Evaluating the Effects of Building Characteristics of Worship Auditoriums on Speech Intelligibility in Makurdi Metropolis

Abstract

To enjoy the comfort of the indoor environment of any enclosed space, it is important to have a reasonable measure of understanding of any spoken word in the room. In line with the above this study assessed the characteristics of worship auditoriums with regards to speech intelligibility in Makurdi metropolis with the view to identifying building characteristics that affect speech intelligibility worship auditoriums. The study was carried out through the employment of walkthrough survey and physical observation; a well structured checklist was employed for the study. Measurements of lengths, widths and heights were carried out, from which the room volume was obtained to have an insight of the space under consideration. The auditoriums of ten worship centres in Makurdi Metropolis were studied. The findings that showed all the auditoriums were rectangular in shape. It was found that there was use of inappropriate application of materials for surface finishes in the auditoriums. In terms of room volume, it was found that G recorded the highest volume with 17064.00m3 while E recorded the lowest volume of 756.00m3 . The mean volume of the auditoriums was calculated to be 517.64m3 , the Standard Deviation (SD) was 4733.44 and the Coefficient of Variation (CV) was found to be 81.36%. The study recommended that proper selection and application of surface finish materials be ensured during construction of worship centres. Also, that acoustic treatment is applied in auditoriums where defects are identified, with the aim of effectively enhancing speech intelligibility in worship auditoriums in Makurdi Metropolis.