Page 35 - October 2010

Books and Publications
Dick Stern
Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University PO Box 30, State College, Pennsylvania 16804
Acoustics Today welcomes contributions for “Books and Publications.” There is no charge for this service. Submissions of about 250 words that may be edited in MSWord or plain text files should be e-mailed to <acousticstoday@aip.org>. Cover graphics should accompany the text and must be at least 300 dpi. Please send the text and graphics in separate files.
Title: Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design, 2nd edition Author: Michael Barron
Publisher: Spon Press
ISBN: 978-0-415-24510-0
Pages: 489
Binding: Hardcover
A new edition of Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design has just been published. The first edition in 1993 used as its basis a detailed acoustic survey of 40 performance spaces, including symphony concert halls, chamber music halls, drama theaters, opera houses and multi-purpose halls. Both subjective and objective surveys had been conducted. The book included thorough discussions of appropriate acoustic design of these different types of auditorium, as well as historical background. Five newer significant halls have been sur- veyed for this edition. The text (20% longer than the first edition) has been updated with the most recent results of acoustical research. The book offers one of the most extensive sources of information on auditorium acoustic design to date. This is backed up by the many case studies that illustrate the results found in actual performance spaces. Architectural plans and sections of 80 auditoriums are included, all presented at a standard scale of 1:500. Technical detail is provided, but much of the text is written to be read and understood by non-specialists, particularly suitable for designers, architects, acousticians, engineers and students of design for the performing arts. The overall aim has remained as before: to illuminate the relationship between auditorium form and acoustic performance, all placed in a historical context and aimed at a wide readership.
Editor’s Note—The items printed in “Books and Publications” are reported for informational purposes only and are not nec- essarily endorsements by the Editor, Acoustics Today, or the Acoustical Society of America.
34 Acoustics Today, October 2010