Reddit mentions of Architectural Acoustics (Applications of Modern Acoustics)

So the TL:DR answer to your question is, yes... at least empirically.

For most of the time throughout history, designers have used empirical evidence to make critical decisions about their spaces (scientific/mathematical data was not really pursued until the 20th century). While this often is often a successful and reliable method if you were designing a similar space pro-grammatically to something that already exists, the power of observation fell short quite often when trying to design a building without precedent.

We can look back as far as the ancient Greeks, who definitely were thinking about acoustics in the construction and evolution of design of their theaters & public forums. The first monograph on the subject of acoustics, On Acoustics, is claimed by Aristotle. The romans too also thought about acoustics, changing the shape of their theaters over time to be more acoustically effective. (1) Thus, At the very least, it was given consideration by the architects/designers of the era.

Vitruvius, a famous roman architect who lived approximately from 80 BC to sometime after 15 BC, even gives some space in his 10 Books to the topic of Harmonics. He talks about orientation of the theater and placement of sound-enhancing vessels, as well as how to pick a good location for construction. He notes:

> "we must see to it, with still greater care, that a site has been selected where the voice has a gentle fall, and is not driven back with a recoil so as to convey an indistinct meaning to the ear."

He even indicates that there was an attention to materiality:

> "all our public theatres made of wood contain a great deal of boarding, which must be resonant," and "This [awareness of acoustic principles] may be observed from the behaviour of those who sing to the lyre, who, when they wish to sing in a higher key, turn towards the folding doors on the stage, and thus by their aid are reinforced with a sound in harmony with the voice. But when theatres are built of solid materials like masonry, stone, or marble, which cannot be resonant, then the principles of the "echea" must be applied."

Thus, you can probably conclude that for quite some time before Vitruvius was writing, there was definitely knowledge, or at the very least, a conscious awareness of the fact that the design & orientation of a space effected the quality of sound.

As to cathedrals that popped up later on... Well Vitruvius's 10 Books became a critical text to classical architects when it was rediscovered (after being lost) in 1414, and susequently became the major inspiration for renaissance, baroque, and neoclassical architecture (including cathedrals). Pretty much any major architect behind any major construction project was familiar with this text and its observations.


Resources:

(1) Acoustic evolution of ancient Greek and Roman theatres by Chourmouziadou & Kang

(2) Vitruvius 10 Books of Architecture

Architectural Acoustics by Marshall Long also full text available here (http://booksite.elsevier.com/samplechapters/9780124555518/9780124555518.PDF)