Architects and churches...
Posted: Mon, 2019-Sep-30, 03:04
A few years ago, I was hired to improve the isolation of a new church being built in a residential area in Santiago, Chile, where they were concerned that their services would annoy the neighbors. They were right about that, and I did fix the isolation issue for them, but take a look at the interesting shape of the stage area:
Yup! That's what the architect had come up with! A perfectly rounded, cylindrical section shape for the stage... and a rather small stage area, for a rock band... The church has a contemporary praise and worship band, with acoustic drums, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, percussion, singers... and the Architect thought it would be a great idea to have a nice pretty round shape to the stage!
Actually, this is what it looked like on the very first day I walked in, to do the initial evaluation:
Yep, that's a solid reinforced-concrete wall. And also note the steep angle of the ceiling on the right hand side... A real fun place, acoustically... 
I warned them just how bad it was going to be to have a live rock band in that curved shell... nobody had considered that. So they set up the band in there, to try it out, thinking that it would all be OK, and that I was exaggerating... The band members did their very best to play... and it sounded terrible! The pastor and other church leaders were all shocked at how bad it was, and the musicians were disgusted. They told the pastor flat-out that it would be impossible for them to play like that... and they really had tried very hard to keep it together. They complained bitterly... but of course it was way too late to change the stage, as the wall was already built, and it is structural (load-bearing): it holds up the roof...
In the end, the solution wasn't too hard to implement (see below), and the musicians ended up happy (as did the congregation!), but it goes to show just how poorly architects understand the basic concepts of acoustics, musicians, and music. Beware of architects that are all concerned about shapes and forms and aesthetics... but not about acoustics.
The solution:
Carefully designed and tuned acoustic panels, in strategic locations, around the stage wall. As thin as possible, because the stage is so darn SMALL!
Here's the band, all happy again, trying out the prototype acoustic panels that I designed, and which solved the problem, allowing them to make heavenly music properly:
So what's the moral of the story? If you see this post, and you are planning a church or other similar performance hall, please do take into account that simple things like the shape of the stage can have a major impact on the final outcome of your worship space. Get an acoustician to work alongside the architect, and make sure that the room really can serve its purpose.
When they are planning their new facility, most churches never even consider the acoustic aspect of the sanctuary at all... until it is too late! Moving a few lines on a piece of paper in the design stage costs nothing. Moving around walls that have already been built, or implementing acoustic solutions, costs a lot more money...
- Stuart -
Yup! That's what the architect had come up with! A perfectly rounded, cylindrical section shape for the stage... and a rather small stage area, for a rock band... The church has a contemporary praise and worship band, with acoustic drums, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, percussion, singers... and the Architect thought it would be a great idea to have a nice pretty round shape to the stage!
Actually, this is what it looked like on the very first day I walked in, to do the initial evaluation:
I warned them just how bad it was going to be to have a live rock band in that curved shell... nobody had considered that. So they set up the band in there, to try it out, thinking that it would all be OK, and that I was exaggerating... The band members did their very best to play... and it sounded terrible! The pastor and other church leaders were all shocked at how bad it was, and the musicians were disgusted. They told the pastor flat-out that it would be impossible for them to play like that... and they really had tried very hard to keep it together. They complained bitterly... but of course it was way too late to change the stage, as the wall was already built, and it is structural (load-bearing): it holds up the roof...
In the end, the solution wasn't too hard to implement (see below), and the musicians ended up happy (as did the congregation!), but it goes to show just how poorly architects understand the basic concepts of acoustics, musicians, and music. Beware of architects that are all concerned about shapes and forms and aesthetics... but not about acoustics.
The solution:
Here's the band, all happy again, trying out the prototype acoustic panels that I designed, and which solved the problem, allowing them to make heavenly music properly:
So what's the moral of the story? If you see this post, and you are planning a church or other similar performance hall, please do take into account that simple things like the shape of the stage can have a major impact on the final outcome of your worship space. Get an acoustician to work alongside the architect, and make sure that the room really can serve its purpose.
When they are planning their new facility, most churches never even consider the acoustic aspect of the sanctuary at all... until it is too late! Moving a few lines on a piece of paper in the design stage costs nothing. Moving around walls that have already been built, or implementing acoustic solutions, costs a lot more money...
- Stuart -
I love it! Perfect! I must go find that book. (Hmmmm.... I'm wondering if I fall into the category of "Blind Acousticians".... maybe just a little bit.... 