Noise-Control Design for the Main Hall of the Canadian National Arts Center in Ottawa

Abstract

The main auditorium of the new National Arts Center in Ottawa is bounded by several mechanical equipment rooms that house the air-handling equipment for the auditorium and its stage area and for some of the other parts of the total complex. Noise-control design includes: (1) control of fan noise through the ducts, (2) control of fan noise into the mechanical rooms themselves, (3) control of the escape of mechanical room noise into the auditorium and stage areas, (4) control of air movement noise in the ducts, and (5) control of damper and diffuser noise. Vibration control includes the vibration isolation of fans, pumps, ducts, and piping in various crucial locations. The exterior shell of the building has been designed to exclude city noise and to limit the intrusion of aircraft noise. A very brief summary is given of the noise criterion goals and the design objectives for achieving those goals.