74 Marcin Gierbienis, Magdalena Teresa Kozień-Woźniak
relation to medium-size cities, where one building is likely
to full multiple purposes. The article identies examples
of spatial and aesthetic solutions, as well as technological,
electrotechnical and, nally, acoustic solutions, which are
closest to understanding the dierent approaches to the use
of the performance hall.
Performance halls in the need of multi-use
It can be argued that the future of the performance halls
lies in extending their usability with multi-use, as one of the
basic issues in contemporary architectural design. In mod-
ern cities, there have been many cultural venues, as well
as several independent ones for concerts and other events.
These were usually large buildings with very specic pa-
rameters based on the main purpose, i.e., the organization of
a conference meetings, theatrical performances or cinema
screenings. Nowadays, we notice a greater emphasis on uni-
versal and at the same time varied use, which is due to both
economic and practical factors – allowing their eciency.
Multi-use is thus becoming one of the principles of the cur-
rent needs of cities, especially small and medium-sized ones
in which cultural facility is also the only place where resi-
dents can participate in various types of shows.
The authors of this paper introduce separate denitions
of multi-use of performance halls design, as multi-func-
tionality and multi-purpose. Multi-purpose is the ability to
use a room for specic functions by adapting it through
appropriate design. Whereas in multi-functionality, design
solutions aim to achieve a high degree of exibility. There-
fore, the approach to the design strategy must be dierent,
taking into account economic factors and the potential for
introducing variable acoustics.
The notion of multi-use of performance halls is current-
ly discussed in the broad context of sustainable develop-
ment, both in the study of the landscape and the city and
understood as creating a project that could undergo mod-
ications in the future [3]. Sarah Taylor Lovell and John
R. Taylor compared the concept of the sustainable devel-
opment with that of the multi-functionality. The sustain-
ability is represented by the overlapping of environmental,
economic and social pillars, whereas multi-functionality
is envisioned as the stacking of ecological, production
and cultural functions to achieve greater overall perfor-
mance. In this perspective, the concept of multi-function-
ality means a space that allows dierent forms of use at
dierent times. This approach diers from the concept of
multi-purpose, which denotes spaces designed for dier-
ent activities, denoting the functional exibility of a space.
The design of multi-functional performance halls requires
a new approach that includes both a focus on economic
performance and the specicity of social needs [4].
The most challenging part of multi-use halls is the con-
cept of making them optimal and suitable for every audi-
ence while keeping the expenses at the level that is prot-
able for the investor. Executing a good performance design
requires the right strategy to operate in many elds. In terms
of architecture, the project requires a exible approach and
creative solutions, allowing changes in layout, for instance
moving walls, folding audience stands, moveable cladding
and other specic elements. Preparing the stage in a small-
er hall always needs a specic approach with regard to
the limited area, while in larger spaces the solutions seem
mostly universal. A very important matter is the attention
to details and consideration of lighting, speakers, reectors
– elements that are potentially mobile. Various types of po-
tential functions are also connected to a dierent approach
to acoustics. Creation of modied acoustics is possible
thanks to its proper design, starting from the cubature,
construction, placement of the audience, together with the
usage of specic linings, for instance, sound-absorbing
panels or curtains. Changing acoustic conditions are a cru-
cial element for any multi-functional hall. Important issue
is also nding compromising solutions, connected to the
principles of utility, general functionality, and economic
conditions [5].
Jerald R. Hyde pays attention to the signicant mean-
ing of Leo Beranek’s concept of the performance space that
could be on the one hand, technical, and on the other, inti-
mate with an attempt to specify objective attributes that can
inuence the quality of an architecture. One of the author’s
ideas is to dene the sensation of intimacy in the context
of acoustics, introducing the idea of experiencing, for ex-
ample, music as an intimate and personal phenomenon.
Beranek referred to the origins of music, to the times when
it was performed by a small group of musicians in front of
a small audience in a small room. Such a venue can evoke
a sense of acoustic and visual intimacy; while a large hall
can only aspire to a achieve a similar eect if surfaces and
spotlights can provide impression of a smaller space [6].
When designing a multi-use space, the need for an au di -
torium must be determined, the specic and form of which
must be related to the main function of the hall, in accor-
dance with the principles of sound reception and visibility.
Concepts connected to the form and the character of the
audience can be found in numerous exemplary researches
of Jin Yong Jeon et al. who analysed the co-dependency
between the size and the form of stage and the acoustics
in the audience, based on various examples included in
their research. The surface of the stage oor and the walls
changes, depending on the general volume that the stage
takes in the concert hall, which impacts the overall sound
absorption of the room. The factor of sound absorption
of the internal nishing of the hall is a critical indicator,
that estimates the sound-absorbing possibilities of a given
room. The size and the shape of the stage also have a major
inuence on the acoustic parameters of a performance hall.
The factor of sound absorption, together with the room
surface being enlarged, has the most signicant inuence
on reverberation, clarity, and volume of sound [7].
A large number of researches refers to the adaptation
possibilities of already existing facilities, that despite being
in use, cannot be called multi-functional. An example of
such research is the Halil Z. Alibaba and Mesut B. Özdeniz
analysis of the Lala Mustafa Pasa building. Its classical-
ly built auditorium (in terms of form) has faced problems
with acoustics and listeners’ comfort, that were caused by
dierent ways of space usage. Excessive timing of rever-
beration does not provide proper conditions for listening
to music, and in reality, it makes the music sound indis-
