The Majesty of Grand Cathedrals
The grand old medieval cathedrals were designed to instill a sense of awe in those who saw the buildings from the outside as they soared higher than any other building of its time. Soaring towers were held aloft by grand flying buttresses. The interior was equally grand with halls bigger than any indoor space that existed at the time. The interior was illuminated by sunlight streaming through grand glass windows and upper level clerestories. The grand chambers also impressed acoustically.
When the voice of the priest boomed and reverberated throughout the chamber, it seemed imbued with holy power. Grand pipe organs likewise played bass notes deeper than anyone of the time had ever heard when they were first introduced. Powerful tones were amplified by the echoes giving the presentation extra audio grandeur.
Today’s church buildings are quite different. Instead of being financed with the wealth of kingdoms, church buildings are often built with the modest charitable contributions of the parishioners. Building goals are often based on functionality and budget rather attempting to match the monumental grandeur of medieval cathedrals. Church acoustics are often an afterthought.
Often acoustics are not considered at all in the initial design and become a focus only when the building is completed and a problem is discovered. Acoustic issues can range from standing waves affecting bass notes if the service includes musical instruments, to a lack of vocal intelligibility caused by reverberations and echoes as the sound waves bounce of the hard surfaces of ceilings and walls.
In modern buildings, when these issues are discovered, acoustic treatments can be added to correct these issues. Acoustic insulation can be added to help keep the sounds of worship from leaking out through the building walls and disturbing the churches neighbors if it is built in a crowded urban setting. Materials like Owens Corning 703, a rigid fiberglass material, can be used to help reduce audible echoes from solid surfaces inside the church building. This can help improve vocal intelligibility to make sure that the message being delivered is audible and clear to every listener within the church building.
While few modern churches contain pipe organs, many do contain modern bands with musical instruments like bass guitars and drums that can also produce very deep bass notes. Depending upon the specific design of the hall, these notes may produce a phenomenon known as standing waves which can cause specific areas of the hall to receive an unpleasant overemphasis of bass notes while others may experience a null zone in which the bass tones seem muted or unnaturally subdued. The addition of bass traps and other readily available acoustic treatments can help correct these issues after the building is completed, although acoustic considerations should be part of the initial design criteria for buildings such as churches in which sound is a primary focus of the building’s use.