If you visit the large cinemas and theaters, there is a certain architecture and engineering feat that the contractors follow in order for the theater to function very well. The shape of the viewing area must be perfectly angled so that the sound waves can bounce from them and the music can resonate well to the people who are watching.
This is the same premise that many home cinemas follow. As much as possible, homeowners want to replicate the musicality of a professional theater room into their homes.
For home theatre rooms, experts would always recommend a rectangular room. But there is one house in the United States that totally bent these home cinema essentials by choosing an octagon- shaped room.
If 4 walls were the most optimum based on sound reflection, people could not imagine how this could work with a room that has 8 walls.
Here are the interesting facts about this octagon- shaped home cinema:
- The rule says that square and circular rooms will not make a good home cinema because of the manner that the sounds will bounce from one surface to another. However, the professionals who designed this home cinema really studied the dynamics of the room so that it can be converted into a theater.
- The owners of this house did not really think that the room could be turned into such a wonderful and useful space not only because of its shape but also because it was underutilized.
- Contrary to the belief that an octagon- shaped room could not work well with sounds, the angles that the walls create are actually very helpful in the acoustics department. The music and sound bounce so well in multiple occasions.
- A square or rectangular room creates 90- degree angles in the corners. Unfortunately, this right angle can trap frequencies. With the octagon room, the angles are more than 90 degrees which leads to a more balanced and equal bass frequency. The room can achieve a sonic balance too. Because of this additional advantage, the homeowners do not have to spend more money in correcting this flaw.
- Aside from acoustics, the octagon shape also made the room more pleasant. The professionals who did the overhaul added a dome ceiling which created an illusion of a much higher space.
- This octagon home theater would not be complete without the gadgets. The room is equipped with a diagonal screen that is 12 feet across. The subwoofers and central speakers are also strategically placed. Because of the fact that there are too many angles in the room, the left and right speakers were installed in columns which were made specifically for that purpose.