Chapter 11: Auditorium, Theaters and Sport complexes

11.1 Theatres

Fundamentals of Architecture

Main Task

Acheive balance between commercial, artistic and spectactor requirement and design scheme
which comply with mean of escape and safety requirements.
Organization

Thetres can be divided into 3 parts

1. Reception : enterance, booking hall, foyer, cloak room etc

2. Auditorium
3. Stage : main stage, wings, back of stage, scenery store, workshops, dressing rooms,
rehearsal rooms etc

Parts may vary in size and content depending on type of theatre.

Opera
Drama
Speech/ Review
cinema

11.2Auditorium

An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at

venues such as theatres.
For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.

Condition for good acoustics of a auditorium

the initial sound from the source should be adequete intensity so that it can be heard
throughout the hall. For halls of big size, suitable sound amplification system should be
installed
the sound produced should be evenly spread in the hall so that sound foci and dead spots
are avoided
the boundary surfaces of the hall should be properly designed so that the desierd
reverberation time is acheived, and unwanted sound is absorbed. The absorbent materials
should be distributed evenly over the wall surfaces of the hall.
In the case of conferece halls, the acoustics of the halls should be so designed as to ensure
proper conditions for listening, assuming that the person may speak or listen from
anywhere in the hall.
In the case of music halls, the treatment should be such that the intial sound reaches the
audience with the same intensity and frequency.
The outside noise should be properly insulated.

Bachelor of Civil Engineering

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Chapter 11: Auditorium, Theaters and Sport complexes

General principles and factors in acoutical design

Fundamentals of Architecture

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Site selection and planning

Dimensions
Shape
Seats and seating arrangement
Treatment of interior surfaces
Reverberation and sound absorption

Activities can be divided into 2 catagories

o Outdoor those which can be played in common spaces
o Indoor those which essentially need separate space
Combined with football pithc with running track surrounding it conforming to
recongnized international atheletics standard may determine size of sports area.
Stadium are usally part excavated, so earth gained from it is used to built up all around.
Stadium usually includes
o Grandstand with changing room, shower, firstaid room and provision for police,
fire services, adminstration, press, broadcasting room
o Dormitories for training are usually provided in separate building
Town planning stadium should be well integrated with surrounding with easy access for
traffic and supplies (rail, station, bus stops, car parks), neighbouring industries with
smoke, smell and noise undesirable.
Orientation North South

11.3 Sports Complex

Bachelor of Civil Engineering

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