Planning for an Acoustically Correct Worship Space
By David Ingersoll

A lot of preparation and planning goes into the design of a new church. It is always a very exciting time when a decision is made to build a new facility or add on to an existing one. The last thing anyone wants is to open the doors of their new, beautifully decorated facility and find it almost unusable because no one took the time to think about the acoustics during the design or planning stages.

On paper, the room may look wonderful, and it may even seem that everything has been considered. The new high-end sound system has been ordered, the new plush pews have been picked out, and you are increasing your size from seating 200 to 800; everything looks great. Then, you go to use the room, and you receive complaints from the congregation that no one can understand the spoken word, that people in the back of the room can't understand the minister or preacher, or that the choir is having a hard time because the sound buildup in their area is excessive. All of a sudden, you find yourself with a new and improved facility and dwindling attendance.

So, how can a growing fellowship ensure their new space will be acoustically correct?

While it is always possible to retrofit an acoustical treatment to treat a room after complaints have been raised, it is far more efficient and cost effective to take the acoustics of the room into consideration during the design phase. When retrofitting a room for an acoustical layout, you find yourself putting up treatments such as fabric wrapped fiberglass panels "where they will fit" because of pre-existing wall construction, murals, window layouts, etc. In addition, the average cost to retrofit a large space can be as much as 50% more than if the acoustical treatments were integrated into the building process from the start. The added cost is typically due to a more complex installation process as opposed to materials. If proper consideration is given during the design stage, issues such as HVAC noise, facility size and shape, window placements, ceiling height, and wall and ceiling finishes can all be adjusted to help improve the sound quality within the space.

If the treatment is considered during the design stage, you can do a proper layout that will keep a much more symmetrical layout to the acoustical treatment, resulting in a room or a facility that both looks and sounds better. The best way to ensure that the acoustic element within the space is handled properly is to hire an acoustical consultant during the design stage. The benefit to hiring acoustical consultants is that they have access to various software programs that can model the room, and they can offer suggestions to correct any potential sound issues that may occur. When working with acoustic consultants, be sure to introduce them to the architects who are involved in the building process. The relationship between architects and acoustic engineers is both dynamic and vitally important for a seamless blend of the two applications. Poor communication between the two can result in a longer building process and higher costs to you and your congregation.

On the other hand, if you are currently in the building phase, and past the point of fully integrating an acoustic solution into the design, there are still few actions you can take to help ensure your congregation will be able to enjoy the new space-we'll call them the tricks of the trade.

The biggest issue to avoid is hard parallel surfaces within your facility. Hard parallel surfaces will bounce the sound around within a space, increasing the overall reverberation time within the facility, as well as causing flutter echo problems. Try to think of this concept as a game of racquetball. Similar to the ball being struck by a racquet and then bouncing around the small room, sound will continue to bounce around until it fully exhausts all of its energy. Hard parallel surfaces can be anything from drywall or cinder block, glass windows, wood ceilings or concrete floors.

There has recently been a shift in design, and more and more facilities are beginning to resemble stadiums instead of a more traditional rectangular shape. This could be to fit more people into a smaller space, or to give the congregation a better view from anywhere within the facility. However, the other advantage to this type of design is improved sound quality due to the elimination of straight reflections caused by parallel walls.

A common treatment for walls might be fabric wrapped fiberglass panel. These types of panels are very efficient at absorbing sound and will carry sound absorption ratings ranging from 85% to 100% efficient at absorbing the sound waves that come in contact with the panels. Keep in mind that this is an overall average of the full sound spectrum, and low-end noise, such as drums, will be more difficult to absorb than the spoken word coming over the sound system. Most fabric wrapped acoustical panels are custom made to fit your space, so getting sizes that will look like they were designed for your space is possible.

The back wall of the sanctuary, or house of worship, is always going to be the most important wall to treat since this is where the majority of the speakers are pointing. You can usually fit acoustical paneling on the back wall between doors openings, and if you have a balcony, be sure to incorporate some acoustical paneling onto the face of the balcony. The side walls of most churches are generally made up a large straight space broken by a series of large windows. Acoustic fabric wrapped panels can typically be custom fitted between these windows. In addition, large window draperies made of sound-absorbent fabrics may help to reduce reverberation. The front of the church not typically treated since the speakers are pointed away from the pulpit area. However, larger choir areas can get loud, and the placement of the acoustical panels may prove beneficial in these areas.

David Ingersoll is national sales manager for Acoustical Solutions, Inc. Since 1989, Acoustical Solutions has specialized in solution design and products for architectural, environmental and industrial sound control and noise mitigation applications, www.AcousticalSolutions.net.