The effect of furniture on room acoustic parameters and its dependence on different suspended ceilings' sound absorptive properties

In ordinary public rooms such as classrooms and offices, the base line of acoustical treatment is an absorbent suspended ceiling. Due to the non-uniform distribution of the absorptive material, the scattering as well as the absorption properties of furniture will have a significant influence on room acoustic parameters such as reverberation time, speech clarity and sound strength. In particular, the absorption of the sound scattered energy will depend on the absorbing efficiency of the suspended ceiling. This effect is not accounted for in classical diffuse field models such as Sabine's formula. Measurements were conducted in the reverberant room with varying degrees of furnishing for several ceiling treatments ranging from highly reflective to highly absorptive. Using Sabine's formula and the Statistical Energy Analysis model, this paper discusses the scattering effect of furniture on room acoustic parameters such as reverberation time, speech clarity and sound strength as well as how the equivalent scattering absorption area is related to the absorbing efficiency of the suspended ceiling. It is concluded that a novel method for the quantification of furniture is needed to include both absorption and scattering effects of furniture on reverberation time and its dependence on the suspended ceilings' absorptive properties.