Noise and Reverberation Reduction in Post Chapel Activity Room

摘要

In the fall of 2005 the author was contacted by the Fort Rucker Post Chaplain to investigate and offer some suggestions for improving the acoustics in the chapel's activity room. Visual inspection and Sabine-model calculations led to the recommendation to install additional sound-absorbing surface area. In January 2006, the Fort Rucker Directorate of Public Works presented a contractor's proposal to add 700 square feet of absorbing baffles suspended from the ceiling. This plan was later changed to include an additional 1000 square feet of absorbing wall panel to the already existing wall-mounted paneling. This report contains results of reverberation time measurements, made before and after installation of the additional paneling. It shows that the renovation was effective, reducing reverberation times at all frequencies by almost a factor of two except at the lowest measured frequency (125 Hz) where reverberation time was unaffected. It is expected that, with a carefully tuned electronic public address system, the space should now be acoustically functional for worship, conferences, theater and music performances, and social functions.