Architectural Designer | Quantum Acoustician | Designer
Born in the Midwest and raised in upstate New York, Hanson Hsu is the son of a biochemistry professor, the nephew of an architect, a first chair violinist, and the grandson of a symphony orchestra conductor.
Years of working in music, film and TV studios led Hsu to realize that there was an obvious need in the entertainment industry to unify beauty, performance and innovation. Studios were either beautiful and lacking proper acoustics or sounded fabulous and lacked architectural beauty. Innovation in acoustics was the missing link.
Thus was born Delta H Design Incorporated: Acoustics + Architecture. Believing that acoustics and studio design were more than “voodoo”, Hsu invented the ZR Acoustics® design paradigm, inspired by the late, great Mike Shipley. “I want a new type of studio design with world class acoustics, filled with light and windows in a normal rectangular room without angles or clouds…” – Mike Shipley
Soon after, the concept to blend freedom of mobility with prefabricated architecture led him to create the Nomadic Architecture concept; transportable, reusable high-end structures. Consequently, Hsu founded Nomad Arc Inc. a line of modern, high-end residential and commercial structures.
Obsessed with the idea of portable studios with World Class Acoustics, drove him to focus on Material Sciences, and how to make a ZR studio wall light enough to carry or hang on a wall. After years of research and design, ZR Acoustics® Devices were invented: ultra-lightweight surface mounted products, bringing Quantum Acoustics® to the masses. One day he received a call to visit an “undisclosed place” to help fix an “undislosed acoustic problem” on a “secret film lot”. For the first time, acoustics was in the forefront of Film Production. ZR Screens are utilized for Virtual Production on Disney’s Mandalorian series, Boba Fett, and many other “undisclosed” blockbuster films and TV shows.
“Everything we design must sound beautiful and look beautiful.” – Hanson Hsu
Raised in a creative environment, Hsu was immersed in music, science, and the arts. He authored an interdisciplinary degree from Binghamton University titled: “Creative Sound Technology”, encompassing Music, Psychology, Film, Physics and Theatre. Honing his skills in audio, lighting and carpentry at the Anderson Center for the Arts’ roadhouse theatre, he worked with a wide range of artists ranging from Wynton Marsalis to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
With a career spanning from cutting edge Virtual Production to Music and Aerospace, Hsu’s vision has always been to create and design things which enrich the quality of life for all people. This drive engendered an ethos of discovery and curiosity at DHDI, which was established as a vehicle for inspired works of design. As a result, DHDI’s body of work is a unique diversity of projects for clientele ranging from inspired individuals to forward thinking global corporations: HyperLoop Technologies, Disney, U2, Microsoft Studios, Marvel, Cher, Rafa Sardina, Industrial Light & Magic, Dan Wilson, Universal Music Group, Alan Meyerson, Richard King, McGill University, Aerospace Technology firms, and nearly every Internet Virtual Production company worldwide.
Hsu uses architecture and acoustics as tools for positive change. Nature, music, and the intricacies of the human experience are among the many things which inspire him. He is the Principal Quantum Acoustician and Senior Architectural Designer at DHDI and Nomad Arc Inc.
Hsu continues his design and research work at DHDI’s design studio in Los Angeles, California.