MAJLIS BANDARAYA

SHAH ALAM
AUDITORIUM
A CASE STUDY ON ACOUSTIC
DESIGN

Presented By:
PRESENTED BY:
Ankit Suthar
ANKIT SUTHAR

MEGHA SHAH
Megha Shah
YASH PATEL
Yash Patel
 • Introduction
• Site Information
• Auditorium Design Analysis
CONTENT • Existing Sound Sources
• Materials and Properties
• Site Acoustics Analysis
• Issues and Recommendations
• conclusion

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Acoustic Design Introduction
• Acoustic design is the use of architectural and engineering techniques to control the behaviour of
sound in an enclosed space.
• The purpose is to improve sound distribution in the enclosed space by enhancing the desired sound
suited for the program.
• Acoustic design also aims to eliminate noise and undesired sound that would negatively affect the
desirability of the sounds.
• For instance, specific measures will be taken to make speech more intelligible or to make music sound
better for the users.
• Building materials, architectural designs and layouts will be taken into consideration while engaging
in acoustic designs.

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 SITE INFORMATION
• The Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam auditorium
was built in the early 90s and could
accommodate approximately 1600 people.
During the early years, the auditorium was
mainly used for formal events where foreign
diplomats were usually involved hence there
were several translation rooms overlooking the
auditorium from above. The typical programmes
in the auditorium are live singing performances
and occasionally some formal speeches.

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PERSPECTIVES
OF THE
AUDITORIUM
HALL.

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 A

AUDITORIUM
DRAWINGS

A’

Level 1 Floor Plan. 66

A A

A’ A’

55100

Level 2 Floor Plan. Level 3 Floor Plan. 7

Section A-A’

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 AUDITORIUM DESIGN ANALYSIS
Shape & Massing

The shape of the auditorium implements the reversed fan shape where the sound can be
reflected throughout the auditorium 99
 Convex Ceiling Flat Ceiling
Helps to diffuse sound Helps to reflect sound
Shape & Massing to the audience direct to the speaker

Reflected Sound Sound Shadow

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 SEATING ARRANGEMENT

Raking of seat to a level that is not too

steep to avoid too much direct sound
Seating arrangement layout towards the audience

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 SITE ZONING

Lower level sound intensity. Upper level sound intensity. 12

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 EXISTING SOUND SOURCES

The MBSA Auditorium Hall uses the

5.1 surround sound system since the
completion of the hall in the early
90s. This surround sound system
often indicates to system of a high
Array Stage Monitor Single Speaker
Speaker Speaker Cabinet standard quality, as 'true ' surround
sound. The system consists of five
speakers and a subwoofer; a
powered power designed to produce
bass tones and low frequency tones.
As for the main five speakers, two of
them are on the front left and right,
and two are at the rear left and right,
and lastly the center quality speaker.
The center speaker system is larger
and more versatile, where it consists
of more individual speaker cones.

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 INDICATION OF SPEAKERS IN SECTIONS

Distributed speaker system is used to overflow sound to the audience in the auditorium. A distributed
speaker system is effective to majority of the audience to gain adequate sound quality. Besides that,
there are some landed speakers on the stage and floor also contributes to the adequate of sound
quality.

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Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan 15
 EXTERNAL NOISE

In the MBSA Auditorium Hall, the absence of ORTH:nn

osq ue
external noise source could be detected due to the
existence of soundproof system and the location of
the building, which is further away from other
surrounding buildings. It is also enabled by the
WEST:
commercial
·'
I

EAST:
spaces placed around the auditorium hall, which \ open field and buildings

forms a buffer zone, enhancing the desire sound in

the auditorium.
 Mosque Opening &
Closing Doors
51dB
68dB

Chit Chat AHU Room

65dB 50dB

Highways

67dB

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 INTERNAL NOISE

The internal noise source locates around the auditorium hall,

whjch is the corridor direct towards the entrance as well as
the backstage area. This noise somce exists only during the
presents of events. It is reduced by the application of
soundproof wall around the auditorium space. Internal noise
source also comes from the ceiling air grills installed
throughout the lower floor ceiling for ventilation and air
conditioning purposes. It is avoided by the management group
through activating the ventilation system I to 2 hours ahead
of the event at low-level to prevent the noise from degrading
the standard of performance.

Internal noise sources' location

Foot Steps
Ballast in
Lights
32dB Chit 24dB
Chat
65dB

Air Con Squeaking

Diffuser Sound of
Chairs
28dB

38dB

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 SOUND LOCK

Level 1 Level 2

Section
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 Building Ma terial Surface 125Hz 500 Hz 2000Hz
Components Area (m )

Ceiling Plaster on lath, deep 630.7 0.20 0.10 0.05

air space

Seating Fabric well- 1484.4 0.19 0.56 0.61

upholstered seats,
unoccupied

Curtain Curtains in folds against 45.5 0.05 0.35 0.50

wall
Wall Wood Slat Acoustic 102.3 0.18 0.42 0.83
Diffuser

Wood Panel Sound 232.66 0.28 0.17 0.10

MATERIALS AND Diffuser

Concrete 697.33 0.02 0.02 0.05

PROPERTIES Floor Carpet, Heavy,on

Concrete
352.72 0.02 0.14 0.60

Wooden Flooring 281.12 0.40 0.20 0.15

Door Acoustic door with 65 0.35 0.44 0.54
steel frame

Balcony Thick Clear Acrylic 32.36 0.44 0.70 0.16

Panels

Wood Railing 16.95 0.15 0.10 0.06

Occupants - 0.39 0.8 0.92

Openings Deep Balcony 110.4 0.50-1.00

Ventilation Grills 2.97 0.15-0.50

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Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan 22
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 FLOOR
• Wood flooring is any product manufactured
from timber that is designed for use as flooring,
either structural or aesthetic purpose. This type
of flooring is generally used for special purpose
floor, like the auditorium due to its reflective
nature.
• Wood is a common choice as a flooring material
and can come in various styles. The type of
wood flooring used in MBSA Auditorium is solid
woodenflooring.
• Solid hardwood floors are made of planks milled
from a single piece of timber. Solid wood floors
have a thicker wear surface and can be sanded
and finished more times than an engineered
wood floor.
• A sloping floor is desirable especially for large
halls, it helps in improving the sight lines of the
audience. Moreover. when sitting on a sloping
floor, the listeners receives more direct sound 1120mm/44in.
compared to when it is on a flat floor.
• Generally, the slope of an auditorium floor
should not be less than 8° and for safety
purposes the slope should not exceed about
35°.

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Floor slope diagram
 WALL
• The walls of the auditorium are generally
covered with sound absorbent materials
like compressed fibreboard or draperies,
which is to reduce reverberation. These
materials reduce the formation of echoes
by absorbing sound waves.
• The type of material used on the walls in
MBSA Auditorium is sound absorbing
foam. It is layered on with wooden panels
of different widths that act as a diffuser,
which is to match the hjgh and low
frequencies of sound.
Photo of absorptive wal l.
CEILING
• The ceil ing ofMBSA has a slanting profile
to reflect the sound. It is suspended
plaster, providing different planes that
reflect varying wavelengths of sound.
• Constructed on metal lath, the ceiling is
plastered thickly to resist panel vibration.
Also with the thick mass of plaster and a
proper suspension system, it will permit
the external noise from being transferred
inside. A high volume of the auditorium
hall is recommended for good acoustic
qualities
Photo of auditorium's ceiling.
SEATING
• The total seating capacity of the
auditorium is 1600. They are arranged in
3h arena form that enables 180-270
degree angle of inclusion. All seats are
fixed and upholstered with moulded metal
support at the leg. The front of the chairs
are covered with fabric which is sound
absorbing whereas the back of the seat
pans are perforated metal over sound
absorbing material. This is to ensure that
the absence and presence of audience
does not affect the reverberation time.
When the seats are occupied, the
absorption effect is reduced as it faces the
floor whereas when unoccupied it faces
the stage.
Customised seating diagram.
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 STAGE
• The stage is divided into 3 parts, with one
fixed central stage and 2 fore-stage
platforms. The fore-stage platform can be
adjusted from O.OOm to+ 1.OOm
depending on the function of the event.
The space beneath the stage is hollow so
sound will travel through the flooring and
empty space to be reflected by the
concrete base at the bottom. When the
sound is reflected back to the surface of
the flooring, the intensity of the sound
would have been reduced. Hardwood
timber flooring is used for the stage.
OPENINGS
• There are total of7 fire exit doors in the
auditorium. 4 doors are located at ground
floor and the rest at second floor. The
wooden doors are acoustic and framed
with steel All of the doors have thick
curtain hung against them. The curtains act
as sound absorber so that when the door is
opened, the sound will not escape from
the hall
BALCONY
• There are two balconies on each side of
the wing. The balconies have fixed seats for
the VIP and carpeted flooring. Plasterboard
is used for the ceiling. The railings
protecting the audience from falling off
from the balcony are wooden bars and
thick clear acrylic panels. The panels are
made thick to resist panel vibration.
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 1. INCIDENT SOUND
Audience sitting at the front row receives higher
intensity of direct sound from the sound source
compared to other positions in the hall.

Audience sitting at the middle row will receive

relatively lower sound intensity as it is further
from the sound source.
SITE ACOUSTICAL
ANALYSIS The intensity of sound decreases as the distance from
the sound source increases. Therefore, audience sits at
the upper level receives the lowest intensity of direct
sound

Audience at underside of the deep balcony are

in the potential sound shadow area, where
direct sound could not reach. Sound reflection
and diffraction are used to supplement for
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the condition.
 2. SOUND REFLECTION AND
ABSORPTION
I. Properly-tilted Ceiling

Sound Reflection Analysis of Ceiling of Auditorium

• Back rows of audience seatings are shaded with lower ceiling

resulting from balcony seatings at upper level. Slanted ceiling
reflects sound and distribute it to deeper rows of seatings to
optimise the acoustic experience.
• Properly tilted ceilings ensure the sound emitted from the sound
source travel to the audience by sound reflection and directs the
Reflective wall (brick wall, plaster ceiIIng)
sound in specific directions. As a result, reflection of sound through
Absorptive wall (surface treatment)
the tilted ceiling is able to optimise and distribute sound throughout
the whole auditorium.
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I. Speakers
1. House speakers placed at stage acting as: the main 2. External Speakers - Two main speakers are placed on both sides of
source of sound, directing all incident sound towards stage, where diamond shaped stage allows all sound to be reflected towards
audience, whereas sound woofers placed around audience audience, whereas monitor speakers direct sound to performers.
provides better hearing experience.

Reflective wall (brick

wall and wooden
panels)
Absorptive wall (surface
treatement)
ReflecUve wall (brick wall,pal ster ceiling)

Absorptive wall (surface treatement)

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 3. SOUND DIFFUSION I
DISPERSION
By enhancing the sound emitted from sound

source through the design and material of surfaces it

selves, usage of external amplifier is at zero. At lower

level of auditorium, seatings at centre row are removed

due to the lack of reflected sound or weak reflected

sound arriving at that position, as two straight walls are

placed parallel to each other, perpendicular to sound

source.

Control Room with Angular Surfaces

Above the box seatings is an angular surface

that reflects the sound emitted from sound source.

Sides of the surface are made up of wooden panels,

in a result, the audience receives adequate amount of

reflected sound from the surrounding area. Refledive wall (wooden panels) 29
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Reverberation Time Calculation SABINE FORMULA : RT = 0.16V / A
Where,
Absorption of surface = Surface area (m2 x Absorption coefficient of surface (500Hz)
RT : Reverberation Time (Sec)
As (Ceiling)= 630.7m2 x 0 I= 63.07 m2sabins
V : Volume of the Room
As (Seating)= 1.2m 2 x 1237 x 0.56= 831.26 m2sabins
A : Total Absorption of Room Surface
As (Curtain)= 45.5m2 x 0.35= 15.93 m2sabins

Wall
As (Wood Slat Acoustic Diffuser)= 102.3m 2 x 0.42= 42.97 m2sabins
As (Wood Panel Sound Diffuser)= 232.66m2 x 0.17= 39.55 m2sabins
As (Concrete)= 697.33m2 x 0.02= 1 3.95 m2sabins

Floor
As (Carpet)= 352.72m2 x 0.44= 49.38 m2sabins
As (Wooden)= 281. 12m2 x 0.2
56.22 m2sabins
As (Door)= 65m2 x 0.14= 9.1 m2sabins

Balcony
As (Thick Clear Acryl ic Panels)= 32.36m2 x 0.7= 22.65 m2sabins.
)

As (Wood Railing) = 16.95m2 x 0 1= 1.7 m2sabins

Openings
As (Deep Balcony)= 110.42 x 0.5= 55.2 m2sabins
As (Ventilation Grills)= 2.97m2 x 0.15= 0.45 m2sabins

Total Absorption= 63.07 + 831.26 + 15.93 + 42.97 + 39.55 + 13.95 + 49.38 + 56.22 + 9.1
(0.16) 7545m3
+ 22.65 + 1.7 + 55.2 + 0.45 = 1201.43 (m2sabins)
964.71m2
= 1.25s
Reverberation Time = 0.16 x Volume of the room / Total absorption
RT =0.16x 7545m3/ 964.71m2sabins = 1.25s 30
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 ISSUE AND
RECOMMENDATION
Issues

• One of the concerns that could be seen in MBSA auditorium hall is the
absence of concave surface that has the potential to form
concentra6on of sound waves especially for the back rows. This will Sound Reflection of Auditorium
result in non-uniform distribution of sound waves, causing a different
acoustic experience for the audience.

Recommendations

• To achieve desired sound throughout the whole auditorium and to

ensure the satisfaction of the acoustic experience, ceiling is
recommend to tilt or orientate in a more concave-like shape.
Concentrated sound can be produced and distributed uniformly once
the sound is reflected

Reflective ceiling (plaster ceiling)

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Concave Ceiling Suggestion
 CONCLUSION
The calculated reverberation time of at 7545m3 volume reinforces the mixed use nature of the Majlis Bandaraya Shah
Alam auditorium. With the common programs such as live singing performances and the occasional speech conferences, the
reverberation time is neutral and neither fully catered towards speeches nor musicals. The reverberation time of 1.25s is
suitable for live singing performances due to the presence of music that should have a relatively higher reverberation time to
reach more ' fullness' and at the same time, the program requires a relatively lower reverberation time to maintain the
intelligibility of the lyrics.
•Designed with in-depth acoustic to cater speech events
•Equipped with systems to ensure the audience have best experience
-Sound evenly distributed without sound concentratio
-Materials that diffuse & reflects sound to audience while absorbing excessive sound
• Dedicated for speech only but with the sound reinforcement system, MBSA Auditorium provides efficiency for
performances

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 REFERECNES

https://issuu.com/jacquelyntan/docs/a4_report_completed
https://wwwacousticaJsurfaces.com/acoustic_IOI/101_13.html
http://wwwacoustic.ua/st/web_absorption_data_eng. pdf
https://www.slideshare. net/mominzaki/auditorium-acoustics-33230112
http://www. music-group.com/Categories/Behringer/Loudspeaker-Systems/Portable Speakers/B1220-PRO/p/P0284
https://issuu.com/priscakwanfdocs/toc.docx
http://www. hifido.eo.jp/KW/G020 l/J/0- I 0/C12-68892-54803-00/
https://www.burmings.com.au/csr-edmonds-ventilation-whirly-mate-ceil ing-grille_p0816657

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THANK YOU

ANKIT SUTHAR
15SA205

MEGHA SHAH
15SA222

YASH PATEL
15SA252