Acoustic adequacy of Armando Gonzaga Theater through computer simulation

Abstract

Theaters are rarely designed for multiple uses, however those located in areas lacking other cultural facilities invariably end up being used to house varied artistic presentations, not all of which were foreseen in the building’s original design and construction. However, each use demands different ideal acoustic characteristics. In most cases, such rooms have a fixed configuration which only serves one type of use or does not perfectly fit any type of use. The Armando Gonzaga Theater was designed by the architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy and is the only cultural facility in the neighborhood of Marechal Hermes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Since its inauguration in 1954, it has been used for different purposes, such as plays, dances, acoustic music and amplified music. The general objective of this work is to evaluate through computer simulation the acoustic quality to Teatro Armando Gonzaga and propose respective adjustments. Acoustic and geometric measurements were made inside the theater for the elaboration and validation of an acoustic simulation model. The acoustic measurements carried out in the theater demonstrate that the current characteristics do not fully meet the acoustic demands required for the performances in this cultural environment. After validating the model, solutions were investigated to adapt the theater for two types of use: acoustic music and speech. As the acoustic parameters required for each purpose are not the same, flexible architectural elements were proposed for the room. Each scenario was then simulated and the results show that these adjustments are both possible and should improve the building’s acoustic conditioning both for speech and for acoustic music, thus meeting the required acoustic parameters while respecting their original characteristics.