York Minster is the largest medieval Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, renowned for its magnificent architecture and its stained glass windows. Both acoustic measurements and simulation techniques have been used to analyse the acoustic environment of its Chapter House, which dates from the 13th-century and features an octagonal geometry with Gothic Decorated stone walls replete of geometric patterns and enormous stained glass windows, covered by a decorated wooden vault. Measured and simulated room impulse responses served to better understand how their architectural features work together to create its highly reverberant acoustic field. The authors start by analysing its acoustic characteristics in relation to its original purpose as a meeting place of the cathedral’s Chapter, and end by reflecting on its modern use for a variety of cultural events, such as concerts and exhibitions. This work is part of the “Cathedral Acoustics” project, funded by the EC through the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie scheme.
The theatres of Antiquity, Greek and Roman, constitute public buildings of the utmost importance in the history of Western culture and in universal cultural heritage. Many of these spaces are being used for their original function with or without only minor adaptations. If they are well preserved and/or restored, these performance buildings attract large audiences to representations of classical and contemporary plays, thereby serving the purpose for which they were built in the Ancient Age. These theatres bear witness to the existing relationship between architectural work, visual and acoustic experience, and dramatic art. Although the majority are located in the Mediterranean region, these structures were also built in the major cities of the ancient world in Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, and beyond. This paper aims to summarise and critically review research published in the literature regarding their acoustic aspects, with particular emphasis on Roman theatres. These pieces of research emphasize the importance of the diffraction of sound in the tiers of the cavea and the good intelligibility for speech of the Greco-Roman theatre.
The Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral, built in the 14 th century, is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of medieval England. The Lady Chapel is a semiindependent space connected to the north of the cathedral choir. Its interior is a great example of the Decorated Gothic style, being also the largest Lady Chapel and one of the widest stone vaulted spaces in England. This work presents the study of the acoustic behaviour of Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel throughout history, which has been undertaken using both on-site measurements and simulation techniques. Three different acoustic models were created for the purpose of this work. The acoustic model of the Lady Chapel in its current state was adjusted and validated by taking as a reference a set of room impulse responses registered on site. Then, the model was carefully modified to recreate the acoustics of the space at different points in history: as it was in its origins, before being heavily damaged during the Reformation in the 16 th century; and when it was fully furnished to be used as the parish of Holy Trinity, as it remained until the beginning of the 20 th century. A comprehensive study is undertaken based on a comparative analysis of the acoustic parameters derived from the simulated room impulse responses, and the results are discussed focussing on the architectural alterations and the interior arrangement modifications undertaken to serve the great varieties of uses it has had over time.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.