The acoustics of the Concert Hall and the Chinese Theatre in the Beijing National Grand Theatre of China

摘要

The National Grand Theatre of China designed by the architect Paul Andreu opened in December 2007 in Beijing. It is a complex of three performance halls: the Opera House (2400 seats), the Concert Hall (2000 seats) and the Chinese Theatre (1100 seats). These three halls are covered by a super-ellipsoidal shell made out of titanium and glass. This presentation will focus on the acoustics of the Concert Hall and the Chinese Theatre. The history of the acoustic design evolution will be retraced from when the competition was won in 1999 until the final construction. It includes the preliminary design and the acoustic simulations. The specifications and detailed particularities of each hall such as the reflector position in the Concert Hall will be discussed. Final acoustic measurements have been done in the empty halls and in the occupied Concert Hall. The results and acoustic criteria will be discussed. In addition, a subjective evaluation has been done with psychoacoustic questionnaires and the results will be presented and analysed.