Arts at Argonne

What are the characteristics of an auditorium that is perceived to have superior sound qualities? One of the main difficulties in designing such an auditorium is that the concept of sound perception is poorly understood. Certain criteria can be formulated quantitatively, and here science can make a contribution. But until we fully understand the concept of perception, our design decisions must also appeal to aesthetics and intuition.

JUAN RESTREPO, postdoctoral fellow in Argonne's Mathematics and Computer Science Division, studied acoustical engineering at Columbia University and Penn State before becoming a mathematician. He has designed recording studios in the New York City area and a 2,600-seat auditorium in Bogota, Colombia. He has participated in the acoustic design and testing of the auditorium in the APS Conference Center.

In his lecture, Dr. Restrepo will explain some of the characteristics that are thought to contribute to superior sound quality. He will illustrate with examples from various halls throughout the world and use the auditorium of the APS Conference Center as a case study. He will explain some of the techniques he uses in the design of concert halls and auditoriums. The audience will be invited to participate in evaluating the auditorium with regard to speech intelligibility.