| Keywords |
East Cheongju Tobacco Center East Warehouses ; auralization ; psycho-acoustic experiment ; subjective acoustic performance evaluation ; performing arts practice spaces |
| Abstract |
The Cheongju Tobacco Center, which played a central role in the community, has failed to be used for a specific purpose and been neglected since the plant was closed in 2004. As such, the Cheongju City Government intended to remodel the East Warehouse within the center into a performing arts practice space for local residents. While the improvement and variation in physical acoustic performance was evaluated through acoustic simulation and field experiment in the previous research, it has been indicated that subjective responses can vary depending on the level of improvement in physical acoustic performance. The purpose of this study is to analyze the variation in subjective responses depending on the level of improvement in physical acoustic performance of the Cheongju Tobacco Center East Warehouse, via a psycho-acoustic experiment using auralization techniques. For the purposes of the study, the cases were categorized into scenarios in which the existing center would stay as a warehouse (Case 1) or converted into a small practice room (Case 2), medium practice room (Case 3), or large practice room (Case 4). These categories were generated in accordance with the acoustic performance and volume measured before and after the remodeling. The acoustic experiment showed that excessive reverberation results in very high levels of subjective responses to "reverberation," "loudness," and "diffusion" before remodeling (Case 1), and that there are higher levels of subjective responses to vocabularies such as "intimacy," "definition," "clarity," "warmth," and "balance" after remodeling (Cases 2-4). Among the vocabularies tested for subjective responses, the response to "reverberation" decreased most significantly after remodeling, by 50% in Case 2, by 34.3% in Case 3, and by about 20% in Case 4. The subjective responses to "definition," among the evaluated vocabularies, increased most significantly after remodeling, by 47.1% in Case 2, by 34.3% in Case 3, and by about 20% in Case 4. Therefore, after the warehouse building is remodeled into a performing arts practice space in Case 2, the subjective responses indicate that the space will be better used for "practicing movements and script lines," while the Case 4 remodeling will be better for development of a "multipurpose hall." Case 3 was found to be somewhere between Cases 2 and 4. In conclusion, the current study finds that remodeling the abandoned Cheongju Tobacco Center will improve physical acoustic performance, and consequently enhance the subjective responses of the audience in a way that satisfies the purpose of a performance space. |