This thesis studies the acoustics of a 793 seat multi-use theater. The theater is a fan shaped hall with acoustical properties that the... Show moreThis thesis studies the acoustics of a 793 seat multi-use theater. The theater is a fan shaped hall with acoustical properties that the building owners found to be wanting. The acoustics were first measured using eight microphones and a frequency-sweepproducing source. The measured reverberations were then used to design and calibrate a model of the space in CATT, an acoustical modeling program, after which a variety of other unmeasured qualities of the space were calculated from the CATT model. This information was used to design a plan to improve the acoustics of the theater; the hall’s volume was increased by moving the back balcony wall farther back in order to increase the reverberation, the ceiling was reshaped in order to more evenly distribute the first order reflected rays to the audience, and some of the walls were resurfaced to alter the frequency effects of the walls. All these alterations are feasible from an engineering perspective. The proposed changes were then modeled in CATT to confirm they would have the desired effects. M.S. in Civil Engineering, May 2012 Show less
