In the 1980s, the acoustics engineer Leo Beranek, who contributed to the project, ranked the hall in the world's top five concert halls for its acoustics.
It is so ranked thanks to the 1953 Flying Saucers or Floating Clouds artwork developed by Alexander Calder, a system that combines technology and art.
These structures were installed on the ceiling under the supervision of the American firm Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and adjusted while an orchestra played on stage to calibrate the acoustics and make sure the quality remained consistent throughout the hall.
The clouds are the most prominent example of the philosophy of the project to combine art and thought as well as function.

The clouds were not originally intended for the interior of the hall.
Calder was working on a structure for outside in the Plaza Cubierta; when he became aware of how complex the project was, he suggested integrating his panels into the space of the room with "an artistic, decorative and acoustic purpose".
This was a fortunate idea, because at the same time as Calder's suggestion, the American company was viewing the hall's original designs, and noted that the shape of the structure would detrimentally affect the acoustics unless it had extensive panelling.
The design has given its inspiration to other venues, including an opera hall in China.
The problem-solving function of the panelling was also an influence in the development of interior space acoustics.
The panels serve a variety of purposes, with some absorbing sound, some projecting it, and some magnifying it.

Each panel, or cloud, comprises a steel frame containing two pieces of ¹⁄₂-inch (13 mm) thick laminated wood secured together; the largest cloud has an area of 860 square feet (80 m²) and a weight of approximately 2.5 short tons (2.3 t).
The clouds are between 4 and 8 inches (100 and 200 mm) thick, and in total there are 31 panels: 22 on the ceiling, 5 on the right side wall and 4 on the left side wall.
To position the clouds, ³⁄₈ inch (9 ¹⁄₂ mm) metal cables suspend them from the ceiling of the room, giving them the necessary inclination and height.
The real ceiling of the room is 9.8 feet (3 m) above a false plaster ceiling which supports the panelling and facilitates adjustment of lighting systems and the support mechanisms of the "clouds".
There are also ladders to allow people to climb through the clouds.
A fiberglass sheet was installed above the panels, to reduce echo and sound transfer time, and optimize the acoustics for speech.
It is possible to remove this sheet for musical concerts.

In terms of artistic qualities, the art critic Phyllis Tuchman noted that the clouds are "colorfully curving and thus archetypically 'Latin American'" but were designed by one of the few non-Latin Americans working on the project, making them "paradoxical" but still "expressing the region's 'lyricism'", as well as "resembl[ing] clouds scattered across a night sky [...] [w]ith the hall darkened" and making those who "[enter] the auditorium when it's illuminated by houselights [...] able to feel as if they have entered a multihued, three-dimensional abstract painting".
Tuchman also noted that, when asked, Calder readily named his favorite work as the clouds, though they are less remembered within his oeuvre than many of his other works.
The critics Helen Gyger and Patricio del Real write that "the Aula Magna's interior [...] represents the high-point of Villanueva's interest in the synthesis of the arts".

In UNESCO's World Heritage listing of the campus, the Clouds are named specifically.
In the 1980s, the acoustics engineer Leo Beranek, who contributed to the project, ranked the hall in the world's top five concert halls for its acoustics. It is so ranked thanks to the 1953 Flying Saucers or Floating Clouds artwork developed by Alexander Calder, a system that combines technology and art. These structures were installed on the ceiling under the supervision of the American firm Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and adjusted while an orchestra played on stage to calibrate the acoustics and make sure the quality remained consistent throughout the hall. The clouds are the most prominent example of the philosophy of the project to combine art and thought as well as function.
The clouds were not originally intended for the interior of the hall. Calder was working on a structure for outside in the Plaza Cubierta; when he became aware of how complex the project was, he suggested integrating his panels into the space of the room with "an artistic, decorative and acoustic purpose". This was a fortunate idea, because at the same time as Calder's suggestion, the American company was viewing the hall's original designs, and noted that the shape of the structure would detrimentally affect the acoustics unless it had extensive panelling. The design has given its inspiration to other venues, including an opera hall in China. The problem-solving function of the panelling was also an influence in the development of interior space acoustics. The panels serve a variety of purposes, with some absorbing sound, some projecting it, and some magnifying it.
Each panel, or cloud, comprises a steel frame containing two pieces of ¹⁄₂-inch (13 mm) thick laminated wood secured together; the largest cloud has an area of 860 square feet (80 m²) and a weight of approximately 2.5 short tons (2.3 t). The clouds are between 4 and 8 inches (100 and 200 mm) thick, and in total there are 31 panels: 22 on the ceiling, 5 on the right side wall and 4 on the left side wall. To position the clouds, ³⁄₈ inch (9 ¹⁄₂ mm) metal cables suspend them from the ceiling of the room, giving them the necessary inclination and height. The real ceiling of the room is 9.8 feet (3 m) above a false plaster ceiling which supports the panelling and facilitates adjustment of lighting systems and the support mechanisms of the "clouds". There are also ladders to allow people to climb through the clouds. A fiberglass sheet was installed above the panels, to reduce echo and sound transfer time, and optimize the acoustics for speech. It is possible to remove this sheet for musical concerts.
In terms of artistic qualities, the art critic Phyllis Tuchman noted that the clouds are "colorfully curving and thus archetypically 'Latin American'" but were designed by one of the few non-Latin Americans working on the project, making them "paradoxical" but still "expressing the region's 'lyricism'", as well as "resembl[ing] clouds scattered across a night sky [...] [w]ith the hall darkened" and making those who "[enter] the auditorium when it's illuminated by houselights [...] able to feel as if they have entered a multihued, three-dimensional abstract painting". Tuchman also noted that, when asked, Calder readily named his favorite work as the clouds, though they are less remembered within his oeuvre than many of his other works. The critics Helen Gyger and Patricio del Real write that "the Aula Magna's interior [...] represents the high-point of Villanueva's interest in the synthesis of the arts".
In UNESCO's World Heritage listing of the campus, the Clouds are named specifically.
Aula Magna (Central University of Venezuela)