2012 40 Under 40: Alban Bassuet, 37

Associate, Arup, New York

By Emma Renee Dutton, Content Specialist

Share

Alban Bassuet, 37

Associate, Arup, New York

University Paris XII, BS Mathematics and Physics; ENS Louis Lumiere Sound
Section, MS Sound Engineering;
Thesis Completed at IRCAM, Le Mans University of Maine, First Doctoral Degree Fundamental Acoustics

Bassuet is an acoustician at Arup whose specialty traverses architecture, music, art, science of sound, and cognitive science. He moved to New York in September 2000, after completing studies in Paris. A recognized leader in arts and culture projects, his portfolio includes performing arts, museums, sport and transportation projects, with opera houses, recital halls, and concert halls in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Early in his career, he conducted a groundbreaking research study for the design of a new performing arts center in Boston by touring and analyzing more than 100 renowned historical music spaces. Highly influential in the field, his research brought to light acoustical effects never studied before. With the desire to engage proactively in the building design process, Bassuet pioneered the Arup SoundLab, a digital acoustic modeling sound room that can reproduce the acoustics of performance spaces, so that both old and future halls and auditoriums can be experienced and listened to, ultimately improving designs. Using the same technology and his experience with spatial sound, he also collaborates with artists to create new art that is exhibited or performed in museums and performing arts centers around the world. When he is not spending time with his wife and young daughter, he enjoys practicing piano and doing his own sound compositions. 

Return to the complete list of 2012 40 Under 40 Winners