UCSB MODEL CLASSROOM
Lecture Halls
Capacity: 70-199
With theater seating, these rooms are designed primarily for
lectures and presentations with some class discussion.
(Draft 1.1 - September 16, 2008)
Physical features:
1. Room Shape - Square to slightly rectangular (1:1 to 1:1.3). A raked or stepped floor is necessary to improve sight lines, however, the incline should be no more than 1:12. If there is a difference of four inches or less between rows, then the seating should be staggered to permit clear visibility to the front of the room.
Larger lecture halls seating more than 100 students should be designed in a modified fan shape. Ideally, no student should be more than 45 degrees off the center axis of the room. Parallel walls should be avoided for acoustic and sight-line purposes.
The aisles in a lecture hall should be designed to maximize the best viewing location for the most students. Center aisles should be avoided. The number of seats in a continuous row and the width of aisles shall be determined by building codes.
If a raised stage is incorporated into the design of the room, the stage shall have ADA-compliant access: through a door with ground level access or via a ramp or elevator.
(Add suggested floorplans and room layouts. Perhaps link to top architect's or other university's best examples. Link to UCOP standards regarding square footage.)
2. Ceiling Height and Type - The acoustical characteristics of the ceiling are among the most important design elements of a lecture hall. Ceilings should typically be sloped or stepped and be designed so as to reflect sound from the instructor to the students.
In lecture halls having a seating capacity of under 200 students, a T-bar lay-in ceiling is preferred for over the student area for wiring access and ease of future upgrades. (For example, see Girvetz 1004)
Two motorized screens should be installed above the ceiling level so as to be hidden from view when not in use. Ceiling height should be 8 ft. minimum at the rear of the classroom and approximately 12 ft. at the front for seating capacities of 70 to 149 and 15 feet at the front for capacities up to 299.
3. Entrances - A minimum of two entrances must be provided for all lecture halls (typically one in the front and one in the rear of the classroom. Larger lecture halls having more than one aisle (including two side aisles) shall have three entrances: one in the front and two in the rear. The rear entrances shall have double 36 inch wide doors to accommodate the bi-directional flow of twice as many students as the seating capacity of the room: those exiting one class period and those entering the next.In order to reduce the impact of exterior noise and/or sunlight, lecture halls should have two sets of doors for each entrance: one for entrance into a lobby or vestibule and one into the classroom. The doors should open into the classroom off of an interior hallway in order to minimize external noise when the windows are open for ventilation. A small window shall be installed in each door.
Larger lecture halls should be designed with a lobby space large enough to allow students to congregate without interfering with normal traffic flow. The lobby area should be designed so as to absorb noise yet be durable enough to survive extensive students trafffic.
4. Windows - All lecture halls should be completely free of windows with the possible exception of small vision panels on the innermost rear entry doors. If windows are designed into smaller lecture halls, reliable and easily operable blackout capability should be included.
5. Lighting - Four zones of fluorescent lighting are required: two for the projection screen and chalkboard areas, a third for the front of the lecture hall and a fourth for the student area.
In addition, low voltage LED fixtures shall be provided for aisle lighting.
The lighting over the student area should be dimmable for note-taking. A 50-60 foot-candle level at the desktop is desirable. Note-taking level of 20-30 foot-candles is desirable. Controls should be located at both entrances to the room as well as on or near the permanently installed lectern.
Dimmable lighting over the lectern is also desireable with a dimmer control on or near the lectern.
Lighting providing 70 foot-candles of reflected light should be provided for chalkboards or markerboards. The lighting shall be designed so as to minimize bright spots or dark spots on the writing surface. Each board should have its own control given the likelihood of simultaneous use of chalkboards/markerboards and video/data projection.
If the lecture hall is to be used for distance learning, videoconferencing or video production, fully controllable three-point lighting should be installed for the presentation areas including the lectern and stage areas for lectures or panel discussions.
(UCLA: The Lutron Radiotouch package with the UCLA wall controller is the preferred system. Controllers are located at the doors. The fixtures employ 3” deep paracube diffusers to reduce spill on the walls and screen.)
6. Visuals and Viewing Angles - The projection screen and blackboard should be positioned for simultaneous use. Viewing angle from any seat to the most distant edge of a writing surface or projection screen shall not exceed 60 degrees (?). Elevating boards are desirable.
7. Acoustics and Ambient Noise - Background sound levels of 30 dB or less (A weighted) measured at 4 feet above the floor throughout the unoccupied lecture hall will ensure the SNR needed for effective learning.The front wall should utilize hard surface materials. Sound dampening materials should be applied to the rear and side walls. The side walls should not be parallel, nor should they be a continuous hard surface. Typically, they should have a Sound Transmission Coefficient (STC) rating of no less than 50. Removable cloth-covered acoustic panels are recommended from 6 ft. above the floor to the ceiling on as many side and rear walls as possible.
It is highly recommended that an acoustical consultant be included on the design team of all lecture halls.
8. Floors/Carpeting - Raked or stepped floor is necessary to improve sight lines. Carpeting should be avoided under the seating area, but may be desirable for raked or stepped aisleways. In order to enhance its long-term appearance, a dark color with a camouflaging pattern should be used. A resilient, non-skid tile may also be used for aisles and/or the instructor area of the classroom. If a concrete floor is used under student seating, it should be sealed. If chalkboards are used, the front floor of the classroom should have resilient, non-skid tile installed.
9. AC Outlets/Signal Conduits - AC outlets shall be located on the front and rear walls and spaced at 8 ft. intervals. Power shall also be provided to the lectern and data projector. Two 1.5 inch conduits should be run between the lectern and an area above the ceiling. A single 1" conduit should be run from the nearest Communications Closet to an area above the ceiling near the two 1.5" conduits.
10. HVAC - Air handling equipment should be located outside of the classroom space to minimize noise. The mechanical system should generate a background noise of no more than NC 20-25. Factors that should be considered in designing a low noise system include low veleocity of air within the lecture hall and proper sizing and acoustical treatment of ducts, returns, and diffusers.
11. Location - Lecture halls should be located on the ground floor of the building so as to accommodate the relatively high volume of student traffic. Students should be able to enter or exit the lecture hall without passing through major portions of the building (e.g. other classrooms or spaces for other functions). Lecture halls should be located well away from any internal or external noise-generating activity including mechanical systems, trash pickup sites, streets, loading docks, or any area where students may congregate.
Vending machines should be located at a good distance from lecture halls. Trash receptacles should be located in the lobby of vestibules of the lecture halls to discourage food and drink from entering the rooms.
12. Restrooms - Restrooms should be located in the vicinity of the lecture hall without sharing a common wall. They should remain open during evening hours even if the remainder of the building is locked.
Furnishings:
1. Writing Surfaces - Chalkboards are recommended for all General Assignment Classrooms. Markerboards may be installed if desired by highest use faculty only.
2. Seating - Fixed theater style seating is necessary with a raked or stepped floor. All seats must have tablet arms. At least 10% should be left-handed. An ADA wheelchair path and seating location must be provided. Five percent (5%) of room capacity should be ADA accessible. Recommended seating arrangements: 81 (9 wide by 9 deep), 90 (10 wide by 9 deep). Actual capacity may be less in order to accomodate wheelchairs. (Add link to recommended furniture.)
3. Screens - Two motorized screens should be mounted in a pocket above the ceiling level on the front wall above the writing surface.
4. Table, Chair, and Lectern - An instructor's table, chair, and table-top lectern should be provided.
Instructional Technology:
1. Projector - An XSGA projector with a minimum 4000 lumen output should be installed so that it projects on the screen farthest away from the lectern thus allowing the simultaneous use of the board area nearest the instructor.
2. Laptop Lectern - A standardized lectern with a media control system and VOIP intercom should be permanently installed near the wall opposite the front entrance to the classroom. Laptop Lecterns (without installed computers) are to be standard in all but staffed lecture halls and auditoriums. All operator controls are to be placed within the ADA wheelchair reach profile. (Link to campus standard)
3. Media Equipment - The media sources (DVD,VHS, aux inputs, laptop interface), audio amplifier, and media control system are to be located in the Laptop Lectern opposite the entrance to the classroom. The Media Cabinet should include the control system and all of the media sources listed above. All operator controls are placed within the ADA wheelchair reach profile. (Add link to media control system and lectern specs).4. Speakers - Media sound is to be provided by speakers installed in the front of the room.
5. Network Access - Network ports should be located at the front and rear of the room with 3 data ports located at the lectern. Power at front and rear of room. (Add link to Communications Services specifications.)6. Intercom - A Voice-Over-IP Intercom (VOIP) Phone should be provided for Media Services Help Desk support.
7. Voice Reinforcement - A voice reinforcement system is to be installed with speakers distributed throughout the lecture hall ceiling.
8. Hearing Assist - Audio from the voice reinforcement system and a mono downmix of the media audio is to be provided (UCLA: by an infrared hearing assist system on ISO channel 1 - 95khz).
9. Remote Monitoring/Control - An IP-based remote monitoring and control system should be integrated into the room.
10. Podcasting - (Provided on a portable basis for all but staffed lecture halls and auditoriums.) Audio from the wireless microphone system is digitized, compressed, and placed on the data network for ingest into Podcast servers.
Miscellaneous
1. Sidewalks - should be located away from openable classroom windows so as to maintain minimal ambient noise (typically no closer than 25 ft.).
2. Roads and Service Entrances - No Classroom or Seminar Room shall overlook a road or service entrance for noise and aesthetic reasons.