Architects value their senses and strive to design spaces that are engaging all five of them. However, architects typically make design decisions based primarily on how spaces appear and feel, as opposed to acousticians who normally justify design intent with the use of numbers, graphs, and charts. Although the data are clear to acousticians, auralizations are a useful tool to engage architects, building owners, and other clients and their sense of hearing to help them make informed decisions. If auralizations are used to demonstrate the effect of design decisions based on acoustics, there must be confidence in the accuracy and realism of these audio simulations. In order to better understand the accuracy and realism of auralizations, a study was conducted comparing auralizations created from models of an existing facility to listening within the facility. Listeners were asked to compare the “real world” sound to the auralizations of this sound by completing a survey with questions focusing on such comparisons. By presenting the actual sound and the auralizations in the same space, a direct comparison can be made and the accuracy and realism of the auralizations can be determined. Results and observations from the study will be presented.

The recently completed Lindemann Performing Arts Center on the Brown University campus is an exploration in all things flexible. To satisfy the programmatic needs of Brown Arts Initiative, the primary user of this new building, who needed five rooms but only got one, the Main Hall redefined the concept of multiuse hall. All sixsurfaces that define the major acoustically supportive surfaces (ceiling elements, walls, and floors) move to manipulate the otherwise beautifully simple architectural concept into five room configurations—Orchestra, Recital, End Stage Theatre, Experimental Media, and large Flat Floor. A mix of manual and motorized curtains and banners adds still more flexibility. As the paint still dries on the building, this paper will investigate the acoustic challenges, happy accidents, and areas where we might have done with less (or more) in a building that is sometimes heavy handed and sometimes a light touch. The paper will cover topics such as glass as a major reflecting surface, wall buildups that break rules of thumb to produce warm acoustic responses, use of variable acoustic solutions, and ensemble to audience size ratios that challenge conventional wisdom.

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