in prayer, patience and compassion. Brigid is
probably the best known Irish Saint since Saint Patrickthe
patron Saint of Ireland.
Acoustical and sound system design was performed for the 1,000
seat Sanctuary, 750 seat Parish Hall and 150 seat Chapel.
Emphasis was placed on organ acoustics and speech intelligi-
bility as a priority. Acoustical elements were integrated into the
architecture in an unobtrusive manner. Multiple layers of gyp-
sum board were employed to support organ acoustics. A study of
the diaphragmatic characteristics of the stain glass windows was
performed. Reverberation measurements were taken before and
after the windows were installed over the exterior glass. Fortu-
nately, they showed little influence. A splayed sectional balcony
face added to the low frequency diffusion. Many irregular shapes
and varying depths were incorporated into window and door
trim. Diffusive wall elements included false columns and full
front elevation
235 | 236
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
statues at the Stations of the Cross.
The loudspeaker system consisted of 20 highly directive mid-
high loudspeaker modules in an overhead semi-distributed
angled arrangement. All speech reinforcement loudspeakers
are located within 22 feet of the listeners to increase the Di-
rect-to-Reverberant energy and speech intelligibility. They are
recessed into the false ceiling beams and hidden from sight. The
large antiphonal choir needs no sound reinforcement support
for full projection into the Nave. But a small music playback
loudspeaker system is installed and aimed from the rear to pro-
vide some sound reinforcement for the smaller choirs, childrens
choir and even a Praise Band.
Since 1879, Casavant has installed over 3,800 instruments all
over the world. This one, Opus 3832, is the fifteenth Casavant
installation in the state of Georgia since the first arrived in
Statesboro more than 40 years ago. It contains 2,153 pipes, in 37
ranks, playable with 30 stops over two manuals and pedalboard.
The tallest of the dramatic faade pipes are 16 feet in length and
have a lustrous gold finish. Although the basic tonal orientation
of the organ is English, its specification is based upon historical
practice that allows the performance of a wide range of literature
from all schools and periods. Tonally the instrument has been
planned to address the multifaceted requirements of an active
music ministry encompassing congregational singing, choral
and instrumental accompaniment and the performance of organ
literature for worship and concerts. Several compliments were
made about the acoustics by noted music professionals.
Reverberation times, ITDG, early decay times and speech in-
telligibility were predicted and calculated prior to construction.
After construction these parameters were measured and verified
using primarily Time Delay Spectrometry and the TEF Ana-
lyzer.
Reverberation times averaged 3.54.1 seconds in the middle
octaves. Speech intelligibility measured 11% ALCons to 15%
ALCons or 0.45 STI to 0.50 STI, unoccupied.
In 2010, we approached the church about looking at some of
the newer loudspeaker technology available. They were holding
Sunday school in the Nave with very few people present. We
Lee Sound Design, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-30
CDH Partners
3.5
8,637 m3 50

1,000 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$15,000,000
2003 30

2.0
Johns Creek, GA, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

designed and commissioned a programmable, steerable column

array loudspeaker system to improve speech intelligibility in
the nearly empty Nave. The 149 inch tall, 32 transducer DSP
controlled column arrays provided pattern control above 200
Hz with shaping and steering of very narrow vertical beam siz-
es, down to 5. Speech intelligibility improved to a measured
8.9% ALCons to 11.4% ALCons or 0.55 STI to 0.50 STI,
unoccupied. traditional loudspeaker setup SPL simulation

The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, and pi-
ano music. The audio systems designer was Muzak. Sound is
typically both amplified and unamplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space. All
photos credited to Wayne Lee.
RRUSODQ_&'+3DUWQHUV

church interior
RRUSODQ

237 | 238
interior elevation
UHQRYDWHGRRUSODQ_*OHQQ0F*X\UH$,$
S T. M O N I C A C A T H O L I C C H U R C H
S t. Monicas Catholic Church is an 800 seat, 1966 Mid-Cen-
tury Modern building, believed to be the first new church
built in the Diocese of Dallas after Vatican II. Robust partici-
pation by the assembly in sung and spoken parts of the Mass,
led by organ and parish choirs, were unrealized goals due to nu-
merous acoustic deficiencies of the space. These deficits included
a reverberation time that was too low (approximately 1.0 sec-
onds) to support traditional organ and choral music or to facil-
itate sung and spoken liturgical participation. Music was poorly
projected in the space, due to a sound obstructing lattice wall
that surrounded the choir and organ space. The churchs organ
was technically failing and exhibited a poor adaptation of the
Neo-Baroque musical style.
The round geometric form of the room created acoustic anom-
alies, including hot-spot focusing, echo effects, and uneven
sound distribution. The former HVAC system generated unac-
ceptable levels of noise, and the sound system delivered inade-
nave and sanctuary | James C. Heck, AIA
239 | 240
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
quate intelligibility and coverage. The naves interior finishes in-
cluded carpeted aisles with hard surface flooring elsewhere. The
concave ceiling was finished with a sound absorbing asbestos
spray. Primary wall materials were glass and thin wood panels.
The greatest challenges were to accommodate a new pipe organ,
discretely integrate new audio-visual technology, and improve
room acoustics. The architectural goal was to be respectful of
the original design by staying true to its style and acknowledg-
ing the past by retaining, incorporating, or modifying existing
liturgical furniture and art. Acoustic design goals for the space
included delivering clear, intelligible speech to all worshippers,
as well as enhancing liturgical music, and encouraging participa-
tion by the assembly in spoken and sung prayer.
These goals were achieved by increasing the reverberation time
in the room. Sound obstructing architectural features were re-
moved, background noises attenuated, and new sound and
video systems were installed. The former organ platform was
transformed to hold a new instrument encased with a faade of
speaking pipes.
Floors are now hard surfaced throughout and include marble
and ceramic tiles. The ceiling deck has been re-finished with
painted gypsum board in a two level diffusing pattern. Primary
walls are now composed of two layers of 5/8" gypsum board.
Hardwood sound diffusing features, interspersed with 2" thick
concealed fiberglass absorbers, have been incorporated into the
curved perimeter walls, between stained glass panels. The result
is an average 2.2 second reverberation time and the absence of
focusing, echoes, and frequency anomalies in the space.
The new HVAC system has low velocity operation, insulated
and sound attenuating ducts with multiple 90 angle turns, and
non-restrictive grilles. Ambient noise levels have dropped from
the previous NC 36 to NC 25.
With the sound obstructing lattice wall removed, music cre-
ated by choir, instrumentalists, and organ now projects evenly
throughout the room. Hardwood sound diffusers have been in-
corporated into the wall behind musicians to blend and balance
tone and to allow musicians to hear each other.
Scott R. Riedel & Associates, Ltd. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Fisher Heck Architects, Inc.
3.5
9,798 m3 50

800 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$4,750,000
2013 30

2.0
Dallas, Texas, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

Inconspicuous equipment placement was an audio-visual design

1
requirement. Being a live acoustical space, and with the desire
to hide loudspeakers, directional control was a prime consid-
eration. In order to keep sound from reflecting off walls and
ceiling, traditional large horn-loaded speakers were utilized. Ex-
cellent direct sound is delivered while minimizing reflections,
thereby maximizing speech intelligibility. The new video system,
comprised of concealed projectors, recessed video monitors, and
high-definition remote-controlled cameras, delivers on screen
text and video. IPad apps control nearly all functions of the sys-
tem, including the 48-input audio console. FM-based wireless
assistance for those who experience hearing loss is also provided.
The new three manual and pedal Nichols & Simpson pipe organ
contains 71 sets of pipes, along with supplementary digital solo,
percussion, and 32' pitch pedal voices. The American Classic 2
tonal design of the organ addresses a wide range of sacred music
literature. The organs electric-slider action has proven durability,
and winds the pipes in a manner that facilitates artistic voicing.
The faade of pipes across the chamber opening both blends and
diffuses organ tone. Organ mechanical noise is controlled by a
blower air intake noise attenuator and 2 inch sound absorbing
wall and ceiling treatments in the organs blower and compressor
room.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano, and
classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds) music. The
audio systems designer was DSH Audio Visions LLC. Sound is
typically amplified during services. The reverberation time data
were measured in the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were
calculated for the unoccupied space. 3

Right hand page image captions as follows: 1. sound absorbing/

diffusing wall features; 2. pre-renovation sanctuary and choir
and organ space; 3. post-renovation nave and sanctuary. All
photos on right hand page credited to Scott R. Riedel.
 UHQRYDWHGRRUSODQ

241 | 242
SUHUHQRYDWLRQRRUSODQ 
RRUSODQ_&KULVWRSKHU3HQNDOD
S T. P E T E R C A T H O L I C C H U R C H
S t. Peter Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska, is an 800
seat, 1926 Greco-Roman Style building, with five aisles, but
without the traditional pillared side aisles. As of early 2014, the
parish has applied for Minor Basilica status.
The liturgical space was revised during the 1960s with a
free-standing Altar according to Vatican II, while the musicians
and organ remain in the rear gallery. The worship environments
2013 pre-renovation challenges included a reverberation time
(approximately 2.4 seconds, unoccupied) that was lower than
desired to support traditional organ and choral music or to fa-
cilitate sung and spoken liturgical involvement within the large
cubic air volume of the space. Further, a 2.4 second reverberation
time is lower than typical for an authentic large Greco-Roman
Basilica room. The naves interior finishes included fully carpet-
ed flooring and a barrel vaulted ceiling that was entirely clad in
sound absorbing acoustical tile. Highly decorated and detailed
walls were hard plaster. The old sound system was fraught with
operational dysfunction and major feedback issues.
The architectural program for the building renovation project
243 | 244
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
was primarily to honor the traditional architectural style of the
edifice by making all interior detailing historically appropri-
ate. This specifically meant the removal of dated carpeting and
acoustic ceiling tiles. The improvement of lighting and sound
was the primary goal of the client, so that the architectural fea-
tures of the room and the visual and aural aspects of the Mass
could be revealed and appreciated. The projects acoustic design
goals therefore also included the desire for a highly reverberant
space that matched the classic visual architectural style, and that
supported the very traditional worship practices of the parish.
The re-design architectural and acoustic specifications included
the use of carrara marble flooring and a ceiling composed of
a gypsum board base and three coats of plaster that features a
finish dark blue and gold star sky paint scheme. A coffered
pattern of ribs and beams was also added to the barrel vaulted
ceiling deck, to provide some acoustic diffusion, and to create a
more authentic visual effect. The installation of discrete areas of
sound absorbing materials at the front face of the rear balcony
and at two transept walls was necessary to mitigate excessive
reverberation and echo reflections. Two-inch-thick fiberglass
nave and sanctuary | Bob Ervin, Ervin Photography
Scott R. Riedel & Associates, Ltd. 6 0

4.5
Background Noise: NC-29
Conrad Schmitt Studios Inc. 4.0
8,750 m3 5 0

3.5
800

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 4 0

3.0
$3,320,000 2.5
2013 3 0

2.0
Omaha, NE, USA
2 0

1.5
Christianity: Catholic 1.0
Roman 1 0

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

acoustic panels were used at these surfaces, visually disguised

acoustic model axonometric | Christopher Penkala

with cloth covering matched to wall paint colors.
The space now facilitates excellent participation in sung and
spoken parts of the Mass by the assembly, since sound absorb-
ing carpet has been removed from their immediate proximity.
The room exhibits a long reverberation time (now between 3.5
and 4.0 seconds) appropriate to its style and size, but the space
is absent of unwanted sound focusing and echo effects due to
the careful placement of sound absorbing panels and diffusive
ceiling features.
New sound system requirements were for simplicity of function
and invisibility of appearance. The system must support the spo-
ken word and chanted music from the sanctuary and the rear
loftwithout feedback, and without a visible mixing console.
The system design includes new digital, steerable array speak-
ers that provide extremely even coverage without feedback, stu-
dio-quality microphones to deliver very natural and articulate
sound quality, and a digital mixing and processing system that
allows for volume and system preset control via wired or Wi-
Fi based remote control. The Tannoy speaker utilized (model
sanctuary | Dave Hosbach

QFlex64) is a line array that delivers directional control to 100

Hz resulting in clear sound delivery to virtually every seat at
consistent volume levels. It is noteworthy that this is the first
house of worship installation of the QFlex64 speaker in the
world.
The space was designed to support choir and pipe organ mu-
sic. The audio systems designer was DSH Audio Visions LLC.
Sound is typically amplified during services. The reverberation
pre-renovation ceiling with re-design sample

time data were calculated for the unoccupied space. The noise
ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space. Bottom photo
on right hand page credited to Craig R. Schaefer.
RRUSODQ

245 | 246
W o r s h i p s pac e s
10012000 s e at s
Saint Agnes Catholic Church
mezzanine floor plan | Design Arts Studio
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

a l fa r o o q m a s j i d o f a t l a n t a

2 3 4

249 | 250
Lee Sound Design, Inc. 60 4.0
Design Arts Studio and EDT Constructors, Inc.
3.5
6,371 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

50

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

1,500 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$10,000,000
2007 30 2.0
Atlanta, GA, USA 1.5
20
Islam 1.0
Sunni 10
0.5
Mosque
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

A l Farooq Masjid of Atlanta is the largest mosque in the and an effects signal processor to allow reverberation to be ap-
Southeast and was designed with traditional Muslim and plied to a lapel microphone for certain prayers.
interfaith concerns in mind. All mosques must face Mecca, the Computer simulation modeling predicted around 1.5 second
Saudi Arabian city where Muhammad, the founder of Islam, reverberation time in the middle octaves. Speech intelligibility
was born in A.D. 570. Making this work within the limitations predicted less than 8% ALCons and 0.56 STI.
of a modern city required orienting the mosques prayer hall to-
Al Farooq Masjid is named after an early Islamic leader and
wards the northeast while the rest of the building sits squarely
companion of Muhammad. There are over two million Ameri-
on the mid-town Atlanta block.
can Muslims associated with over 1,200 Mosques in the United
The facility features a 36-foot-high dome over the main prayer States.
hall, a 19-foot dome over the library/dawa center and a 131-foot-
The audio systems designer was Lee Sound Design, Inc. Sound
high minaret. The main level consists of the main prayer hall,
is typically amplified during services. The reverberation time
library/dawa center, mens ablution area and a gathering place.
data were calculated for the unoccupied space. The background
The upper level has a womens prayer hall, womens study &
noise level data were simulated for the unoccupied space with
lounge, womens ablution area, and a glassed in mezzanine area
the HVAC system on.
where non-Muslims can view prayers below. The basement has
several large, divisible meeting rooms and a kitchen. Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior photo from atlan-
tic station; 2. front elevation between floor and dome; 3. ceiling
Acoustical, sound and audiovisual system design was performed
dome artwork; 4. exterior rendering | Design Arts Studio. All
for the entire facility. Concerns and challenges were sound focus-
photos credited to Wayne Lee unless otherwise indicated.
ing by the dome and the octagon floor plan. Being a speech only
worship service, the approach was to add absorption everywhere
possible. The interior of the dome was designed with a smooth,
field applied, seamless absorbing finish system. The finish is an
emulsion of mineral particles, which form a micro-porous mem-
brane applied to pre-coated mineral wool supporting panels.
After drying, the seams are sanded and multiple higher density
(smaller mineral particles) base coatings are trowel applied and
smoothed, providing the appearance of a seamless conventional
gypsum or plastered surface. Traditional 2-inch-thick semi-rigid
fiberglass panels were applied to all available wall surfaces to re-
front view of architecture and loudspeakers

duce the reverberation times and sound system reflections. Ini-

tially steerable line array loudspeakers were proposed to reduce
the amount of sound impinging on the domed ceiling. Marble
columns and ornate fixtures were too prevalent to allow this,
so traditional mid-high frequency modules were located above
the Minbar, where the imam speaks from. Facility-wide audio/
video overflow and monitoring capability exist on all levels. The
meeting rooms have complete AV presentation systems as well.
Unobtrusive exterior loudspeakers will be provided for the call
to prayers. Electronics include an automatic microphone mixer
 floor plan

251 | 252
mezzanine floor plan

floor plan
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

av e m a r i a o rat o r y

view down main nave

253 | 254
Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Inc. 60 4.0
CANNON Design
3.5
23,687 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

50

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

1,100 3.0
New Construction 40
2.5
$24,000,000
2008 30 2.0
Ave Maria, FL, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10
0.5
Cathedral
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he new 1,100 seat Oratory at Ave Maria University serves

as the center of spiritual life for the University and sur-
rounding community. Cavanaugh Tocci Associates (CTA) pro-
The low background noise level needed for musical performanc-
es and speech was achieved through careful review of building
mechanical systems design. Large ducts under the main floor
vided consulting for room acoustics, noise and vibration control, deliver air to the audience at low velocity.
and sound reinforcement system design. All photos credited to William J. Elliot.
The Oratory nave is 100 feet tall. The acoustic design responds
to the scale and programmatic use of the space with generous
reverberation times for instrumental and choral performances.
The resulting aural experience is akin to a cathedral. The lat-
tice of steel columns and buttresses provide large-scale diffu-
sion, and textured GFRC panels on the upper side walls provide
small-scale diffusion.
The design includes several large elements that are significant to
the acoustics and the architecture but not installed at the time
of the photograph. The most important of these is a large pipe
organ at the rear of the balcony. This is a striking design ele-
ment that will provide significant diffusion of sound when it is
installed, not to mention its importance to the music program.
During design, CTA created a computer model of the Oratory
to simulate the acoustics of the Oratory. The computer mod-
el provided numerical results for important acoustic parame-
ters and generated auralizations of the design using music and
exterior view

speech samples. This helped guide decisions as to the amount

and location of sound absorbing material on the walls.
The sound system incorporates advanced loudspeaker technol-
ogy and sound system electronics to provide good speech intel-
ligibility despite the ample reverberation. The system maintains
realistic sound source localization and excellent speech clarity
without large speaker clusters.
The main loudspeakers are tall steerable array columns, integrat-
ed into the structural columns at each side of the altar. These are
supplemented by small delayed loudspeakers to cover the rear
audience and the balcony.
The system uses an automatic mixer and digital signal process-
side view of nave

ing to reduce noise from reverberation. The system can also be

operated using a 32 channel mixing console, which can be posi-
tioned at either the cross aisle or the balcony.
 floor plan

255 | 256
longitudinal section

cross section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

c at h e d r a l o f t h e i m m a c u l at e c o n c e p t i o n

view of nave | Terry Farmer Photography

257 | 258
Threshold Acoustics 60

4.0
Background Noise: N/A
Graham & Hyde Architects
3.5
15,291 m3 50

1,220 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$11,000,000
2009 30

2.0
Springfield, IL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Cathedral
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

I n 2009, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception com-

pleted its first major renovation since the original dedication
in 1928. The basilica design of the church, in the Greek ionic
style, is furnished with marble flooring and statuary including
a free-standing reredos, mosaic Stations of the Cross along the
side walls, and a highly textured, plaster coffer ceiling.
Before the renovation, the room was reverberant but sound-ab-
sorptive material placed within the coffers and carpeting on
the floor resulted in a sound that rolled off quickly at high-fre-
quencies. Absorption on the ceiling and open grille work along
the lower side walls at air supply ducts and confessional booths
eroded early reflections, and the room lacked overhead or side-
wall support.
Echoes were audible in the space. Generally, these did not seem
to be out of character with the architectural style of the room,
and it was determined that their presence would be less promi-
nent for non-amplified sources once high-frequency absorption
was removed and early reflection support was improved. The
sound reinforcement system required attention as suspended
loudspeakers were exciting the rooms reverberation and playing
strongly into the echo conditions, resulting in a lack of clarity
for spoken word.
During the renovation work, sound-absorptive materials were
removed in the ceiling coffers in all areas. Angled gypsum board
was added in a large coffered area over the rear of the altar, and
angled GFRG panels were installed within the main ceiling
coffers in the front of the room. This provided diffusion above
the sparsely furnished altar and controlled echoes without los-
ing natural support where reflection paths were longest from
the altar into the nave. Acoustic panels within the coffers at the
remainder of the nave ceiling were removed and the original
plaster resurfaced to support non-amplified music and congre-
gational singing. Hand-stenciled canvas panels were attached
directly to the GFRG infill panels or the original plaster to
complete the new ceiling finish.
Ductwork was revised with the installation of a new HVAC sys-
tem for the Sanctuary, and solid panels were installed behind
a majority of the original grille area along the side walls. Air
supply was provided to the confessionals, allowing solidification
of the open grilles in those areas. Carpeting was removed in all
areas.
The cumulative effect of these changes is the addition of much
needed early reflections, giving congregation members a greater
sense of support and aural intimacy, even with the increase in
mid- and high-frequency reverberation. The ceiling modifica-
tion greatly enhances sound projection for the choir in the rear
balcony.
A new sound reinforcement system, utilizing zoned column ar-
rays located closer to the congregation, now provides better clar-
ity as well as the ability to turn off coverage to the rear half of the
pews for lightly attended services such as weekday mass. Rear
loudspeakers were added to support amplified cantor or ampli-
fied instruments from the rear balcony more naturally than if
their sound had been routed through the main loudspeakers.
A new Atrium/Gathering Space addition alleviated access prob-
lems for patrons and visitors but also provides overflow space for
holiday services and festive diocesan events and a much needed
presentation space for meetings, lectures, and school events. Du-
rability was a key consideration in this space, but a mix of sound
absorptive materials in upper walls and ceiling coffers controls
loudness and reverberation in the space. A distributed sound
reinforcement system can be zoned to allow presentations from
multiple locations. Video and audio signal from the Sanctuary
are provided during overflow events.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, piano,
handbell ensemble, and instruments to supplement choir and
organ on holidays. Sound is typically amplified during services.
The reverberation time data were calculated for the unoccupied
space.
 floor plan

259 | 260
section


s t. f r a n c i s o f a s s i s i c a t h o l i c c h u r c h
T he design of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church sup-
ports traditional choral music and organ. It incorporates
limited reverberation and a distributed sound system to provide
clear and comfortable speech.
The ceiling is comprised of thick wood boards and the walls are
primarily split-face block with both surfaces well sealed. Much
of the block is also filled with mortar to limit bass absorption.
The floor is brick except for carpet under the seating areas. The
pews are not upholstered in keeping with Franciscan principles,
but have open areas to allow sound to pass through to carpet
below to limit reverberation when the pews are not occupied.
Since the carpet is primarily a high frequency absorber, some
absorption tuned to the 250500 Hz range was constructed us-
ing quarter-inch pegboard over 2 inches of fiberglass. This was
mounted on both the top and bottom of a horizontal board
two feet wide between two beams over each seating area. It had
more effect than expected. A blue cloth stretched between these
chancel and lantern
261 | 262
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
beams also concealed the loudspeakers. Additional 2-inch wall
panels are located in the lantern area that extends up from the
roof to allow in natural light. The gathering space just outside
the nave has a highly absorptive fiberglass ceiling and carpet to
limit noise in the area.
An electronic organ replaced the initially planned pipe organ
due to budget. Primary organ speakers are centrally located be-
hind the altar. The plan of the room initially had the choir and
organ console located appropriately for acoustics near the altar.
Late in the design process, the local diocese ruled that this could
not be done since it placed the musical elements between wor-
shipers and the altar. Moving the choir and organ console to a
corner placed them farther than desirable from the organ speak-
ers. An organ monitor speaker was placed near this music area to
assist the musicians. This has worked well. The primary concern
was that those sitting directly across the room on the other side
of the altar might perceive a delay between the choir and organ.
This has not been a problem.
The church is in the flight path of Raleigh Durham Interna-
tional Airport which required some effort to limit aircraft noise
intrusion. Budget and design constraints limited efforts, but in-
troduction of quieter aircraft has reduced the noise intrusions.
Ventilation is provided by several small systems. Sound power
for these systems was estimated. Most supply air is provided
through unlined, underground, round duct. Fan noise was si-
lenced with plenums where space permitted and thick lining
where possible. Some plenums that were to have 4-inch lining
were constructed with 1-inch lining. Fan noise silencing was
still successful, but the lack of lining in the underground sup-
ply ducts led to some greater than desirable mid-frequency flow
noise.
During the initial efforts to evaluate noise of the ventilation sys-
tem, it was discovered that the light ballasts were noisy. Some of
the lights are sodium vapor similar to lights in an existing fel-
lowship hall where there had not been a problem. It was discov-
ered that the ballasts in the fellowship hall had been remotely
located. The ballasts in this space were successfully replaced with
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60 4.0
Jon Condoret
3.5
10,081 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

50

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

1,200 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$4,300,000
1996 30 2.0
Raleigh, NC, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Catholic 1.0
Roman 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

a quieter type.
The audio system is designed to provide both reinforcement of
speech and singing from the chancel and amplification of choir
instruments and voices. The main system loudspeakers are locat-
ed in beams that longitudinally span each congregational seating
area. Drivers are 12" coaxial systems with a nominal 100 100
coverage angle. The loudspeakers are divided into three zones
for synchronizing the signal delay with the natural sound from
the chancel. The over-choir area loudspeaker is also a separate
zone to allow the choir microphones to be muted to the over-
choir loudspeakers.
The sound system has two modes of operation. A 10-input au-
tomatic mixer allows the system to be used without an operator
longitudinal section

and controls four wireless microphones, Ambo and lectern mi-

crophones, and some instruments microphones. For more com-
plex musical productions a 16-input mixer is located in the choir
area for control of solo performer and instrument microphones.
Musical productions can be supplemented with portable loud-
speakers.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, electronic
organ/keyboards, piano, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns,
woodwinds) music. The audio systems designer was James S.
Brawley and Associates, Inc. Sound is typically both ampli-
fied and unamplified during services. The reverberation time
data were measured in the unoccupied space. The background
noise level data were measured in the unoccupied space with the
HVAC system on.
floor plan
 floor plan

263 | 264
longitudinal section
longitudinal section

Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

D o s h i s h a G rac e C h a p e l
1

2 3 4

265 | 266
Yamaha Corporation 60 4.0
Hisao Kohyama Atelier
3.5
5,463 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

50

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

1,200 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$25,446,000
2010 30 2.0
Kyoto, Japan 1.5
20
Christianity: Protestant 1.0
Non-denominational 10
0.5
Chapel
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

D oshisha Junior and Senior High School was reintegrated

in Iwakura, a northern suburb of Kyoto, as a school inte-
grating junior high school and senior high school in the fall of
2010. Grace Chapela symbol of the new campusis a chapel
that serves also as a lecture hall. It is used for a wide range of
purposes, including daily worship, lectures and ceremonies, and
even for theatrical performances. The theater festival that takes
place every year in the fall is a traditional event of the school,
and a sound field allowing theatrical play performances and eas-
ily intelligible performers voices were design requirements.
To meet the above requirements, the room acoustics were de-
signed to achieve slightly restrained sound out of consideration
for speech during lectures and ceremonies, while maintaining
the solemn resonance expected from a worship space. Further-
more, the space was planned so as to achieve long reverberation
when a small number of daily worshippers occupy it, and shorter
reverberation when the chapel is fully occupied during gradua-
tion ceremonies.
In terms of audio equipment, a built-in point source speaker in
the pulpit and line array speakers housed in the wall behind the
pulpit were used as the loudspeakers. The system was designed
to localize the sound image to correspond with the speakers
position. Clarity was improved by limiting the service area to the
audience seating area.
Regarding the organ, the electronic organ from the old chapel
was relocated to the new chapel where it is currently being used.
An organ deck has been provided above and behind the audi-
ence seating area to allow the installation of a pipe organ in the
future.
Following completion, we expected the reverberation time in
the sound field to differ significantly between when the seats
were vacant and occupied owing to the fact that the seats were
reflective wooden chairs without cushions. In order to veri-
fy this, we measured the reverberation time when the seats
transverse section
ation time is predicted to become 0.5 seconds shorter still to
reach about 1.4 seconds during maximum occupancy by 1,200
guests. The maximum occupancy typically occurs during school
entrance and graduation ceremonies. In addition, during the
theater festival in fall, a stage, lighting, curtains, and addition-
al speakers will be installed on a temporary basis at the pul-
pit location. The reverberation time in this theater format was
1.7 seconds owing to the sound-absorbing effect of the stage
curtains, and thus 1.2 seconds shorter compared with that during
worship. The reverberation time is expected to drop to under
1 second when the seats are occupied.
As described above, a sound field has been created in Grace
Chapel that offers a wide range of applications, from worship to
theatrical presentations.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
boards, piano, and lines and song in the theater festival. The
audio systems designer was Kankyo Engineering Inc. Sound
is typically amplified during services. The reverberation time
data were measured in the unoccupied space. The background
noise level data were measured in the unoccupied space with the
HVAC system on. A noise rating of NC-25 was calculated for
the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. front view | Doshisha J and S
High School; 2. front view with stage and curtain; 3. side view;
4. rear view

were occupied. The chapels reverberation time during worship

was 2.9 seconds when the seats were vacant, 2.4 seconds with
400 persons seated, and 1.9 seconds with 800 persons seated,
thus getting shorter by about 0.5 seconds each time. The reverber-
 balcony floor plan

267 | 268
longitudinal section


G rac e c h u r c h
G race desired an immersive, participatory worship focused
on connectedness and intimacy in all experiential aspects
of their new 1,600 seat South Auditorium completed in 2008.
This new zero-level platform, with upper and lower progres-
sive isodomal terraces, is a unique environment in the greater
church world (especially in the evangelical megachurch world),
as the norm usually consists of a concert hall church space with
radial concentric seating resulting in a performance type setting.
However, for this church, the elephant isnt IN the room, the
elephant IS the room. Grace Churchs desire for maximum par-
ticipation was achieved with ancient-future realities long for-
gotten with the advent of electricity and the resulting emphasis
on electronic reinforcement.
There is a big difference between loving AT someone and simply
loving someone, and this space is designed as a giant three-di-
mensional hug. Full frontal liturgy is an oxymoron, and with the
250 wraparound vineyard seating plan and the upper/lower
view from balcony
269 | 270
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l
Major Religious Category l
Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l
terraces at varied riser heights the intimate design Grace desired
was achieved despite the fact that this new 1,600 seat space was
an increase from their previous space with 1,200 frontal seating
plan of 27 rows on a flat floor and 9-step high platform. The new
space seems much more intimate than the previous.
The body language of the seating areas is designed in varied
directions of straight row sections each with at least two options
for aisle access allowing multiple viewing angles as well as seeing
other congregants faces across the roomthus avoiding the typ-
ical single point forced viewing of a concert hall church plan
with everyone looking into the backs of one anothers heads.
Adaptability was achieved even though only approximately 450
of the total 1,600 seats are movable resulting in potentially six
other seating configurations including completely in the round.
Even though the room appears to violate the 11th command-
ment thou shalt not have four parallel walls, walls, walls in a
rectangular box configuration in reality the front and rear walls
that appear parallel in plan are actually upward inclining planes
and the flanking side walls are actually sawtooth in plan and
are at slight angles to one another in plan and form a slight
inverted V to the room as a whole. The materials of the space
are basically warehouse in nature with industrial grade insulated
precast concrete panels exposed to the exterior and interior, steel
trusses with integrated catwalks and EPIC metals acoustic deck
to take the inherent echo out of such a large space. Acoustic
intimacy was added back into the room with suspended wood
acoustical clouds that also give a visual warmth to the room.
There are nine east-facing large 12' wide by 26' high translu-
cent glass clerestory windows which have top-hinged custom
aluminum frame Tectum infill shutters with operable motors
designed by the architect which open 10 feet wide at the bottom
to allow natural light. The narrow vertical slits in the side walls
also have operable blinds which allow brownout conditions in
less than 45 seconds. This natural lighting feature is used several
times during each of the four worship services per weekend and
builds upon the Cistercian sensitivity to the multi-color reali-
ties of natural daylight from Saturday night worship to Sunday
morning worship, clouds to clear blue sky, all throughout the
year. This feature is quite poignant, popular, and fresh even after
Acoustic Dimensions
Callahan Studios Soul Space
25,485 m3
1,600
New Construction
$15,000,000
2008
Indianapolis, IN, USA

Christianity: Protestant
Evangelical Free
Church

6 years of worship experiences and is one of the many reasons

why the space is typically described by visitors as cathedral-like
in its overall gestalt which is miraculous considering it is built
like a warehouse.
The feeling of participation extends into the philosophy, strategy,
and tactics of the audio, video, and lighting technical systems
design. The budgets for all three of these systems are the same
as a typical concert hall church except that they are spread into
and around the room, not just on the platform. The house audio
is enhanced with a Meyer Constellation electronic room rein-
forcement system which can make your closet sound like your
floor plan

shower and greatly enhances congregational singing. There are

video screens on all four walls for maximum participation no
matter where your seat is located. The theatrical lighting system
is also used throughout the room with color LED lighting on
all walls and seating areas. The totality of the design achieves the
were all in effectwith literally no bad seat in the house
further enhancing Graces desire for a participatory, immersive
worship experience for years to come.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/
keyboards, piano, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g.,
left hand view from stage

strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar,

drums) music. The audio systems designer was Vance Breshears.
Sound is typically amplified during services. The reverberation
time data were measured in the unoccupied space. The calculated
mid-frequency reverberation time is 1.2 seconds. The noise rat-
ing is NC-20, calculated for the unoccupied space. All photos
credited to Jason Lavengood.
view from stage
 floor plan

271 | 272
longitudinal section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

Pa l m h a r b o r u n i t e d m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h
1 2

4 5

273 | 274
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-23
Hoffman Architects, P.A.
3.5
8,937 m3 50

1,700 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$4,600,000
2003 30

2.0
Palm Harbor, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

United Methodist Church 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T he Palm Harbor United Methodist Church in Palm Har-

bor, Florida, is a large sanctuary that is used for both tra-
ditional and contemporary services with a seating capacity of
approximately 1,700. The existing sanctuary could not handle
either the increasing size of the congregation or the contempo-
rary services that were being added to nurture a growing, young-
er group within the congregation. The project provided the op-
portunity to explore and model some of the unique acoustical
challenges of combining traditional, natural acoustic worship
and largely amplified contemporary services.
The value engineering process reduced the ceiling heights of
the room which was not adequate to support the natural re-
verberation required for the traditional services with a closed
ceiling. Therefore, it was essential to maximize natural acous-
tic reverberation to the extent possible within the constraints
of the project budget. Extensive computer model studies were
conducted to optimize the acoustical response of the room and
the sound system design for the dual worship styles. Acoustical
design features include the following:
The room has large, sound reflecting clouds over much of
the congregational seating area to direct early sound reflec-
tions to the rear of the congregational to increase loudness,
clarity, and intimacy for natural acoustic propagation of the
spoken word and traditional liturgical music.
The reflective ceiling also provides ceiling reflections when
the congregation sings and prays to naturally enhance these
sounds.
The large spaces between the ceiling clouds also allow
sound energy to move between the panels into the ceiling
cavity and re-enter the main room volume at a later time
increasing the sense of reverberance in the room.
computer generated 3-D model
reduce long delayed reflections from these surfaces from
natural acoustic and amplified sources.
Acoustic treatment is provided in the choir area to project
choir sounds to the congregation and to allow choir mem-
bers to hear each other.
Noise and vibration control was designed for the HVAC
system to provide a quiet, contemplative environment for
worship and prayer.
A full featured, high energy sound system with a distributed
array of high performance, narrow dispersion loudspeakers
with sub-woofer was used in the room to support the con-
temporary services and to provide high levels of speech in-
telligibility at all seats during all services.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/
keyboards, piano, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g.,
strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. The audio systems designer was Siebein Associ-
ates, Inc. Sound is typically amplified during services. The rever-
beration time data were measured in the unoccupied space. The
noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. congregation seating area,
pulpit and choir.; 2. side wall detail; 3. platform and congrega-
tion seating area; 4. panoramic view of the sanctuary; 5. choir
seating. All photos on left hand page credited to Siebein Asso-
ciates, Inc. Model below credited to Hoffman Architects.

The rear portion of the ceiling is sound absorbing to reduce

long-delayed reflections.
The side walls have large, diffusing elements covering most
of their surface to allow lateral reflections to cover the con-
gregational seating area.
The rear wall is covered with sound-absorbing materials to
 floor plan

275 | 276
longitudinal section

cross-section
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#
O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d
38#

Location l
O RGA N B ASS O RGA N B ASS
25"h x 40"w x 31"d 25"h x 40"w x 31"d
O RGA N B ASS O RGA N B ASS 150# 150#
25"h x 40"w x 31"d 25"h x 40"w x 31"d
150# 150#

amp amp
amp amp 50# 50#
50# 50#

Major Religious Category l

PRO AUDIO BASS PRO AUDIO BASS PRO AUDIO BASS PRO AUDIO BASS
36"h x 21"w x 36"d 36"h x 21"w x 36"d 36"h x 21"w x 36"d 36"h x 21"w x 36"d
125# 125# 125# 125#

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

S t. Ag n e s c a t h o l i c c h u r c h
1 2

4 5 6

277 | 278
Siebein Associates, Inc. 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-27
Andrea Clark Brown Architects, P.A.
3.5
16,650 m3 50

1,250 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

New construction 40

2.5
$6,000,000
2006 30

2.0
Naples, FL, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Catholic 1.0

Roman 10

0.5
Church
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

S aint Agnes Mission Church in Naples, Florida, consists of

a large sanctuary with congregational seating for approxi-
mately 1,250 people. Adjacent to the large sanctuary is a chapel
with seating for approximately 360 people. These buildings are
at the heart of a large campus planned for the site. The worship
space is designed to serve a vibrant Catholic community in a
rapidly growing area, with their active celebration of vibrant lit-
urgies. The worship community is formed by people of all ages
and cultures in the Catholic faith, working in groups to serve
its community. Traditional, contemporary, and blended services
are supported by the acoustical design. The architect is a noted
designer that engaged in an interactive acoustical and architec-
tural design process. This involved a rigorous, interactive series
of three-dimensional architectural and acoustical study models
as the uniquely shaped and detailed rooms evolved. The primary
acoustical design concepts are described below:
The sanctuary is circular and the chapel is elliptical in plan
with altars located near the front, center of each room.
The seating layout for the chapel is flexible to allow for var-
ious religious services to occur. The altarthe main source
locationalso has the opportunity to be relocated as the
service requires.
The geometry in the large sanctuary created an extensive
rear wall area which required acoustical shaping and treat-
ment of the walls and ceiling without deadening the sound
field of the room.
The ceiling consisted of folded, articulated planes to reflect
sounds to the congregation and provide support for congre-
gational singing and prayer responses.
panoramic view from back of sanctuary
of sound from the choir and the presence of congregation-
al response as well as to help reduce sound focusing and
echoes from sound striking the concave, curved walls envel-
oping the room.
Sound diffusing and absorbing surfaces were integrated
within wall niches to scatter potential echoes to maintain
the rich reverberant sound preferred in Catholic worship.
The floors are marble to maintain the reverberant sound
field in the room.
A full featured sound system was designed by others.
Noise and vibration control design was conducted to reduce
noise intrusions from rooftop air-conditioning units.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/
keyboards, piano, handbell ensemble, classical ensemble (e.g.,
strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. Sound is typically both amplified and unampli-
fied during services. The reverberation time data were measured
in the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calculated for
the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior view; 2. sound ab-
sorbing and reflecting wall panels and ceiling; 3. ceiling reflect-
ing panels; 4. congregation seating area and pulpit; 5. lobby; 6.
view from front of sanctuary. All photos credited to Siebein As-
sociates, Inc.

Sound absorbent materials were strategically integrated

along the perimeter of the ceiling area and walls to reduce
sound focusing and echoes. The integration of sound absor-
bent material also considered the aesthetic goals of a mono-
lithic appearance sought by the architect and the congrega-
tion.
The surfaces in the room have multiple functions. Ceilings,
windows, and walls are shaped to enhance the propagation
 sanctuary floor plan

279 | 280
 O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d
38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38#
O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER O RGAN SPEAKER
FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX FR1.7LX
26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d 26"h x 14"w x11"d
38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38# 38#

O RGA N B ASS O RGA N B ASS

25"h x 40"w x 31"d 25"h x 40"w x 31"d
O RGA N B ASS O RGA N B ASS 150# 150#
25"h x 40"w x 31"d 25"h x 40"w x 31"d
150# 150#

amp amp
amp amp 50# 50#
50# 50#

PRO AUDIO BASS PRO AUDIO BASS PRO AUDIO BASS PRO AUDIO BASS
36"h x 21"w x 36"d 36"h x 21"w x 36"d 36"h x 21"w x 36"d 36"h x 21"w x 36"d
125# 125# 125# 125#

cross section

section view
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

s i s t e r s c h a p e l at s p e l m a n c o l l e g e

interior view

281 |282
Acentech Incorporated 60

4.0
Background Noise: NC-25
Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein
3.5
8,495 m3 50

1,050 3.0

Reverberation Time (s)

Renovation 40

2.5
$5,500,00
2005 30

2.0
Atlanta, GA, USA 1.5
20

Christianity: Protestant 1.0

Non-denominational 10

0.5
Chapel
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

I n the 1950s, Spelman College added 12" by 12" ceiling tiles

to the surface of the barrel vault ceiling at Sisters Chapel,
the campus centerpiece built originally in 1927. Although the
project background noise goals.
The new design received rave reviews following the opening per-
formance at Sisters Chapel. The director of the Sisters Chapel
exact reasons for this addition are not fully known, two possible Christmas Concert beamed, The ceiling worked. The acoustics
motivations for such an ad hoc adjustment to the room acous- were excellent. Sisters Chapel earned the coveted Excellence in
tics might be: (1) to reduce the reverberation time and thereby Restoration Award from The Georgia Trust in 2006.
improve speech intelligibility for the preacher, and (2) to reduce
the strong sound focusing effect that the barrel vault creates The space was designed to support choir and pipe organ music.
down the center of the Chapel. The audio systems designer was Acentech Incorporated. Sound
is typically both amplified and unamplified during services. The
In 2005, Suber Barber Choate & Hertlein, Architects, were reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
charged with a renovation to add bathrooms, provide accessibil- The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space. All
ity, and update the acoustics to Sisters Chapel. Users wished to photos credited to Surber Barber Choate and Hertlein.
improve the acoustics for organ music and ensemble singing (to
liven up the space), while maintaining a high degree of speech
intelligibility for worship services and convocations.
Consultants at Acentech created a computerized acoustics
model of the Chapel to predict the effect of ceiling reflections.
The final acoustical design called for pew cushions (to stabilize
the reverberation time under rehearsal conditions or events with
partial occupancy), absorptive material on the rear wall and on
the face of the balcony (to eliminate echo from these locations),
and a redesigned ceiling. The new ceiling has the same barrel
vault profile as the old ceiling, but features absorptive material
along both sides of the arc where the center of curvature is most
balcony plan

pronounced. The sidewalls and center portion of the ceiling are

hard and sound-reflective. As a result, the occupied reverbera-
tion time is increasedwhich improves the ambiance for organ
music and ensemble singingwithout reintroducing the sound
focusing problem. The pre-construction reverberation time of
the room was 2.0 seconds at mid-frequencies; after the reno-
vation, the reverberation time increased to 2.5 seconds (occu-
pied). Acentech measured mid-frequency reverberation time of
approximately 3.6 seconds in the unoccupied space prior to the
installation of the seat cushions.
To maintain high speech intelligibility from the lectern, Acen-
tech consultants designed a highly directional loudspeaker sys-
forward view

tem for the Chapel that covers seating on the main level and in
the balcony. In addition, Acentech worked with the project me-
chanical engineers to design a quiet ventilation system to meet
 floor plan

283 | 284
longitudinal section

floor plan
Acoustical Consultant l
Architect l
Room Volume l
Seating Capacity l
Construction Type l
Construction/Renovation Cost l
Completion Date l
Location l

Major Religious Category l

Religious Division l
Worship Space Type l

s t. p a u l c a t h o l i c c h u r c h

2 3 4

285 | 286
Stewart Acoustical Consultants 60 4.0
C.R. Francis Architects
3.5
11,950 m3

Sound Pressure Level (dB) [circle]

50

Reverberation Time (s) [square]

1,060 3.0
New construction 40
2.5
$4,400,000
2004 30 2.0
New Bern, NC, USA 1.5
20
Christianity: Catholic 1.0
Roman 10
0.5
Church
0 0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

T his is a new sanctuary for the oldest Catholic Church in

North Carolina. The scope of guidance was limited to the
room acoustics and sound system. The lack of attention to the
sanctuary, the signals from the sound system inputs located in
the choir were appropriately delayed to each of the speakers dis-
tributed throughout the sanctuary. In this way, one set of speak-
HVAC system noise is evident in the results. ers using appropriately delayed and tuned signals provides what
Acoustical treatments were hidden behind slatted wood to both may be characterized as two sound systems within the sanctuary.
tune the absorption and match the aesthetic needs of the church. These systems are programmed to allow for the control of mul-
The space was treated to achieve a balanced reverberation, and tiple inputs to the system with a set of graphic user interface
the average mid-frequency RT for the 2/3rds occupied is about controls. Two sets of user-specific controls are used. One control
1.81.9 seconds, to support the traditional music style of the is located in the choir area while the other is located at the usher
church. Some of the slatted wood was left without the absorp- location near the main entry doors.
tive fiberglass, and others with, but designed so you cannot tell The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
the difference. The architect liked the appearance and wanted to boards, piano, guitars, organ, violin, flute, and double bass music.
incorporate the wood slats into the aesthetics. The audio systems designer was F.C. Schafer Consulting, LLC.
The sound system needed to meet both the needs of the clergy Sound is typically both amplified and unamplified during ser-
and the needs of a number of different choirs while at the same vices. The reverberation time data were calculated for the unoc-
time being unobtrusive and providing quality sound to each of cupied space. The background noise level data were measured in
the pews within the main seating area. the unoccupied space with the HVAC system on.
There are two sound source locations. The first is from the chan- Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior at night; 2. view
cel area and the second is from the choir which is located at the during service from rear of nave; 3. interior from rear of right
extreme right side of the sanctuary. These areas are so separated transept; 4. front wall detail.
that a single speaker cluster could not give the proper percep-
tion of the sound source location. Separate clusters in these two
areas could not cover the full room. An integrated system was
required with speakers throughout the sanctuary.
Coverage for the chancel area begins with a set of speakers lo-
cated on the service catwalk above the chancel. These speak-
ers are augmented by a series of speakers located in the chancel
steps. The chancel step speakers provide direct sound to the first
two or three pews while the upper speakers cover beyond the
first two or three pews. These speakers also assist in bringing the
apparent source of sound closer to the actual source rather than
from a speaker system located high above the listener. To assure
that the farthest pews also received clear and intelligible sound,
speakers were located on beams just forward of the rear seats in
the nave and each of the transepts.
To support the choir, speakers were located above the choir and
directed toward the main pew seating area. Since the choir and
the associated speakers were located at one extreme side of the
 floor plan

287 | 288
W O R S H I P S PAC E S
20015000+ S E AT S
The Star Performing Arts Centre
JURXQGRRUSODQ
A B U N D A N T L I F E C H R I S T I A N F E L LO W S H I P
I n July of 2004, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship Church,
based in Mountain View, California, moved into their new
home: a renovated warehouse building including a 2,100 seat
Sanctuary, a Chapel, a Fellowship Hall, five Sunday School
Rooms, five Bible Study Classrooms, and a Nursery.
The congregations membership has grown from 2,500 people
in 2004 to over 4,000 people in early 2006. The growth was
made possible by the space afforded by the new facility.
Typical activities with critical acoustical needs include three
weekend services with a praise and worship team that consists
of a full band with a portable organ and ten praise singers, a 60
person gospel choir, and an 80-person childrens choir. In ad-
dition, the services are recorded for compact disc distribution
and syndicated cross-country radio broadcast.
The senior pastor required an acoustically dead space. He re-
lied on the PA system to add the desired reverberation to the
music. The praise team director had one main request: more
bass. With more bass, occupants could feel like they were in
a large cathedral when the organ is played. The final system
had left and right (mid-high frequency) arrays each with eight
loudspeakers. There were also single full-range fill loudspeak-
ers (one hanging next to the main arrays to cover the extreme
left and right seating areas of the Sanctuary and the others
above and below the balcony). In order to approximate the
low-frequency acoustical environment created with a cathe-
dral pipe organ, four large subwoofers were added to the PA
291 | 292
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system design.
Other acoustical challenges included:
R5 Designing a large sanctuary that promotes intimacy
through sound
R5 Controlling echoes from the large PA system
R5 Acoustically separating the Sanctuary from the Chapel
and Fellowship Hall for unrelated, concurrent events
R5 Acoustically separating the second floor 7th through 12th
grade Sunday School Room featuring a miniature version
of the Sanctuarys PA system (including subwoofers) from
the Preschool and Kindergarten Sunday School Room di-
rectly below
R5 Reducing the noise and vibration of the mechanical units
on the lightweight roof
The 1.1 second reverberation time (unoccupied) in the main
sanctuary space was achieved through the use of perforated
wood panels backed with black-faced insulation on the stage,
fabric wrapped panels on the audience chamber walls, and
bagged insulation lining the ceiling. The flooring was carpet
on concrete.
Additional acoustical design elements throughout the build-
ing included slanting the Sanctuarys stone front wall below
the baptismal to minimize flutter echoes and fabric-wrapped
panels for echo control in the remaining spaces. sanctuary
&KDUOHV06DOWHU$VVRFLDWHV,QF 60

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Reverberation Time (s)

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2.5

 30

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1.5

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0.5
Church
0

0.0
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Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

To help control the performance mix, the drummer was placed
in a clear Plexiglas enclosure with an absorptive back wall and
lid. All instruments (including the drums that had micro-
phones on each element) were sent through the mixing board
and in-ear monitors were used for the band. Floor monitors/
wedges were only used for the singers and the Pastor/speak-
er. The added control of the performance mix allowed for im-
proved clarity in the Sanctuary and in the recordings.
Two rear projection screens are installed into the stage side-
walls to isolate the projector noise from the Sanctuary and
provide visual clarity when the house lights are on at 100%.
In addition, the adjacent Chapel and Fellowship Hall are tied
into the audiovisual system and used for overflow spaces and
EDOFRQ\RRUSODQ
sanctuary stage and studio booth
crying rooms. The Sunday School Rooms and Classrooms can
also view the services through their audiovisual systems if nec-
essary.
Because of the size and flexibility of the space, as well as the
quality of the audiovisual system, the Sanctuary is rented out
for corporate meetings and community events. The commer-
cial kitchen directly adjacent to the Sanctuary makes it easy to
use for banquets.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
boards, piano, classical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, wood-
winds), and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The audio
systems designers were Charles M. Salter Associates, Inc. and
ZamarMedia Solutions. Sound is typically amplified during
services. The reverberation time data were measured in the
unoccupied space. The background noise level data were mea-
sured in the unoccupied space. The rooftop mechanical system
includes AC units and VAV boxes. The noise ratings were cal-
culated for the unoccupied space. All photos credited to Mert
Carpenter Photography.
 JURXQGRRUSODQ

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section of conference center
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1 2

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6.0
Background Noise: NC-25
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5.0
 4.5

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4.0
 3.5
 30

3.0
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2.0
Christianity: Restorationist Movement 1.5
&KXUFKRI-HVXV&KULVWRI/DWWHU'D\6DLQWV 10

1.0
Auditorium 0.5
0

0.0
125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Octave Band Center Frequency (Hz)

It will be primarily a house of worship, but will also
be a place of art. There will be concerts and other
public offerings that will be uplifting and whole-
and spiritual. It will be a gift to the Master,
whose birth we will commemorate at that season.
with large openings for lighting bridges and speakers. Above
these openings is an acoustical lay-in ceiling grid with fiberglass
some panels to reduce the large volume of the room above the ceiling.
The entire rear wall and balcony fronts are outfitted with fabric
wrapped fiberglass panels for echo control.

T his quotation from Latter-Day Saints President Hinckley

to the General Conference in 1998 hung in most of the
on-site construction trailers to set the context for this great proj-
ect.
The Assembly Hall at the Church of Latter-Day Saints Confer-
ence Center is one of the largest venues of its type in the world.
At 21,000 seats, it is 3-1/2 times the capacity of the Mormon
Tabernacle. It is to be used for conferences twice a year and then
supplemental use throughout the year for concerts, plays, and
lectures. Having few models other than stadia to refer to, the
architects visited the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City ( Jaffe
Holden design) which seats 10,000. The form of this room was
used as a template for the Assembly Hall. The form of the room
is fan shape with an open stage or rostrum at one end, with no
proscenium. There is one large balcony and a lower tier, which
connects to the main floor seating at the sides. The rostrum con-
sists of moveable elements for the 350 member Mormon Taber-
nacle Choir, the general authorities, and the main pulpit. A new
130 rank pipe organ is installed behind the rostrum that was
built by Schoenstein & Co. with case work by Fetzers Inc. The
theater designer was Auerbach & Associates.
The acoustical design concept of the hall is to simulate an out-
door, acoustically neutral or dead environment and let the
electro-acoustic systems create the proper speech intelligibility
and naturalness of music. To achieve this in such a high volume
space, all floor surfaces are carpeted, chairs are fully upholstered,
and the wall and ceiling surfaces provide large amounts of sound
absorption at all frequencies. The design took a cue from the
Auditorio Nacional design, which used a series of thin wood
bass absorbers and mid and high frequency fiberglass absorbers
on the side walls behind a sound transparent faade of cylindri-
cal tubes along with a 50% absorptive ceiling.
The ceiling design is a series of rings made of gypsum board
JHA designed an ERES (Electronic Reflected Energy Sys-
tem) to add adjustable acoustics to the space by enhancing the
liveness, intimacy, and warmth of the room. With a few micro-
phones located strategically over the rostrum and hundreds of
speakers spread out throughout the various ceiling planes, we are
able to introduce sound reflections (without amplification) that
would not exist naturally due to the wide nature of the room.
We also added reverberation from a LARES reverberator thus
creating a more reverberant room, yet one that also is immer-
sive and intimate sounding. Hence we more than doubled the
reverberation time in the room and added an adjustable acous-
tic element to the room that has expanded the programming
to now include the presentation of classical symphonic music,
organ, and choir music for the Orchestra at Temple Square and
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
In addition to the assembly hall, the overall conference center
also includes a small 900 seat proscenium theater and a com-
plete recording studio, broadcast facilities, simultaneous trans-
lation rooms, and a post-edit suite so that the conferences and
concerts can be viewed world wide at all of the Mormon facil-
ities.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, and classi-
cal ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds) music. The audio
systems designer was Jaffe Holden Acoustics. Sound is typical-
ly amplified during services. The reverberation time data were
measured in the unoccupied space. The noise ratings were calcu-
lated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. side view showing balcony
and ceiling; 2. choral loft and organ; 3. organ, rostrum and choir
loft; 4. side view of seating and organ. All photos credited to
Timothy Hursley.
 RUFKHVWUDOHYHOSODQ

297 | 298
section of conference center

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T he Calvary Chapel in West Melbourne, Florida, is a large

sanctuary that is primarily used for amplified contem-
porary services with congregational seating for approximately
3,200. The worship center is just one component of a religious
life facility including a school, gathering and meeting rooms,
offices and social spaces. The project provided the opportunity to
explore and model some of the unique acoustical challenges of
this exciting worship format. The worship services are character-
ized by integrated music, singing, and preaching modes with an
immersive audio and video environment allowing active partic-
ipation by the congregation interspersed with quiet moments of
reflective prayer and contemplation. Acoustical design features
included the following:
R5 The room has large, sound reflecting clouds over much
of the congregational seating area to direct early sound re-
flections to the rear of the congregation. The clouds assist
in increasing the loudness, clarity, and intimacy of sounds
propagated from the platform to the seating areas.
R5 Calvary Church has a very dynamic choir. As the congre-
gation expressed their desire to be able to hear the choir
more clearly, the cloud ceiling was designed to also pro-
vide reflections when the congregation sings. The ceiling
also enhances the congregations voice as they engage with
the choir by singing, or when they pray together, resulting
in people feeling as though they are on active participation
in a vibrant and inspiring service.
R5 The large spaces between the ceiling clouds were designed
with the intention to create a reverberation chamber with-
in the same room. This allows for sound energy to move
between the panels into the ceiling cavity and re-enter the
main room volume at a later time to increase the sense of
reverberance in the room.
R5 While the main purpose of the design was to enhance natu-
ral and amplified sounds as the congregation sings and prays
together, the rear and side portions of the main ceiling area
in the balcony and under balcony are acoustical ceiling tiles
which reduce long-delayed reflections.
R5 Additionally, the rear wall and much of the side walls are
covered with sound absorbing materials to further reduce
long-delayed reflections from loudspeaker sounds striking
these surfaces.
R5 The platform is often used by a praise band with multiple
singers and instrumentalists listening to each other through
monitor loudspeakers and in-ear monitors. To assist in the
clarity of sounds heard through these devices, the sending
end of the room is relatively dead compared to other venues.
R5 Reverberation time is controlled by the amount of sound
absorbing material in a room and the volume of the room.
To provide a reverberation time that is desired in worship
spaces of similar volumes, where the congregation is active-
ly engaged in natural and amplified participation, the floor
of the worship space is carpeted and the seats are heavily
padded.
R5 A full featured A/V system with large projection screens de-
signed by others is also used in the room.
The space was designed to support choir and modern band (e.g.,
guitar, drums) music. The audio systems designer was Siebein
Associates, Inc. Sound is typically amplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
Left hand page image captions: 1. exterior view; 2. absorptive
material used on rear wall and ceiling; 3. platform, suspended
ceiling and seating area; 4. interior photo; 5. congregation seat-
ing area; 6. suspended ceiling. All photos credited to Siebein
Associates, Inc.
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C AT H E D RA L O F O U R L A DY O F T H E A N G E L S
T he Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles
the first cathedral built in the new millennium, conse-
crated in September 2002was the first cathedral to be built in
the United States in over 25 years and the first new cathedral to
address the requirements of the Second Vatican Congress.
It is the culmination of a 90-year quest for a new cathedral be-
gun by Bishop Conaty in 1904, interrupted by wars, a depres-
sion, and the need for new parishes in the great expansion of Los
Angeles following World War II. The 1994 Northridge earth-
quake severely damaged the citys St. Vibianas Cathedral, and
the Los Angeles Conservancys position on the demolition of
that structure enabled the Archdiocese to build a new cathedral
in the downtown area. The city and county offered the Archdi-
ocese four downtown sites. Design architect Jos Rafael Moneo
selected a 5.5 acre site adjacent to the Hollywood Freeway, the
Grand Avenue cultural corridor, and in proximity to the Civic,
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Judicial and Administrative heart of the city. Rafael Moneo has
spoken of freeways as having the same urban significance as the
rivers of medieval cities such as Paris and London.
Inspired by the themes of Light and Journey, Professor Jos
Rafael Moneo chose natural light to flood the Cathedral. Sun-
light streams through glass-protected, Spanish alabaster mosa-
ics, combining the opaque white of alabaster with hues of earth
tonesred, yellow, brown, orange, and rust. Light enters the
Cathedral and devotional chapels by way of large, angled shafts,
evocative of those California Mission forms used by the early
Franciscans.
The Cathedral affords the sense of journey that describes the
visitors evolving relationship with God. The visitor and the pa-
rishioner are on the journey, alone and together as the People of
God, on a pilgrimage, towards redemption of their lives. There-
fore, the Cathedral allows the parishioner to walk away from the
darkness of evil and move towards the saving Light of Christ
and the fullness of the Kingdom of God in Heaven. Therefore,
the Cathedral features the largest single use of alabaster win-
dows in the worldsome 33,500 square feet. This powerful nat-
ural light emphasizes the purity and beauty of Gods creation.
The Cathedrals interior design captures the principle of a spir-
itual journey. Unlike most cathedrals, the visitor is not entering
through a rear door near the last pews. Rather, entry is through
the ambulatory which circles the interior of the Cathedral. The
ambulatory urges everyone forward, on a slight incline, height-
ening the sense of an upward journey, past various devotion-
al chapels opening onto the walkway, not onto the Cathedrals
worship space; this allows a meditative environment for devo-
tional prayer.
Light and diversity of shapes draws people forward along the
ambulatory and around the corner to the Baptistery and the
enormous public worship space. The journey continues bringing
people to the light of the nave and the place of baptism. The font
is designed to accommodate baptism by immersion. Steps lead
from the far side down into the immersion pool. The bap-
tized person emerges onto the nave side where the people are
assembled and makes the journey forward to the Altar to share
3DROHWWL&RQVXOWLQJ 60 4.0
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in the Eucharist.

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The Cathedrals 300-foot nave is the place for the gathering of
the faithful. Fixed seating accommodates 1,900 people and an
additional 1,100 moveable seats allow a total of 3,000 congre-
gants. The nave encourages full and active participation of all
people in the Liturgy. No columns block the congregants vision,
since nine long span steel trusses allow for a full unobstructed
view. The structure offers upward views to the side chapels on
each side of the soaring, cedar wood ceiling. This dynamic effect
results from Moneos design that avoids right angles and sym-
metry.
Designed to survive an 8.0 earthquake event, with minimal
damage, the Cathedral has been given an estimated life of half a
millennium. This is a achieved by the use of a seismic base isola-
tion system. The various components that require maintenance
and service over time are designed to be replaced or repaired.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels serves as the mother
church for the largest Roman Catholic archdiocese in the coun-
try, where mass is celebrated daily in 38 languages.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, elec-
tronic organ/keyboards, piano, and classical ensemble (e.g.,
strings, horns, woodwinds) music. The audio systems designer
was Paoletti Associates. Sound is typically both amplified and
unamplified during services. The reverberation time data were
measured in the unoccupied space. The background noise level
data were measured in the unoccupied space. The heating and
cooling is supplied by underfloor ducting serving under pew
louvers. The HVAC equipment serving the cathedral is located
in mechanical equipment rooms within the basement. Exhaust
fans are suspended from the roof within the structural framing
system. The complex wall design contained equipment noise,
QRUWKHDVWH[WHULRU_-RKQ:LOOLDPV

and significant isolation systems controlled equipment vibra-

tion.
Image caption for middle right image as follows: nave viewed
from organ loft | Building Design & Construction Magazine.
RRUSODQ

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L A K E AV E N U E C H U R C H
T he new Worship Center of Lake Avenue Church, com-
pleted in 1989, is unique among contemporary, American,
Evangelical, Protestant churches. It preserved traditional eccle-
siastical, aesthetic elements while incorporating wall and ceiling
surface forms that are usually reserved for concert halls.
In May 2014 the Worship Center celebrated its 25th anniversa-
ry. It has seen a shift to more contemporary music. However at a
Sunday Service one may find a full choir with organ, a chamber
orchestra, praise band, and soloists.
The Worship Center replaced a 1,200 seat church, now used
for Hispanic Services and Chapel. Church committees worked
closely with Paul S. Veneklasen & Associates (PSVA), now
Veneklasen Associates to establish the following acoustical re-
quirements mainly through listening tests in PSVAs Auditori-
um Synthesis Studio:
R5 Acoustical ambience suitable for both traditional and con-
temporary worship
R5 Nominal reverberation time of 2.0 seconds (occupied) at
500 Hz
R5 Sound reinforcement system capable of producing a peak,
overall, 116 dB sound pressure level with loudspeaker re-
sponse +1/-3 dB, 5010,000 Hz, with 95% sentence intelli-
gibility and an acoustic gain of 10 dB with the sound source

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3 feet from the microphone
A fundraiser, who was also an architect, was retained by the
church. He suggested a worship center form with a semi-circu-
lar seating area. His plan occupied the entire available site with
a dubious acoustical outcome. PSVA working closely with Steve
Barasch, Architect, suggested a single balcony plan in a quar-
ter-circle form. As a consequence, the site could also accommo-
date a contiguous Family Life Center with classrooms, offices,
and a gymnasium, now called the Warehouse on four levels. This
form allowed the sidewalls to be configured to provide early lat-
eral reflections (envelopment).
The total seating capacity in pews is 4,100 with 2,150 on the
main level and 1,950 in the balcony. The overall maximum di-
mensions are 195 feet long, 208 feet wide and 65 feet high. The
total volume is 1,300,000 cubic feet. The pews are upholstered
on the backs and seats to stabilize the reverberation time. Only
the aisles are carpeted. The walls and ceiling are 2-inch plaster.
The ceiling was contoured to provide co-planar sound reflec-
tions and the sidewalls to provide early, lateral reflections (en-
velopment). The rear wall is faceted to diffuse sound and avoid
echoes to the platform.
A Casavant 104-rank, 5842 pipe organ is located behind the
choir loft. The organ voices were specifically selected by the
Church Organ Committee for their inspirational worship
sounds and also concerts. A baptistery and video projection
screen is integrated into the chancel.
In order to meet the required high sound pressure levels and
excellent speech intelligibility, a custom column loudspeaker
system was designed by Paul S. Veneklasen. Paul championed
column loudspeakers since his early days at Altec Lansing af-
ter World War II. The system had to perform equally well for
sermons and rock concerts, while being affordable. This vertical
column loudspeaker would now be described as a steered line
array, virtually unheard of in 1989.
The column array includes ten compression drivers connected
to 800 Hz multi-cellular horns and ten nominal 15-inch diam-
eter low frequency cone loudspeakers. Each of the transducers
is driven through a power amplifier connected to a digital delay
line and an electronic, 18 dB/octave crossover network. The high
9HQHNODVHQ$VVRFLDWHV 60 4.0
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frequency horns are aimed independently to provide uniform

coverage throughout the audience seating area. Two 8-inch di-
ameter wide-range cone loudspeakers in the base of the array
are for the choir. The loudspeaker array is 15 feet high, 20 inches
wide and 56 inches deep. The total amplifier power available is
12,000 watts r.m.s.
Prior to occupancy, acoustical and listening tests were performed
in the Worship Center. All of the performance requirements
were met or exceeded. Twenty-three listeners, who moved to
a total of 30 locations, heard correctly 96.5% of passages from
Psalms and Proverbs with live talkers through the column sound
reinforcement system. Measured values at 500 Hz with no oc-
cupancy are: RT 2.2 seconds; C80 0.8 (main floor) and 2.0
(balcony); EDT 2.2 seconds.
Lake Avenue Church was founded in 1895 in a car barn. Since
1989, the Worship Center has successfully met its acoustical ob-
jectives for worship and special events.
The space was designed to support choir, pipe organ, electronic
organ/keyboards, piano, harpsichord, handbell ensemble, clas-
sical ensemble (e.g., strings, horns, woodwinds), and modern
band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The audio systems designer was
Veneklasen Associates. Sound is typically both amplified and
unamplified during services. The reverberation time data were
measured in the unoccupied space. The background noise level
data were measured in the unoccupied space with the HVAC
system on.
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S TA R P E R F O R M I N G A RT S C E N T R E
T he Star Performing Arts Centre is the home of New Cre-
ation Church in Singapore, led by Senior Pastor Joseph
Prince. The facility was built by and is now managed by an inde-
pendent operator and concert promoter created by the church.
The 5,000-seat Star Theatre is designed to hold not only worship
services but also amplified popular music concerts, large-scale
musical theatre productions, family entertainment, conferences,
corporate, community events and national events. It operates
during the week as a performing arts centre and is used by the
church primarily for Sunday services.
The theatre acoustics were designed for amplified events. Early
on, the church identified two key acoustical goals: excellent clar-
ity for performances and a sense of community for worship ser-
vices. To achieve this, fixed sound-absorptive finishes were de-
signed to keep the reverberation time low enough for excellent
speech intelligibility and clarity in music, while still maintaining
a sense of envelopment for the congregation during worship. The
YLHZIURPWRSEDOFRQ\_$HGDV
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walls on the lower levels are perforated wood panels, with sound
absorptive backing. The upper level walls are perforated metal
panels. A number of low frequency absorbers have been hidden
into the design, in cavities behind perforated wall finishes as
well as a ring of bass absorption around the ceiling perimeter.
Given the importance of the spoken word during church ser-
vices, a low background noise goal of NC-20 was set for the
space. Air conditioning is supplied via an underfloor plenum
and through seat pedestal diffusers under each seat, allowing for
very low air speeds and low noise levels. A study was carried out
to determine if base building isolation was necessary, particu-
larly in view of the possibility of vibration from adjacent train
tracks, but it was determined to be not needed.
The main loudspeakers are comprised of three large line arrays,
with subwoofers on the stage. Delays and front-fill speakers
supplement the main arrays to provide even coverage to all seats.
A digital audio transport network allows audio to be easily dis-
tributed anywhere in the building.
New Creation Church, which broadcasts as Joseph Prince Min-
istries, has one of the worlds largest television audiences of any
weekly religious broadcast. The theatres built-in camera posi-
tions and HD broadcast suite allow church staff to handle video
production in-house. A 16 m by 9 m LED screen on stage is
used for image magnification during services.
The stage is very large and accommodates a wide range of per-
formance types. The proscenium opening measures 26.5 m wide
by 17.5 m high in a unique open proscenium hybrid concept
with an Austrian header and adjustable proscenium elements.
The stage rigging system is a hybrid design with 60 motorized
line sets for more traditional theatrical presentations as well
as a series of 35 chain hoists on adjustable gantries that allow
more flexible rigging solutions needed for many pop shows. The
stage is trapped and has one forestage elevator with pit orches-
tra wagon. As the venue is raised 40 m above the loading dock,
the facility was planned with two over-sized freight elevators,
which open directly onto the stage, making load-in efficient. The
church set is created with scenic pieces that can be flown out
to allow quick changeovers.
$UXSFRPSOHWHGDV$UWHF 60

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The complex also has a 700 seat divisible conference hall, a 300
seat outdoor amphitheatre, multiple conference/Sunday School
rooms, a roof-level lounge and roof deck and large publicly ac-

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cessible outdoor terrace spaces. The back of house areas include
a full complement of dressing rooms, storage, offices, lounges
and rehearsal spaces, as well as a recording studio, a broadcast
control suite and video editing rooms.
The complex is placed above 40,000 m2 of open air retail and a
three-floor parking garage with the public and technical areas
integrated in a highly effective and creative way. Public circula-
tion to and from the venue was carefully planned and modelled
by the design team so that the large capacity can be efficiently
handled. The church wanted to be able to change over as quickly
as possible between the churchs five Sunday services, presenting
the challenge that audience coming in would have to be handled
view from the stage | Star Performing Arts Centre

nearly simultaneously with audience leaving. The church utilizes

an online ticketing system to book seats for Sunday worship
services for its more than 30,000 members.
The space was designed to support modern band (e.g., guitar,
drums) music. The audio systems designer was Arup [completed
as Artec]. Sound is typically amplified during services. The re-
verberation time data were calculated for the unoccupied space.
The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
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V ictory Christian Center is a contemporary worship cen-

ter which includes a 4,700 seat sanctuary, TV studio, and
various edit and control suites. Unique architecture includes
of the domed ceiling apex.
Reverberation times, ITDG, and speech intelligibility were pre-
dicted and calculated prior to construction. After construction
a 236-foot-diameter circular layout with a free span geodesic these parameters were measured and verified using primarily
domed roof structure over the sanctuary. Several acoustical sys- Time Delay Spectrometry and the TEF Analyzer.
tems were designed and employed to reduce the effects of the
circular room and domed ceiling. Speech Intelligibility was measured at 7% ALCons to 9% AL-
Cons or 0.59 STI to 0.54 STI.
An electro-acoustic computer model was generated for sta-
tistical analysis and ray tracing analysis. Mid-band reverbera- The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
tion times of around 1.5 seconds were targeted and achieved. boards, piano, and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The
Sanctuary walls were continuous coverage of standard 2" thick audio systems designers were Audio Ethics, Inc. and Lee Sound
semi-rigid fiberglass board with the middle 1/3 consisting of Design, Inc. Sound is typically amplified during services. The
a layer of very accurate Binary Amplitude Diffusor templates reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
continuous around the sanctuary. This provided high frequency The noise ratings were calculated for the unoccupied space.
diffusion instead of excessive absorption. Left hand page image captions: 1. front elevation of stage; 2.
Various sizes of acoustically diffusive clouds were suspended stage from catwalk overhead; 3. close up of overhead cloud; 4.
overhead to enhance singing by scattering sound back down exterior view. All photos credited to Wayne Lee.
onto the congregation. Clouds varied in size from 8' 8' to
16'16' suspended at various heights and locations overhead.
Over 950 formed 1-Dimensional Quadratic Residue Diffusor
panels were arranged in different orientations in a grid system.
The stage walls are absorptive with standard absorptive fiber-
glass panels, down to 4' AFF. Below that is a row of 1-Dimen-
sional Quadratic Residue Absorber-Diffusor panels continuous
around the stage wall. The center apex of dome is treated with
suspended fiberglass filled, vinyl rip stock banner systems, ar-
ranged in a crisscross manner, 50 feet in diameter, to reduce
focusing. Frictional broadband low frequency absorbers or bass
traps were installed under the concrete risers for down to 50 Hz
UHHFWHGFHLOLQJSODQRIDFRXVWLFDOFORXGV

and in large rear wall chambers absorbing down to near 20 Hz.

The loudspeaker system was designed and modeled using the
current at the time version of Enhanced Acoustic Simulator for
Engineers (EASE). A central cluster of loudspeakers were lo-
cated behind grille cloth at the proscenium faade. These pro-
vided sound coverage for much of the front and center seating
with exploding arcs of satellite loudspeakers to cover the rear
seating areas. A production Audio Visual Technical Booth for
system operators was constructed on the main floor, off-center
RRUSODQ

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T his very large contemporary gospel church has a highly

amplified service with a very large choir. They were also
planning ahead for a future broadcast ministry. Primary goals
Left hand page image captions: 1. chancel from center aisle; 2.
view across front; 3. exterior; 4. view from chancel toward rear.

were providing good ceiling reflections for the amplified choir

to make it sound larger, limiting the monitor sound intrusion
into the main mix since the pastor liked loud monitors, con-
trolling the reverberation to fit the style of worship, and avoid-
ing late arriving reflections from the rear wall.
The ceiling design had to be coordinated with a four catwalk
system to provide good reflections to all seats while still permit-
ting excellent lighting positions in the given fan-shaped room.
The rear portions of the ceiling were lowered to reduce the vol-
ume and amount of treatment required to control reverberation
and undesirable reflections. The lighting positions at the front
required convex-shaped portions of the ceiling to avoid losing
reflections from the lighting slots. The slope of the ceiling above
UHHFWHGFHLOLQJSODQ

the choir was critical to prevent monitor sound from reflecting

back into the audience.
To preserve most of the choir sound while controlling the mon-
itor sound, the wall directly behind the choir was made absorp-
tive while the walls to the sides were left reflective (although
covered with cloth-covered reflective panels).
The treatments along the back walls were successfully minimized
to 2.5'3.5' high to control undesirable reflections and also help
control the reverberation. The seating areas had cushioned seats
and backs, and the aisles were carpeted. The RT at mid-frequen-
cies was just over 1.3 seconds when two-thirds occupied, and
varies from 1.5 empty to 1.25 seconds fully occupied. Only min-
imal effort was put into the HVAC system noise control, and so
it was not as quiet as would be desired but acceptable.
The space was designed to support choir, electronic organ/key-
boards, piano, and modern band (e.g., guitar, drums) music. The
audio systems designer was James S. Brawley Associates. Sound
is typically both amplified and unamplified during services. The
reverberation time data were measured in the unoccupied space.
The background noise level data were measured in the unoccu-
RRUSODQ

pied space with the HVAC system on. A noise rating of NC-31
was calculated for the unoccupied space.
 UHHFWHGFHLOLQJSODQ

321 | 322
ORQJLWXGLQDOVHFWLRQ
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A:
ACOUSTIC DESIGN OF WORSHIP
S PAC E S A N OV E R V I E W
 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and
harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him
with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals! (Psalm 150: 3-6) [1]

F rom clashing symbols to the whisper of burning incense, sound

is essential to the worship experience. It follows that the acoustic
environment is paramount in the sanctuary, the sacred place, and
the worship space, and thoughtful design is required to achieve a
worship experience full of awe and wonder. Acousticians, architects,
audio systems designers, building systems engineers, and other
members of the design team must all work in concert to meet the
expectations of the worship leaders, music directors, congregation,
and other stakeholders. This section provides an overview of the
acoustic design process with a specific focus on worship spaces.

Architectural Acoustics
The field of architectural acoustics can generally be divided into
two subfields: room acoustics and noise control. Room acoustics
focuses on the characterization and optimization of sound en-
ergy behavior within a built environment. Noise control en-
compasses the mitigation of any unwanted sound from intru-
sive noise sources affecting a sound-sensitive space. A variety of
spaces in addition to worship spaces fall under the purview of
architectural acoustics, including drama theaters, concert halls,
schools, residences, hospitals, and any space where the behavior
of sound can affect the building occupants. In all of these spaces,
two primary acoustic objects can be identified: a sound source
and a sound receiver. For the case of worship spaces, the worship
leader and musicians will be considered as the primary sources,
and the assembled worshipers (e.g., congregation) as a collection
of receivers.

When sound is emitted from a source, such as a worship leader

delivering a message, it propagates in many directions as sound
waves. Several fundamental physical properties are used to de-
scribe a sound wave. For example, the amplitude of the sound
wave, interpreted as loudness by the listener, is typically char-
acterized by the sound pressure level given in decibels (dB). The
sound of rustling leaves is approximately 10 dB, while the sound
1 m from a jet engine can exceed 130 dB. (All decibel values
given in this book are referenced to 20 micro-Pascals). Another
notable property is frequency: the number of cycles of oscillation
per second. The units for frequency are Hertz (Hz). Frequency is
related to the perception of pitch, with low frequencies having
a low-sounding pitch, like a tuba, and high frequencies having
a high-sounding pitch, like a piccolo. Frequency is an import-
ant consideration in the acoustic design of worship spaces since
many acoustic parameters vary with frequency. Frequencies are
often divided into octave bands, which are continuums of fre-
quencies between two limits, a lower frequency limit and an up-
per frequency limit; the upper limit is twice that of the lower
limit. Octave bands are identified by their center frequencies,
and the bands typically considered important in architectural
acoustics range from 31.5 to 8,000 Hz, although this range can
APPENDIX A:
ACOUSTIC DESIG
SPACESAN OV
differ in some circumstances. The acoustical data shown for the
worship spaces in this book are given for octave bands from 125
to 8,000 Hz for consistency, as data outside of this frequency
range were not available for all spaces.

Worship spaces are most commonly designed to support both

speech and music. As Kleiner, Klepper, and Torres so eloquently
stated, Voice and music as the carriers of the divine message
are elemental to worship [2]. The acoustical design of worship
spaces must provide a delicate balance between the requirements
for speech and music. To further complicate the issue, speech
and music typologies can differ greatly across religions, cultures,
regions, etc. Even a single worship space could have differing
acoustic needs at different services; for example, a worship space
may be used to house both a traditional service with a full choir
and organ and a more contemporary service with a small group
of singers and a band. Some spaces may be more heavily focused
on speech requirements, such as venues for religions that dont
include music as part of their services or spaces that are primar-
ily used for teaching, prayer, or meditation. In addition to sup-
porting the speech and/or music delivered as part of the service,
worship spaces are also designed to encourage and support the
worship participation of the congregationbe it through song,
prayer, or quiet reflection, all associated with unique acoustic re-
quirements.

To achieve an environment optimal for speech, music, and wor-

ship participation, some key considerations are: (1) providing
appropriate sound distribution within the space, which is de-
termined by the finish, shape, and placement of room surfaces;
(2) achieving adequate loudness of the talkers, musicians, and
other desired sound sources; (3) designing for a suitable rever-
beration time; and (4) attaining low ambient noise in the space
by considering the sound isolating properties of the surrounding
envelope and the control of external and internal noise sources.

Appropriate Sound Distribution and Room

Surfaces
When a sound wave strikes a surface, its energy can be absorbed,
327 | 328 reflected, and/or transmitted. Surface materials can be charac-
GN OF WORSHIP
VERVIEW
terized by coefficients of absorption, reflection, and transmission
through measurements made in an acoustic laboratory. These
three coefficients generally vary across frequency. As a rule of
thumb, a surface with a soft, fuzzy finish is more likely to absorb
sound, whereas a surface with a hard, dense finish is more likely
to reflect sound. Thick, heavy surfaces resist the transmission of
sound, whereas thin, light surfaces more easily allow for sound
transmission. The unique combination of absorbed, reflected,
and transmitted sound for each surface will determine the dis-
tribution of sound within a room. A combination of absorbing
and reflecting surfaces is used in worship spaces to control this
distribution of sound energy in the space.

Important considerations in the design of the room surfaces are

the support of useful reflections and the reduction of unwanted
reflections. For example, imagine that a worship directors voice
is carried in a straight line as direct sound to a worshiper. Ideal-
ly, reflections from the ceiling or sidewalls would help support
and reinforce the direct sound energy. However, if the reflections
are delayed too long and arrive at a sufficiently loud level, they
might instead confound the direct speech signal. In such cases,
a delayed, high-level reflection could be perceived as an echo or
may cause the listener to localize the sound source to a position
different from the original source. Architectural acousticians
carefully design the finish, shape, and placement of surfaces in
worship spaces to help avoid these unwanted effects from late
reflections.

Surfaces with absorptive finishes will typically soak up or ab-

sorb sound energy. The effectiveness of absorbing surfaces is in-
fluenced by their material type, thickness, area, and mounting
conditions. A variety of products are used for sound absorp-
tion, including fabric-faced fiberglass panels, acoustical ceiling
tiles, and heavy curtains. The worshipers and seating areas can
also provide a large amount of absorption in the space. Com-
mon building construction materials generally absorb more
high-frequency sound energy than low-frequency energy. Thus,
special attention is often needed to provide adequate absorption
of low-frequency energy. Design strategies such as using thick-
er materials and/or an airspace behind the surface are usually
APPENDIX A:
ACOUSTIC DESIG
SPACESAN OV
employed to provide low-frequency absorption. Consideration
of both low and high frequencies is needed to effectively tune
a room to avoid frequency coloration, a phenomenon in which
certain frequencies are emphasized over others.

In addition to absorptive surfaces, reflective and diffusing sur-

faces can be used to optimize reflections and to uniformly dis-
tribute the sound energy throughout the room. Uniform dis-
tribution helps to ensure that all members of the congregation
experience a similar acoustic environment. Reflective and dif-
fusing surfaces typically have hard finishes that strongly reflect
sound energy. Larger, flatter surfaces such as gypsum board walls
will tend to yield specular reflections, wherein the sound wave
is reflected at an angle equal to its angle of incidence. Con-
versely, diffusing surfaces utilize geometric shaping or surface
irregularities to scatter sound waves in many directions (some
diffusers modify the temporal distribution of the sound energy,
achieving a similar effect). There are a variety of diffuser shapes
commercially available such as pyramidal, convex, barrel-shaped,
and many more complicated geometries. Acousticians will often
work with the architect to develop specialty surface treatments
for individual worship spaces to achieve a unified acoustic and
aesthetic vision.

Adequate Loudness
Worshipers must be able to clearly hear the speech and music be-
ing presented as part of a service. In addition to providing useful
reflections, one effective design strategy for achieving adequate
loudness is to ensure a strong direct sound, which is dependent
on a clear sight line between the worship leaders or musicians
and the worshipers. Toward this end, the distance to the farthest
listener should be minimized. Fine-tuning the shape of the seat-
ing area and the use of balconies or galleries can help bring the
worshipers physically closer to the worship leaders. The slope
or rake of the congregation seating is also an effective design
tool. The floor can be sloped so that every worshiper can see the
worship leaders beyond the head of the person sitting in front
of them. Bench seating can also be incorporated, which allows
worshipers to slightly shift their locations to improve sight lines.
329 | 330
GN OF WORSHIP
VERVIEW
In addition to these considerations, acousticians address the
issue of loudness by taking into account phenomena such as
reflections from the underside or railings of balconies, shad-
ow zones under balconies, and attenuation effects due to au-
dience grazing, which is the phenomenon associated with the
decrease in sound energy as it passes over and through a group
of listeners. Often it is also desirable for the worshipers to hear
themselves; that is, the space should support worshiper singing,
congregational response, group prayer, etc. Strategic placement
of reflective surfaces, typically above the worshipers, can help
support the worship experience by directing congregant sound
energy back to the congregational seating areas.

Appropriate Reverberation Time

A key acoustic parameter used in designing worship spaces is re-
verberation time (RT), which is a measure of how quickly sound
fades away in a room after a source has stopped. If you stand in
a room and clap your hands together loudly, you will typically
hear the sound energy fade away, or decay, after a short period
of time. The time necessary for the sound to decay by 60 dB is
known as RT, which is directly proportional to how large the
space is and inversely related to the total amount of absorption
in the space. In other words, rooms with very large volumes and
very little absorption, such as large gothic cathedrals, typical-
ly have very long reverberation times. Conversely, a small space
with highly absorbing surfaces, like a living room, will have a
short reverberation time. Rooms with long reverberation times
are referred to as live, while rooms with short reverberation
times are referred to as dry or dead. Shorter RTs are preferred
to enhance speech intelligibility, as excessive reverberance can
smear the speech waveform in time and lead to low speech
intelligibility. Conversely, longer RTs are generally preferred for
music to help add a sense of richness and fullness to the singing
or instrumentals. The ideal range of RTs for worship spaces var-
ies widely depending on the types of speech and music present-
ed. Variable acoustic systems are sometimes incorporated where
the RT can be optimized based on the type of service. Some
forms of variable acoustic systems include absorptive elements
such as heavy curtains or absorbing panels that can be retracted
APPENDIX A:
ACOUSTIC DESIG
SPACESAN OV
or rotated to reveal more reflective surfaces.

Low Ambient Noise

The ambient or background noise in a space is essentially the base-
line noise level above which the speech and music must occur to
be heard clearly. Ambient noise sources may be internal to the
room (e.g., air-conditioning, plumbing, lighting) or external to
the room (e.g., people gathering in ancillary spaces, rain falling
on the roof, cars driving by). If the ambient noise sources are
loud enough, they can mask or cover up a desired sound, such
as the worship director leading a service. Maintaining a low am-
bient noise level in a worship space is essential to allow the wor-
shipers to both hear the service and engage in undisturbed silent
meditation or prayer. To achieve a quiet ambient environment,
architectural acousticians utilize tools such as building layout,
sound isolation properties of building elements, and control of
engineered building system noise.

Proper building layout, also known as the zone approach, can

minimize acoustical problems between adjacent spaces. The goal
is to keep unwanted sound out of the worship space. Noise pro-
ducing spaces, such as mechanical equipment rooms, elevator
equipment rooms, restrooms, kitchens, etc., should not be lo-
cated adjacent to acoustically sensitive spaces, such as the main
worship space, ancillary prayer spaces, or musician rehearsal
spaces. Non-noise-sensitive buffer spaces, such as corridors, ves-
tibules, or storages spaces, can be used for isolation of noise-
sensitive spaces.

To prevent sound from traveling between adjacencies, the sound

isolation properties of building elements (e.g., walls, ceilings,
floors) must also be considered. Sound transmitted through the
air is referred to as airborne sound, whereas sound transmitted
through solid structural elements is referred to as structure-borne
sound. Both types of transmitted sound must be considered to
achieve low ambient noise. The transmission of sound through
wall, ceiling, and floor configurations can be characterized
through measurements made in an acoustic laboratory by a met-
ric called transmission loss (TL). Because the TL varies across
331 | 332 frequencies, this measure is often simplified into a single num-
GN OF WORSHIP
VERVIEW
ber rating of sound transmission class (STC). In general, the high-
er the TL or STC, the more effective the element is in blocking
sound. As a rule of thumb, massive materials such as concrete are
more effective at isolating sound, whereas lightweight structural
materials such as plywood allow more sound to pass through.
Sound will always travel through the path of least resistance;
so seams, doors, windows, and openings for ductwork, piping,
electrical conduit, etc. must all be considered when designing
the overall structural assembly. Additionally, to isolate struc-
ture-borne sound, structural resiliencies or discontinuities may
be required.

Finally, noise control of engineered building systems is critical

to achieving quiet spaces. Noise from heating, ventilating, and
air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can be quite problematic if
not balanced properly or designed with acoustics in mind. To
mitigate HVAC system noise, acousticians work with mechan-
ical engineers to incorporate a myriad of strategies, such as ap-
propriate system layout, incorporation of vibration isolation, and
careful selection of HVAC equipment and other peripherals.
Other building services, such as elevators, restrooms, kitchens,
electrical transformers, etc., can also be acoustically problem-
atic. Architectural acousticians work closely with mechanical
and other building engineers to help prevent noise from these
various building systems from negatively impacting the acoustic
environment in the worship space.

Additional Resources
As described above, and as shown in many of the worship spaces
presented in this book, all acoustic design metrics and strategies
are interrelated, such that only a holistic approach will ensure
success. The discussion above is only a brief overview of this ap-
proach articulating some of the major aspects involved in de-
signing the acoustics of a worship space, and is not intended to
be a comprehensive design guide. A list of references is given as
an appendix for readers interested in a more extensive explana-
tion of the various topics discussed in this overview and other
nuances involved in the art and science of architectural acous-
tics. To learn more about the science of acoustics and to search
APPENDIX A:
ACOUSTIC DESIG
SPACESAN OV
for educational programs, please visit the Acoustical Society of
America (acousticalsociety.org). Also, more information about
acoustical consulting companies, many of whom work in the
area of worship space design, can be found through the National
Council of Acoustical Consultants (www.ncac.com).

References
[1] The Bible: The English Standard Version.

[2] Kleiner, Mendel, Klepper, David L., and Torres, R.R. Wor-
ship Space Acoustics. Florida: J. Ross Publishing, 2010.

333 | 334
GN OF WORSHIP
VERVIEW
APPENDIX B:
G LO S S A R Y
absorbing materials: materials that dissipate acoustic energy
within their structure as heat and/or mechanical vibration
energy. Usually, building materials designed specifically for the
purpose of absorbing acoustic energy on the boundary surfaces
of rooms or in the cavities of structures [1]

absorption: the process of dissipation of sound energy, or the

sound energy absorbed by a component or an entire room [2]

absorption coefficient (): a measure of the sound absorb-

ing property of a surface. More specifically, absorption coef-
ficient is defined as the fraction of the incident sound energy
absorbed (or otherwise not reflected) by a surface [2]

acoustical treatment: the use of acoustical absorbing or

reflecting materials or sound-isolating structures to improve or
modify the acoustical environment [1]

acoustics: the science of sound, including its production,

transmission, and reception [3]

acoustic (sound) environment: the overall environment,

interior to exterior, which affects the acoustic conditions of the
space or structure under consideration [1]

airborne sound: sound transmitted through air as a medium

rather than through solids or the structure of a building [1]

altar: the table in the chancel that the clergy use for Commu-
nion. Sometimes referred to as the Communion table [4]

ambient noise: see background noise

amplification: usually, the increase in intensity level of an

audible signal produced by means of loudspeakers and associat-
ed electrical amplification apparatus [1]

apse: projecting part of a church that is usually semicircular in

plan and vaulted [5]

articulation index: a calculated coefficient used for rat-

ing the intelligibility of speech [3]. A value of 0 implies zero
speech intelligibility, and a value of 1, a perfect intelligibility
[2]

articulation loss of consonants (ALCons): a calculated

value used for rating the intelligibility of speech that is typical-
ly expressed as a percentage (%ALCons). Lower percentages
imply less articulation information lost, or better speech intel-
ligibility. Higher percentages imply more articulation informa-
tion lost, or worse speech intelligibility

attenuation: reducing the magnitude of a sound signal by

separation of a sound source from a receptor, acoustical absorp-
tion, enclosure, active cancellation by electronic means, or a
G LO S S A R Y

combination of these or other means [1]

audible: capable of producing the sensation of hearing [1]

auditorium: large event space reserved for special programs

and gatherings

average sound pressure level (Leq): the average sound

pressure level occurring in a specified period (e.g., 1 hour) [3]

A-weighting: the standard frequency weighting that de-em-

phasizes low-frequency sound similar to average human
hearing response and approximates loudness and annoyance of
noise. A-weighted sound levels are frequently reported as dBA
[3]

background noise: the generally lowest or residual sound

level present in a space above which speech, music, or other
sounds may be heard [1]. Typically measured while the space
is unoccupied and may include airborne, structure-borne, or
equipment noise [2]. Common sources are HVAC, noise from
adjacent spaces, outside noise such as traffic, etc. Also called
ambient noise

balcony seating: seating areas raised above the main floor to

bring audiences closer to the chancel or performance area. Also
referred to as gallery seating

basilica: a Roman Catholic church given ceremonial privileg-

es [5]

bimah: a raised platform in a synagogue from which the Torah

is read [5]

brilliant: a bright, clear, ringing sound, rich in harmonics. A

brilliant sound has prominent treble frequencies that decay
slowly [6]

cantor: a person who leads a group of singers in a religious

337 | 338
service [5]

cathedral: gathering space for Roman Catholic worship with

a bishop

chancel: the front part of the church from which the service
is conducted, as distinct from the nave, where the congregation
sits [4]. Usually includes the altar, lectern, and pulpit and often
the choir and organ [1]. See also nave and sanctuary

chapel: gathering space for worship with no constant, or-

ganized congregation, or an auxiliary worship space used for
prayer, gatherings, or small religious services

church: gathering space for Christian worship with a constant,

organized congregation

cruciform: in the shape of a cross [5]

dBA: A-weighted sound pressure level. See also A-weighting

dead room: a room that is characterized by a large amount

of sound-absorbing material and with little reverberation [3].
Also known as a dry room. See also live room

decibel (dB): the measurement unit used in acoustics for

expressing the logarithmic ratio of two sound pressures, inten-
sities, or powers. Typically used to describe the magnitude of a
sound with respect to a reference level equal to the threshold of
human hearing [3]

diffraction: a change in the direction of propagation of sound

as a result of bending caused by a barrier in the path of the
sound wave [2]

diffusion: dispersion of sound within an enclosure such that

there is uniform energy density throughout the space [1]. With
diffusion in the room, the listener receives sound from various
directions [2]
G LO S S A R Y

direct sound: the sound that arrives at a receiver along a

direct line from the source without reflection from any surface
[2]

distribution: the pattern of sound intensity level within a

space; also, the patterns of sound dispersion the sound travels
within a space [1]

dynamic range: the range in decibels between the maximum

and minimum signal levels from a device or sound source [1]

ecclesiastical: of or relating to the Christian church or clergy

[5]

echo: a sound that has been reflected with sufficient time

delay, and is of a sufficiently high level to be heard as a distinct
from the original sound [2]

flutter echo: a rapid but repetitive succession of sounds from

a sound source, usually occurring as a result of multiple reflec-
tions in a space with hard, flat and parallel walls [2]

focus: a concentration of reflected acoustic energy within a

limited location in a room [1]

frequency: the number of (full) cycles per second measured.

The unit of frequency is cycles per second (cps), which is also
called Hertz (Hz). A frequency of 500 Hz means 500 cycles
per second [2]

frequency band: a subdivision of the frequency range of in-

terest for measurement or analysis purposes (e.g., octave band,
one-third-octave band, etc.) [1]

house of worship: gathering space open to various religions,

or a space for worship practice that incorporates multiple
religions

HVAC: heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning

339 | 340
imam: a Muslim religious leader [5]

lectern: a speakers stand at the front of the church. Used by

lay people to read scripture lessons, lead the congregation in
prayer, and make announcements [4]. See also pulpit

liturgy: a fixed set of ceremonies, words, etc. that are used

during public worship in a religion [5]

live room: a room containing an unusually small amount of

sound absorption. A reverberation chamber is an extremely live
room [2]. See also dead room

loudness: an auditory sensation that varies with sound pres-

sure level and is also dependent on both frequency and time [3]

meditation and teaching hall: gathering space for Bud-

dhist and Hindu religious activities

meeting house: gathering space for United Church of Christ

worship, stemming from Puritan traditions

minaret: a tall, thin tower of a mosque with a balcony from

which people are called to prayer [5]

minister: a person whose job involves leading church services,

performing religious ceremonies, and providing spiritual or
religious guidance to other people [5]

mosque: gathering space for Muslim worship and teaching

muezzin: a Muslim crier who calls the hour of daily prayers

[5]

narthex: a historic term for what might otherwise be called

the foyer or entryway of the church [4]

nave: the architectural term for the place where the congre-
gation gathers for worship, as opposed to the front part of the
G LO S S A R Y

church from which the service is led [4]. See also chancel and
sanctuary

noise: unwanted sound

noise (sound) control: the application of acoustical prin-

ciples to the design of structures, equipment, and spaces to
permit them to function properly and to create the desired
environment for the activities intended [1]

Noise Criteria (NC): a numerical rating system, or family

of curves used to specify background sound levels over a given
frequency range [7]

noise reduction: the reduction in level of unwanted sound

by any of several means (e.g., by distance in outdoor space, by
boundary surface absorption, by isolating barriers or enclosures,
etc.) [1]

noise reduction coefficient (NRC): a single-number rat-

ing derived from measured values of sound absorption coeffi-
cients of a material at 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz. NRC is
an estimate of the sound absorptive property of an acoustical
material [2]. NRC values range from 0 (hard reflective materi-
als) to 1.0 (highly absorptive materials)

octave (or octave band): interval between two frequency

limits whose frequencies are related to each other in the ratio
of 1:2. In other words, the upper frequency limit of an octave
band is twice its lower frequency limit. An octave band is spec-
ified by its center frequency [2]. The standard acoustical octave
bands are centered at 16, 31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000,
4,000, and 8,000 Hz [1]

one-third octave band: an octave band divided into three

bands. The upper frequency limit of a one-third octave band is
21/3 times its lower frequency limit [2]

oratory: a room or portion of a room that is set aside for an

341 | 342
individual to conduct personal devotions [4]

plenum: an air-filled space in a structure, especially one that

receives air from a blower for distribution (as in a ventilation
system) [7]

psychoacoustics: the scientific study of human auditory

perception [3]

pulpit: a speakers stand at the front of the church. Used by

the clergy to read scripture lessons and preach the sermon [4].
See also lectern

rabbi: a person who is trained to make decisions about what

is lawful in Judaism, to perform Jewish ceremonies, or to lead a
Jewish congregation [5]

reflected sound: the resultant sound energy returned from

a surface(s) that is not absorbed or otherwise dissipated upon
contact with the surface(s) [1]

reflection: the phenomenon by which a sound wave is re-ra-

diated (bounced) from a surface [3]

reredos: a usually ornamental wood or stone screen or parti-

tion wall behind an altar [5]

resilient mounting: any mounting or attachment system

that reduces the transmission of vibrational energy from a
vibrating body or structure to an adjacent structure [1]

reverberant (reflected) sound field: a sound field creat-

ed by repeated reflections of sound from the boundaries of an
enclosed space [2]

reverberation: the persistence of a sound within a space after

the sound source has stopped [1]

reverberation time (RT): the time (in seconds) required for

G LO S S A R Y

the sound pressure level to decrease 60 dB in a room after a

noise source is abruptly stopped. Reverberation time relates to
a rooms volume and sound absorption [3]

room acoustics: focuses on the characterization and optimi-

zation of the acoustical conditions within a built environment

Room Criteria (RC): a numerical rating system, or family

of curves used to specify background sound levels over a given
frequency range. Includes calculation of a level rating based on
the arithmetic mean of the noise levels at 500, 1,000, and 2,000
Hz and ratings of spectral quality

room shape: the configuration of enclosed space, resulting

from the orientation and arrangement of surfaces defining the
space [1]

sabin: a unit of measure of sound absorption. The unit sabin

can be either foot sabin or metric sabin, depending on whether
the surface area of the absorber is measured in square feet or
square meter. 1 foot sabin is the sound absorption provided
by 1 square foot of a surface whose absorption coefficient is
1.0. Similarly, 1 metric sabin is the sound absorption provided
by 1 square meter of a surface whose absorption coefficient is
1.0 [2]. Named after Wallace Clement Sabine, a pioneer in
architectural acoustics [2]. See also absorption and absorption
coefficient

sanctuary: in historic usage, chancel and sanctuary are syn-

onyms. In Celebratory church architecture, the sanctuary is the
front part of the church from which the service is conducted, as
distinct from the nave, where the congregation sits. In Prot-
estant churches, the term sanctuary is used to mean the place
where the congregation sits [4]. See also chancel and nave

scattering: an irregular reflection and/or diffraction of sound

in many directions [2]

signal-to-noise ratio (S/N): the difference in dB between

343 | 344
the signal (e.g., speech) level and the noise level [2]

sound isolation: a lack of acoustical connection. There are

generally two ways of achieving sound isolation: (1) by insula-
tion, that is, by inserting a barrier between the source and the
receiver, and (2) by attenuation, that is, by reducing the intensi-
ty of sound as the sound travels from the source to the receiver
[2]

sound lock: in architectural acoustics, a small space that

works as a buffer between a source room and a receiving room.
A sound lock is usually connected to the source and receiving
rooms with sound retardant doors [2]

sound pressure level: sound pressure measured as a level in

decibels referenced to 20 micro-Pascals, generally at a specific
location or distance from a sound source [3]

sound transmission: the propagation of sound energy

through various media [1]

sound transmission class (STC): a single-number rating

derived from laboratory measurement of sound transmission
loss. The STC describes the sound-insulating properties in the
1254,000 Hz frequency range [3]

sound transmission loss (TL): a laboratory measure of

sound insulation indicative of the sound intensity flow trans-
mitted through a partition without regard to the partition size,
usually measured in one-third octave bands [3]

speech intelligibility: a measure of how well speech can be

understood by a listener [2]

speech interference level (SIL): a single-number rating

used to evaluate interference based on the background noise
level and voice level [3]. The SIL is the arithmetic mean of the
noise levels at 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 Hz [8]
G LO S S A R Y

speech transmission index (STI): a calculated coefficient

used for rating the intelligibility of speech. A value of 0 implies
zero speech intelligibility, and a value of 1, a perfect intelli-
gibility. The Rapid Speech Transmission Index (RASTI) is a
simplified version of STI

structure-borne sound: sound energy transmitted through

solid elements of a building structure [2]

synagogue: gathering space for Judaic worship and teaching

theology: a study of religious faith, practice, and experience

[5]

transepts: the part of a cruciform church that crosses at right

angles to the greatest length between the nave and the apse or
choir [1]

transmission: see sound transmission

vestibule: an entrance hall inside a building [5]

vibration: a periodic motion of molecules in an elastic me-

dium with respect to equilibrium. Vibration by mechanical
equipment can be a factor in structure-borne noise radiation
[3]

vibration isolation: the methods used to reduce vibration in

a structure caused by vibrating equipment, including the use of
springs and elastomeric materials [3]

wavelength (l): the distance between adjacent regions of a

sound wave where identical conditions of particle displacement
or pressure occur [1]

Note: some definitions are taken verbatim from the texts cited.
Please refer to the texts cited for additional explanations or
clarifications.

345 | 346
References

[1] Cavanaugh, William J. and Wilkes, Joseph A. Architectural

Acoustics: Principles and Practice. New York: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 1999.

[2] Mehta, Madan, Johnson, Jim, and Rocafort, Jorge. Architec-

tural Acoustics: Principles and Design. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,
Inc., 1999.

[3] Salter, Charles M. Acoustics: Architecture, Engineering, and

the Environment. California: William Stout Publishers, 1998.

[4] Jones, Douglas R. Sound of Worship: A Handbook of Acoustics

and Sound System Design for the Church. Massachusetts: Elsevier
Focal Press, 2011.
[5] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved March
2015 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary.

[6] Beranek, Leo L. Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music,

Acoustics, and Architecture. New York: Springer, 2004.

[7] Hardy, Hugh and Kliment, Stephen A. Building Type Basics

for Performing Arts Facilities. New York: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., 2006.

[8] Long, Marshall. Architectural Acoustics. Massachusetts: Else-

vier Academic Press, 2006.
APPENDIX C:
W O R S H I P S PAC E S I N D E X E D B Y
LO C AT I O N
 Cyprus

215 Holy Church of Agios Epiphanios | Larnaca

Japan

53 Catholic Hatsudai Church | Tokyo

265 Doshisha-Grace Chapel | Kyoto

131 Reinanzaka Church | Tokyo

231 Seigakuin University Chapel | Ageo

83 Shinanomachi Church | Tokyo

165 St. Margarets Chapel | Tokyo

177 Tokyo Church of Christ | Tokyo

Norway

127 Northern Lights Cathedral of Alta | Alta

Singapore

311 The Star Performing Arts Centre| Singapore

United States of America

California

291 Abundant Life Fellowship | Mountain View

303 Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels | Los Angeles

307 Lake Avenue Church | Pasadena

Connecticut

135 Somers Congregational United Church of Christ |

Somers

Florida

253 Ave Maria Oratory | Ave Maria

151 Grace at Fort Clarke | Gainesville

173 St. Patrick Catholic Church | Gainesville

117 Grace Lutheran Church | Naples

277 Saint Agnes Catholic Church | Naples

273 Palm Harbor United Methodist Church | Palm

Harbor

147 First United Methodist Church | Sarasota

137 St. Mark The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church |

APPENDIX C:
W O R S H I P S PA
B Y LO C AT I O N
Summerfield

219 Hyde Park United Methodist Church | Tampa

299 Calvary Chapel Melbourne | West Melbourne

189 Williston Church of God | Williston

Georgia

249 Al Farooq Masjid of Atlanta | Atlanta

281 Sisters Chapel at Spelman College | Atlanta

235 St. Brigid Catholic Church | Johns Creek

109 Congregation Or Hadash | Sandy Springs

Illinois

113 Fourth Presbyterian Church | Chicago

257 Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception | Springfield

Indiana

269 Grace Church | Indianapolis

Massachusetts

79 The Sacred Space | Boston

197 Young Israel Synagogue | Brookline

185 Vineyard Christian Fellowship | Cambridge

Michigan

211 First United Methodist Church of Birmingham |

Birmingham

207 Cornerstone United Methodist Church | Caledonia

91 Western Theological Seminary Mulder Chapel |

AC E S I N D E X E D
Holland

Missouri

101 The Church of St. Michael & St. George | St. Louis

Mississippi

57 The Chapel at St. Dominics | Jackson

North Carolina

181 University City United Methodist Church | Charlotte

315 Victory Christian Center | Charlotte

223 Immaculate Conception Church | Durham

123 Judea Reform Congregation | Durham

87 St. Patricks Episcopal Church | Mooresville

285 St. Paul Catholic Church | New Bern

157 Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church | Raleigh

141 St. Michaels Episcopal Church | Raleigh

261 The Catholic Community of Saint Francis of Assisi |

Raleigh

319 Wake Chapel Church | Raleigh

Nebraska

203 Congregation of Temple Israel | Omaha

243 St. Peter Catholic Church | Omaha

New York

67 Milarepa Center | Cragsmoor

105 Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Synagogue | New

APPENDIX C:
W O R S H I P S PA
B Y LO C AT I O N
York

Ohio

71 Park Synagogue East | Pepper Pike

Oregon

155 Movement Center | Portland

Rhode Island

161 St. Dominic Chapel | Providence

Tennessee

169 St. Marys Catholic Church | Johnson City

Texas

121 Greenland Hills United Methodist Church | Dallas

239 St. Monica Catholic Church | Dallas

63 Congregation Beth Israel | Houston

Utah

295 The Assembly Hall | Salt Lake City

Virginia

193 Woodlake United Methodist Church | Midlothian

75 Reveille United Methodist Church | Richmond

Washington

227 Saint Michael Parish | Olympia

AC E S I N D E X E D
Wisconsin

97 Christ Presbyterian Church | Madison

61 The Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist | Milwaukee

APPENDIX D:
W O R S H I P S PAC E S I N D E X E D B Y
A C O U S T I C A L C O N S U LT I N G F I R M
 Acentech Incorporated

203 Congregation of Temple Israel

71 Park Synagogue East

79 The Sacred Space

281 Sisters Chapel at Spelman College

185 Vineyard Christian Fellowship

Acoustic Dimensions

269 Grace Church

Acoustics By Design

207 Cornerstone United Methodist Church

91 Western Theological Seminary Mulder Chapel

Acoustonica, LLC

121 Greenland Hills United Methodist Church

75 Reveille United Methodist Church

193 Woodlake United Methodist Church

Alvin Holm (architecture firm)

61 The Chapel of Saint John the Evangelist

Arpeggio Acoustic Consulting, LLC

109 Congregation Or Hadash

Arup (completed as Artec)

311 The Star Performing Arts Centre

Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Inc.

253 Ave Maria Oratory

161 St. Dominic Chapel

197 Young Israel Synagogue

Charles M. Salter Associates, Inc.

291 Abundant Life Christian Fellowship

63 Congregation Beth Israel

Clayton Acoustics Group

135 Somers Congregational United Church of Christ

APPENDIX D:
WORSHIP SPACE
ACOUSTICAL CO
Jaffe Holden Acoustics

295 The Assembly Hall

211 First United Methodist Church of Birmingham

Kahle Acoustics

127 Northern Lights Cathedral of Alta

Lee Sound Design, Inc.

249 Al Farooq Masjid of Atlanta

235 St. Brigid Catholic Church

315 Victory Christian Center

Nagata Acoustics, Inc.

53 Catholic Hatsudai Church

131 Reinanzaka Church

83 Shinanomachi Church

165 St. Margarets Chapel

177 Tokyo Church of Christ

Oxford Acoustics

57 The Chapel at St. Dominics

Paoletti Consulting

303 Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Phi Acoustics

215 Holy Church of Agios Epiphanios

ES INDEXED BY
ONSULTING FIRM
Scott R. Riedel & Associates, Ltd.

97 Christ Presbyterian Church

239 St. Monica Catholic Church

243 St. Peter Catholic Church

Siebein Associates, Inc.

299 Calvary Chapel Melbourne

147 First United Methodist Church

151 Grace at Fort Clarke

117 Grace Lutheran Church

219 Hyde Park United Methodist Church

273 Palm Harbor United Methodist Church

277 Saint Agnes Catholic Church

137 St. Mark The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church

173 St. Patrick Catholic Church

189 Williston Church of God

SoundSense, LLC

67 Milarepa Center

155 Movement Center

Stewart Acoustical Consultants

261 The Catholic Community of Saint Francis of Assisi

223 Immaculate Conception Church

123 Judea Reform Congregation

157 Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

APPENDIX D:
WORSHIP SPACE
ACOUSTICAL CO
169 St. Marys Catholic Church

141 St. Michaels Episcopal Church

87 St. Patricks Episcopal Church

285 St. Paul Catholic Church

181 University City United Methodist Church

319 Wake Chapel Church

The Greenbusch Group, Inc.

227 Saint Michael Parish

Threshold Acoustics

257 Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

105 Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Synagogue

113 Fourth Presbyterian Church

Veneklasen Associates

307 Lake Avenue Church

Yamaha Corporation

101 The Church of St. Michael & St. George

265 Doshisha-Grace Chapel

231 Seigakuin University Chapel

ES INDEXED BY
ONSULTING FIRM
N O T E S O N C U R R E N C Y, U N I T S ,
AND SCALE
A ll reported construction and renovation costs are approxi-
mate. In some cases, it is difficult to single out the cost of
an individual worship space when it is part of a larger facility,
particularly when there are several support spaces in one build-
ing. The costs given in this publication were those reported by
the contributing consulting firm, and questions regarding spe-
cific costs should be directed to the individual firms.
All currencies have been converted to USD based on the ex-
change rate for each currency at the time of publication. The
units for room volume given in the information bar at the top
of each worship space spread have been converted to SI units.
However, the units given in individual worship space descrip-
tions were provided by the contributing consulting firm, as stat-
ed in the description.
The architectural drawings of the worship spaces have not been
uniformly scaled. Instead, when supplied by the contributing
firm, the main floor plan and section drawing are shown in
full-page format. This format was chosen over uniformly scaled
drawings in favor of showing more architectural detail for each
space. Relative scale for the drawings can be determined by
measuring off common architectural features such as standard
doorways. Overall, these images have been provided to give the
reader a sense of the layout of the spaces and should not be read
as official architectural documents.
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Park, Sangbum. The Soundscape of Worship Spaces. Ph.D.

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