Acentech Inc. is proud to announce that acclaimed acoustician and Acentech Studio A consultant J. Christopher Jaffe, D. Eng. (Hon.) has been awarded the 2011 Wallace Clement Sabine Medal by the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) for furthering the knowledge of architectural acoustics. The Sabine Medal will be presented to Dr. Jaffe in November 2011 at the ASA's 162nd meeting in San Diego.
'With over 50 years of experience designing great performance venues, Chris is widely known as a true innovator in the acoustics field. No other acoustical consultant has worked with as many professional symphony orchestras, opera companies, dance groups and theater companies,' said Chris Savereid, principal at Acentech Inc. 'We are proud of Chris' extraordinary accomplishments and applaud him as he receives this well-deserved medal from the ASA.'
The Acoustical Society of America is the premier international scientific society in acoustics dedicated to increasing and diffusing the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications.The Sabine Medal is presented to an individual who has furthered the knowledge of architectural acoustics, as evidenced by contributions to professional journals and periodicals or by other accomplishments in the field of architectural acoustics.
Dr. Jaffe was honored by the ASA for innovative acoustical solutions in performance hall design and for architectural acoustics education. An internationally renowned pioneer in the field of acoustical design for the performing arts, Dr. Jaffe has consulted on more than 250 concert halls, opera houses, theaters, and music pavilions on five continents, including Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and renovations of the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Opera House in Washington, D.C., Severence Hall in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Hollywood Bowl in California. His innovative Concert Hall Shaper revolutionized acoustic design for multi-use halls, giving them the resonance and richness of the world's best concert halls, and he has worked with many world-renowned architects throughout his career. In 2009, Dr. Jaffe joined Acentech's Studio A, a specialized consulting group offering acoustical, audiovisual design, and vibration control for the performing arts.
Dr. Jaffe's book, The Acoustics of Performance Halls–From Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl, which covers his approach to the design of these spaces from the perspective of his 50-year career, was published in 2010. Dr. Jaffe is the author of more than 100 papers presented to professional gatherings and the recipient of nine patents. He has held professorships at the Juilliard School, the City University of New York, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he developed a Masters Program in Architectural Acoustics.
Dr. Jaffe received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1949 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the same institution in 1980. He also received a Master's degree from Columbia University in 2001. Among his other honors, Dr. Jaffe was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the American Institute of Architects Collaborative Achievement Award, and was elected to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Hall of Fame.
