Impact of Mosque Geometry on Its Acoustical Performance

The mosque as an important building type of Muslim
architecture has evolved to meet religious needs. A variety of different
worship activities happen within this multifunctional public space;
these different activities have different acoustical requirements. This
paper aims to emphasize the impact of the mosque geometry on its
acoustical design to maintain good acoustic quality. In this study, the
acoustical characteristics of typically constructed contemporary
mosques without domes and with four various geometric
configurations in Saudi Arabia had been investigated by means of
acoustic measurements. Speech Transmission Index (STI), Clarity
(C80), and Definition or Deutlichkeit (D50) have been tested. We
found that the best acoustical performance could be obtained by using
the 1:2 rectangle and square geometries.