Reverberation can be tuned by budgeting equivalent open window area.

Evidence

If a steady tone, such as an organ note, is played in the space then after a period of time the reverberant sound will reach a constant level because at that point the sound power input balances the power lost by absorption in the space. This means that the steady-state level will be higher in rooms that have a small amount of absorption, compared with rooms that have a lot of absorption. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1781 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

  • XREF: connects to: Physical sound absorption can be strong enough to measurably alter room reverberation; Room absorption determines the steady-state level of reverberant sound — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1781

Broader Connections