Acoustic design of the esplanade arts and heritage centre, medicine hat

Authors

  • John O'Keefe Aercoustics Engineering Limited, 50 Ronson Drive, Toronto, M9W 1B3, Canada

Keywords:

Acoustic noise, Algorithms, Mathematical models, Theaters (legitimate), Audience chambers, Ceiling space, Computer model algorithms

Abstract

The acoustic design of the $32M Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre is discussed. The Esplanade uses a displacement system to ventilate the room, while the floors of the orchestra and balcony levels are perforated with a series of 150 mm diameter holes. A room below the orchestra level and the ceiling space underneath the balcony act as their respective plena. Air is inserted into these plena, where it mixes and slowly moves upward to ventilate the audience chamber. A concept of Near and Reverberant Fields was developed recognizing the fact that the listener on the orchestra level is always close to the noise sources while the listener on the catwalk is always far away. Computer model algorithms assume that sound behaves like light and that the path of the reflections can be quantified with rays and lines. The boundaries of the room and objects within the room of the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre also are described mathematically as bounded planes.

Additional Files

Published

2007-09-01

How to Cite

1.
O’Keefe J. Acoustic design of the esplanade arts and heritage centre, medicine hat. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2007 Sep. 1 [cited 2025 Feb. 19];35(3):138-9. Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/1939

Issue

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada