The Acoustics of the Corn Exchange, Cambridge

ODUCTIONThe Corn Exchange, Cambridge, built in about 1875 was typical of many similar buildings of its are, having decorated brickwork walls, some areas or timber panelling, and large areas of glazing, including a pitched glazed roof.Prior to its recent conversion, the building had been in use for a wide variety of eVents, but in addition to requiring refurbishment and modernisation, suffered from a number of acoustic deficienciesThe reverberation time was lengthy (about U seconds at mid frequency in the unoccupied state).and because of the long flat seating area, acoustic quality was poor in many seatsThe sound insulation of the building envelope was inadequate because of the large areas of glazing, some of which was broken.As a result, traffic noise was intrusive during noise sensitive events, and during pop concerts noise emanating from the hall was a problem.