Hybrid shaping applied to concert hall design

Abstract

One of the first questions posed at the beginning of any concert hall design process is whether the room will be in the traditional long “shoebox” shape or the more intimate wrapping of the audience around the performers, characteristic of the “vineyard” approach. This paper presents the design process, acoustical measurements, and musician comments for a recently completed room where the answer was “both”. Sala Minas is the home of the Orquestra Filarmônica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The concert hall has 1500 seats with a hybrid shape combining the attractive physical and acoustical attributes of shoebox and vineyard approaches. While the audience is held close to the performers, enhancing clarity and impact, the basic room geometry is a modified rectangle with a significant vertical “hard cap” zone providing ample reverberation, envelopment, and blending of orchestral sections. The result is a vineyard configuration with unusually consistent acoustic character in all the seating sections. Adjustable acoustic elements include a movable canopy over the stage, motorized acoustical banners, and shutters on the stage walls that can be opened or closed. After two seasons since Sala Minas opening, the reviews about its acoustics are impressive.