When Lights Sing - Loud Fixtures in Quiet Spaces

Through the design process of a building, acoustical consultants take great care in ensuring mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and other building services are sufficiently isolated and controlled, protecting the primary or core spaces from noisy intrusion. This is especially true for acoustic and theatrical performance spaces, lecture halls, or rooms implementing a voice-lift system where a low room or noise criteria supports an actor's whisper, a cellist's pianissimo, or a lecturer's soft tone. However, no performance happens in the dark, and so architectural and theatrical lighting must be present in some format. Why, after taking such diligent steps, is the same acoustic care not typically taken in the selection of light fixtures hung above a stage or affixed to a balcony front? This paper will present case studies of architectural and theatrical lighting in three different room types, how the sound pressure levels output by various house and theatrical light fixtures were evaluated, and the key factors of noisy vs. "in-audible" light fixtures.