Acoustical renovation and sound system design in a church in buenos aires, argentina

Abstract

Church “Nuestra Señora de la Paz” suffered from an excessive reverberation (4 seconds at mid-frequencies) and an ill-suited sound reinforcement system. Measurements of the Speech Transmission Index (STI) in the congregation area indicated that speech intelligibility was greatly impaired. Thermal insulation on the roof was insufficient and impacted in air conditioning costs. Renovations included the design of a sound-absorbing and thermally insulating covering in the roof area. Subsequent measurement of room acoustic parameters showed that the proposed goals were met. A new sound system, which increased speech intelligibility and audio quality substantially, was designed and tested. The possible appearance of acoustical defects after the renovation, such as echoes and flutter echoes, was studied using objective tests on the measured Room Impulse Responses (RIRs).