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A Comparative Analysis of Acoustic Material and Effects on Church Auditoriums: Old and New Churches in Nigeria

Ezetu Ebiumene Itontei and Halil Zafer Alibaba*

Acoustics is a developing science in Nigeria like elsewhere in the world. However, it is fast gaining popularity as the country is faced with acoustical challenges from industries, road traffic, power generating sets, churches etc, hence the need to proffer solution to the menace. The church auditorium is a space meant for worship, listening and preaching the word of God. This makes it a spiritual environment, that requires serenity to enable the audience hear and understand what is being preached from the alter (stage). A sermon preached in the auditorium should be reasonably loud and clear. It therefore, necessary for an auditorium to be acoustically equipped to ensure clarity of sound within it as failure to do so could promote noise, that can impede hearing. Noise such as echo and reverberation can cause blurring on a speech within a church auditorium, thereby creating difficulties for an effective communication between the listeners and the preacher. The following are two major kinds of noise that could mar good communication in a church auditorium e.g. background noise and acoustic noise. The continuous extraneous noise is called "background" noise, while the echo and reverberation emitted from the loudspeaker and microphones is called "acoustic" noise. This Paper will be critically looking at the use of acoustic materials in the old and new Church auditoriums in Nigeria. It will also provide a brief background of Nigeria’s traditional spaces of worship as was created by the vernacular architecture, before the introduction of modern church architecture by the colonialists. It includes an outline of various church architectural Forms and the use of acoustical materials and technology spanning a long period in Nigeria. The Paper actually provides opportunities for critical discussions on the influence of time, knowledge, materials, and economy on the use of acoustic materials in churches in Nigeria. Along the line of discussion, the Paper will draw comparisons between the acoustic performance of auditoriums of the past and present on the basis of materials type used, spatial design arrangement, functionality/comfort and aesthetics. The benefits of this comparative analysis between old and new church auditoriums on the use of acoustic materials and technologies will also not be ignored.