ABSTRACT
Conscious design for multi-purpose use is more recent in Britain than in North America and, among the examples considered here, inspired acoustic design is a fairly recent phenomenon. Eight British multi-purpose spaces will be discussed in detail; the earliest was completed in 1968. Whether these halls all deserve the label ‘multi-purpose’ is a matter of personal taste. Their inclusion here is based on the fact that during their design each had more than one intended use. In most cases the different uses required different acoustic conditions. Not all these halls cater for the widest change in acoustic characteristics as required for unassisted speech and orchestral music.
