OTA Notes

ACOUSTICS IN AN OPEN AIR THEATRE
CONTENTS
“ACOUSTICS FIRST BECAME ASSOCIATED WITH ARCHITECTURE WHEN MEN BEGAN TO ASSEMBLE
IN GROUPS TO HEAR SPEECHES, LISTEN TO MUSIC AND SEE AND HEAR PLAYS.”
A FAVOURABLE SETTING FOR ABOVE SUCH ACTIVITIES THE GREEKS AND ROMANS EVOLVED OPEN-
AIR THEATRES, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE SURVIVED TO THIS DAY.
THE TYPICAL OPEN-AIR THEATRE CONSISTS OF STEEPLY BANKED BENCHES ARRANGED IN A

SEMICIRCLE (IN FRONT OF A PLATFORM).
WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME THE PLATFORM

EVOLVED INTO A STAGE WITH MASSIVE REAR
AND SIDEWALLS OF MASONRY (AND
SOMETIMES A CEILING) THAT SERVED THE
ACOUSTICAL PURPOSE OF REFLECTING,
DIRECTING AND THEREBY REINFORCING
THE SOUND INTENDED FOR THE AUDIENCE.
HISTORY OF OAT
THE OPEN AIR THEATRES OF ANCIENT GREECE AROUND 1500 BC WERE SIMPLE RECTANGULAR
OR TRAPEZOIDAL ARENAS SURROUNDED BY WOOD OR STONE SEATING ON THE SAME LEVEL. BY
500 BC, THE SEMICIRCULAR THEATRE BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE, WITH CONCENTRIC ROWS OF
MARBLE SEATS OFTEN RAISED ON A LOW SLOPE. LATER, THE ROMANS RAISED THE STAGE,
WALLED IT AT THE BACK AND MADE THE SEATS VERY HIGHLY TIERED.
THEY FOUND THAT THE ACOUSTICS IMPROVED AS THE
THEATRES GOT MORE ENCLOSED, HAD STEEPER SEATS AND
HIGHER STAGES, AND WERE BUILT FROM HARDER
MATERIALS. THESE MEASURES ALLOWED FOR MULTIPLE
SOUND REFLECTIONS BETWEEN THE SEATS AND THE STAGE.
THIS HIGHER REVERBERATION MADE IT MUCH MORE LIKE
AN INDOOR SPACE.
PRINCIPAL DEFECTS
THE PRINCIPAL DEFECT OF THE GREEK AND ROMAN
THEATRES IS THAT THE SEMI-CIRCULAR TIERS OF Focus
Sound
SEATS ACT AS REFLECTORS THAT TEND TO FOCUS back
reflected from
SOUNDS FROM THE STAGE BACK TO A POINT ON near the
tiers
OR NEAR THE STAGE. source
 MOREOVER, THE ECHOES FROM CONCENTRIC

TIERS ARE REINFORCED AT CERTAIN
FREQUENCIES AND DIMINISHED AT OTHERS.
ACCOUSTICAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
PROPER ACOUSTICS OF A BUILDING MEANS TWO THINGS :
• CONTROL OF NOISE AT AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL

NOISE CONTROL MEASURES COMMONLY COMPRISE OF THE SELECTION OF SITE
IN THE QUITE AREA AND TREATMENT AGAINST THE STRUCTURE AND AIR
BORNE NOISE.
• DISTINCT SPEECH OR MUSIC AUDIBILITY BY THE WHOLE

AUDIENCE INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE
THE DESIRED HEARING CONDITIONS DEPEND LARGELY UPON THE SHAPE AND
THE SIZE OF THE HALL, THE TOTAL SOUND ABSORPTIONS AVAILABLE AND
WHETHER OR NOT THE HALL IS PROVIDED WITH SOUND AMPLIFICATION
SYSTEMS; THE TYPE OF ACTIVITY IS ALSO A PREDOMINANT CONSIDERATION.
• AN OPEN-AIR THEATRE HAS NO ROOF
OVERHEAD, ALTHOUGH IT MAY HAVE AN
Reflected sound ENCLOSING BARRIER ALL AROUND.
Direct sound • THE ABSENCE OF A ROOF AND THEREFORE OF

A REVERBERANT FIELD, DEMANDS HIGH
ACCURACY IN PREDICTING THE EARLY
REFLECTIONS.
• THEENERGY DISSIPATES QUICKLY IN THIS

TYPE OF ENCLOSURES AND THERE IS LITTLE
MASKING EFFECT OF THE REVERBERATION.
THE INVERSE CONE SHAPE OF THESE
THE CIRCULAR SHAPE MEANS THEATRES ALSO PUTS SERIOUS LIMITATIONS
SOUND IS REFLECTED BACK INTO TO THE IMAGE-SOURCE METHOD, WHERE
THE AUDITORIUM, THIS INCREASES GREAT AREAS ARE IN THE SHADOW ZONE OF
SOUND INTENSITY.
THE MIRRORING SURFACE.
• SITE POINTS TO REMEMBER
• NOISE LEVEL THE FOLLOWING POINTS SHOULD BE OBSERVED IN
• SOUND SHADOW THE DESIGN OF THE OPEN-AIR THEATRE:
• WIND DIRECTION THE SITE SHOULD BE AWAY FROM INDUSTRIAL OR
COMMUNITY NOISE.
THE NOISE LEVEL ON THE SITE SHOULD NOT EXCEED 40 DB
AND OCCASIONAL DISTURBANCE EXCEEDING THIS VALUE
SHOULD NOT OCCUR MORE THAN ONCE IN AN HOUR.
THE THEATRE SHOULD PREFERABLY BE CONSTRUCTED IN
SOUND SHADOW CAST BY HILL, AN EMBANKMENT ACROSS ANY
NOISY ZONES.
Natural or Man-made obstruction

THE PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION SHOULD NOT BE FROM
THE NOISY ZONE TOWARDS THE THEATRE BUT AWAY FROM IT.
• NOISE LEVEL  TALL TREES MUST FORM THE REAR BOUNDARY OF THE THEATRE AS THEY ARE
• SOUND VERY USEFUL IN ABSORBING EXTERNAL NOISE AND PREVENTING DELAYED
SHADOW
SOUND REFLECTIONS INSIDE THE THEATRE WHICH OTHERWISE CAUSE
ECHOES. PLUS THEY ALSO LEND A NICE LANDSCAPE TO THE THEATRE.
• WIND
THE FLOOR SHOULD BE PROPERLY GRADED, TO GIVE GOOD VISIBILITY AND
DIRECTION
AUDIBILITY TO ALL THE ROWS OF THE LISTENERS.
• VEGETATION
• FLOOR
• SLOPE
• WIND
THE SLOPE OF THE FLOOR SHOULD BE TOWARDS THE STAGE AND IT SHOULD BE
ABOUT 12 TO 15 DEGREES TO THE HORIZONTAL.
THE DIRECTION OF THE PREVAILING WINDS MUST BE FROM THE STAGE
TOWARDS THE AUDIENCE
• SITE
• NOISE LEVEL
• SOUND POINTS TO REMEMBER
SHADOW
THE SHAPE OF THE THEATRE SHOULD BE SUCH THAT MOST OF THE AUDIENCE
• WIND IS DRAWN CLOSE TO THE STAGE.
DIRECTION A SEMI-CIRCULAR SHAPE ADMIRABLY SATISFIES THIS CONDITION BUT IT DOES
• VEGETATION NOT SUITE TO THE DIRECTIONAL PROPERTIES OF THE SOUND.
• FLOOR  TO HAVE SATISFACTORY SOUND
• SLOPE LEVELS AT ALL THE PLACES A FAN Focus
Sound
SHAPE THEATRE IS CONSIDERED GOOD, back
• WIND reflected from
PARTICULARLY WHEN THE STAGE near the
tiers
• SHAPE WALLS AND PROSCENIUM source
• CEILING REINFORCEMENT CAUSE THE SOUND
LEVELS AT THE REMOTE PLACES BY
REFLECTION.
THE STAGE WALLS AND CEILINGS MUST
BE DESIGNED TO OBTAIN MAXIMUM
THROW AND DIFFUSION OF SOUND
TOWARDS REMOTE PLACES.
• SOUND
SHADOW
• WIND POINTS TO REMEMBER
DIRECTION
THE BACK WALL OF THE STAGE MUST BE VERTICAL, WITH PLANE OR CONVEX
• VEGETATION CORRUGATION FOR THE REFLECTION.
• FLOOR
THE SIDEWALLS SHOULD BE SPLAYED OUTWARDS TO AVOID FLUTTERING OF SOUND
• SLOPE AND TO OBTAIN BENEFICIAL REFLECTION.
• WIND THE SOUND LEVEL DISTRIBUTION MAY BE ESTIMATED BY THE METHOD OF IMAGES.
• SHAPE
THE SOUND INTENSITY DROPS OFF AS THE INVERSE SQUARE OF THE DISTANCE. THE
• CEILING SIDE WALLS ARE ALSO PROVIDE WITH CORRUGATIONS. THE STAGE CEILING SHOULD
• BACKWALL SLOPE UPWARDS SO AS TO ARREST AND THROW THE OUTGOING SOUND ONTO THE
AUDIENCE.
• SIDEWALL
• CAPACITY
THE CAPACITY OF THE OPEN-AIR THEATRE SHOULD NOT EXCEED ABOUT 600 PERSONS
IF THEY ARE TO HEAR CLEARLY AND THE PERFORMERS ARE TO SPEAK WITHOUT
STRAIN.
HOWEVER WITH ADEQUATE SOUND AMPLIFICATION THE THEATRE MAY
ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 2000 PERSONS.
THE AREA OF THE THEATRE EXCLUDING THE STAGE MAY BE CALCULATED AT THE RATE
OF 0.8TO 1SQM PER PERSON, INCLUDING GANGWAYS.
• NOISE LEVEL
IF THE SEATS ARE SO STAGGERED THAT EVERY SEAT IS DISPLACED SIDEWAYS FROM
• SOUND SHADOW ONE IN FRONT BY HALF THE WIDTH OF THE SEAT, THE AREA PROVIDED SHOULD BE
• WIND DIRECTION ABOUT 1 TO 1.20 SQM PER PERSON.
• VEGETATION SOUND ABSORPTION BY THE AUDIENCE, UNOCCUPIED SEATS AND THE AIR MUST BE
TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT INTO THE DESIGN.
• FLOOR
FACTORS SUCH AS HUMIDITY, TEMPERATURE, FOG AND THE WIND VELOCITY,
• SLOPE WHICH AFFECT THE SOUND TRANSMISSION, MUST BE CONSIDERED.
• WIND  MATERIALS SHOULD BE PROPERLY SELECTED, KEEPING IN MIND THEIR
• SHAPE ABSORPTION AND DIFFUSION PROPERTIES.
• CEILING SOME OF THE PREFERRED MATERIALS ARE :
• BACKWALL
• SIDEWALL
• CAPACITY
• SOUND
ABSORPTION
• MATERIAL
CASE STUDY
BHARAT BHAWAN, BHOPAL
ARCHITECT- CHARLES CORREA
LOCATION-
J . SWAMINATHAN MARG , SHAMLA HILLS
, NEAR UPPER LAKE, BHOPAL, M.P
• THE THEATRE IS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE LAKE,

SURROUNDED BY RESIDENTIAL AREA. THUS, THERE IS NO
DISTURBANCE DUE TO INDUSTRIAL OR COMMUNITY NOISE.
• THE SOUND LEVEL IS MUCH LESS THAN 40 DB.
• NO SOUND SHADOW IS REQUIRED IN THAT REGION.

• WIND BLOWS FROM LAKE TOWARDS OAT, WHICH HELPS IN
CREATING A COOL ENVIRONMENT FOR VISITORS.
• THICK VEGETATION AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE OAT
ACTS AS SOUND ABSORBER.
• SITTING AREA IS MADE OF HARD STONE WHICH

SCATTERS THE SOUND WAVES EASILY.
• SLOPE IS MUCH GREATER THAN 150 .
• THE SEMI-CIRCULAR DESIGN CLEARLY INDICATES A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE

SPHERICAL PROPAGATION OF SOUND, AND A DESIRE THAT EVERY MEMBER OF AN AUDIENCE
SHOULD HEAR EQUALLY WELL WHAT IS BEING INTONED ON STAGE .
• THE ACOUSTIC ADVANTAGES OF A STEPPED DISH ARE ONLY

OPTIMIZED HOWEVER WHEN THE SPEAKER IS STANDING AT
THE EXACT CENTRE STAGE; ONLY THEN WILL THE VOICE
PROPAGATE SYMMETRICALLY, AND REFLECT BACK FROM
UNOCCUPIED AREAS TO THE SAME POINT
• A SMALL ENTRANCE SUPPORTED ON
COLLONADES IS PROVIDED AT THE BACK OF
THE SEATS WHICH ABSORBS SOUND
WAVES.
• THERE ARE NO OTHER WALLS AT THE
PERIPHERY.
• NO CEILING IS PROVIDED ABOVE THE
STAGE.
• THE THEATRE IS CAPABLE ENOUGH OF ACCOMODATING MORE THAN 200 PERSONS AT A
TIME.
• THE GREENERY PROVIDED AT THE BOUNDARIES ABSORBS MAXIMUM SOUND

REFLECTED.
• THE LAKE BEHIND THE STAGE ALSO

ABSORBS REFLECTED SOUNDS.
• THE SEATING AND SURROUNDING IS
RENDERED OF HARD STONE WHICH
REFLECTS THE SOUND.

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ACOUSTICS IN AN OPEN AIR THEATRE

THE TYPICAL OPEN-AIR THEATRE CONSISTS OF STEEPLY BANKED BENCHES ARRANGED IN A

WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME THE PLATFORM

 MOREOVER, THE ECHOES FROM CONCENTRIC

• CONTROL OF NOISE AT AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL

• DISTINCT SPEECH OR MUSIC AUDIBILITY BY THE WHOLE

Direct sound • THE ABSENCE OF A ROOF AND THEREFORE OF

• THEENERGY DISSIPATES QUICKLY IN THIS

Natural or Man-made obstruction

ARCHITECT- CHARLES CORREA

• THE THEATRE IS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE LAKE,

• THE SOUND LEVEL IS MUCH LESS THAN 40 DB.

• NO SOUND SHADOW IS REQUIRED IN THAT REGION.

• SITTING AREA IS MADE OF HARD STONE WHICH

• SLOPE IS MUCH GREATER THAN 150 .

• THE SEMI-CIRCULAR DESIGN CLEARLY INDICATES A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE

• THE ACOUSTIC ADVANTAGES OF A STEPPED DISH ARE ONLY

• THE GREENERY PROVIDED AT THE BOUNDARIES ABSORBS MAXIMUM SOUND

• THE LAKE BEHIND THE STAGE ALSO

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