Fundamentals first: foundational acoustics applied to a multipurpose auditorium

The 528-seat auditorium at the Hayward USD Performing Arts Center in California, USA, was designed to serve the entire community, offering a wide range of performance types, including lectures, meetings, drama, amplified music, and unamplified choral and orchestral works. Acoustical design was guided by classic methodologies, including reverberation time predictions and ray tracing. To support the diverse programming, a variable acoustics drapery system was designed and provided. Wall and ceiling shaping was optimized to promote uniform sound distribution and support both clarity and envelopment throughout the audience. This paper discusses the design techniques employed to balance flexibility, intelligibility, and listener experience using foundational analysis techniques, and will offer measured data to show the highly-successful results, which matched the predictions remarkably well.