Today AD welcomes back architect Valery Augustin to tour Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. Designed in 1987 by Frank Gehry, music runs through the veins of this building. A unique steel exterior houses an acoustically perfect auditorium designed by Yasuhisa Toyota and is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Join Valery as he takes an in-depth look at how the concert hall pioneered new design techniques and became a true gift to the people of Los Angeles.
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00:00 I'm Valerie Augustine and I'm an architect.
00:02 And today we're gonna be taking a walking tour
00:04 of Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA.
00:07 (upbeat music)
00:09 So Disney Concert Hall was designed in 1987
00:20 and was originally funded by a generous donation
00:22 by Lilly and Disney.
00:23 It's designed by Canadian born,
00:25 Los Angeles based architect, Frank Gehry.
00:27 The construction process for this building
00:29 is incredibly unique.
00:30 One of the things that you'll see
00:31 when you look at this building
00:33 is that it's clad in steel panels.
00:35 When they originally designed this building
00:37 is the original intent was that
00:38 it was going to be clad in stone.
00:40 But during the design process,
00:41 one of the first things they figured out
00:42 is that stone panels were going to be incredibly heavy
00:45 and would make the cost and the size of the steel structure
00:48 much more expensive than they needed it to be.
00:50 So they switched to the steel panels,
00:52 which also happened to align with the fact that
00:55 in between the time of the design of this building
00:57 and when this building began construction,
00:59 Frank Gehry had completed the Guggenheim in Bilbao,
01:02 one of his most celebrated projects at the time,
01:04 which was clad in metal panels as well.
01:07 Every single one of the panels on the building is unique.
01:10 Now these particular types of forms
01:11 can't be designed in traditional architectural means.
01:14 They basically had to invent new technologies
01:16 to build a building like this.
01:18 So one of the things that they pioneered
01:20 in designing of this building
01:21 is the use of a software called CATIA,
01:24 which originally was used for designing of planes and boats.
01:27 Many people consider it a deconstructivist style building,
01:30 which is a type of building that is really characterized
01:32 by nonlinear forms, a lot of curving geometry,
01:36 and use of glass and other similar materials.
01:39 The concert hall was built because originally
01:42 the Los Angeles Philharmonic played across the street
01:45 at the music center.
01:46 But it was time for the Philharmonic
01:48 to have a purpose-built hall that was specifically designed
01:51 for the playing of symphony music.
01:53 Now one of the interesting things about the project
01:55 is the first thing that was built was the parking garage.
01:58 This allowed the building to generate funds
01:59 before the concert hall was even open
02:01 to help fund the cost of construction.
02:03 Right now we're in the main entry lobby.
02:08 Frank Gehry likes to talk about
02:09 when he first met Lillian Disney,
02:11 and she told him that she really wanted the place
02:13 to feel like a home.
02:14 And so what Frank interpreted that to mean
02:16 was that she really wanted a building
02:17 that felt warm and inviting,
02:19 because this building really is supposed to be a gift
02:21 to the people of Los Angeles.
02:22 And so that's really reflected through the use
02:24 of the many materials we see in the interior of the building.
02:27 The floor uses travertine,
02:29 and one of the other important components of this building
02:31 is the use of Douglas fir, which clads some of the columns
02:34 and then also some of the utilities
02:35 that you see in the building.
02:37 So intake returns are hidden within those,
02:39 as well as providing warmth for the building,
02:42 they also perform an important functional use.
02:45 Now the interesting thing about Douglas fir
02:46 is that it's also the same wood
02:48 that's used for symphonic instruments.
02:50 So there's a really great symmetry there
02:52 that Frank Gehry was cognizant of
02:54 when he made those design choices.
02:55 A couple of other things that you can see in this lobby,
02:57 which are really amazing,
02:59 is that instead of hiding the structure,
03:01 the architect really celebrates the structure
03:04 inside the building.
03:05 A lot of the steel is visible,
03:07 and you can see that it's painted gray,
03:09 and that paint is actually a fire retardant.
03:11 So in an event of a fire,
03:12 this material actually swells up to protect the steel
03:16 and keep people safe.
03:17 Another really cool part of this building
03:19 is that the entire front facade
03:21 can actually scissor open,
03:23 which allows during the summer months
03:24 for people to enter in and out of the building
03:27 directly onto Grand Avenue.
03:29 Another great thing that you can see in this space
03:31 is Frank Gehry's dedication to really creating a building
03:34 that's open and provides visibility
03:36 across both the city, as well as the overall space.
03:39 So starting from the uppermost level,
03:41 you have access to the auditorium
03:43 that also provides views out to the city,
03:46 and it also takes us all the way down
03:48 to a cafe dining area,
03:50 and also to the parking garage access
03:52 that we talked about before.
03:53 [upbeat music]
03:56 So here we are in the Founders Room,
04:00 which is a special space in Disney Concert Hall
04:03 for donors who have given over $185,000
04:07 to the LA Philharmonic.
04:08 Now this room is the only room in the building
04:10 that's not open to the general public,
04:12 and one of the things that you'll notice
04:14 is that in this room,
04:15 much like the entire concert hall,
04:18 is that the space is connected to the outdoors.
04:20 So one of the things that the architects
04:21 were really adamant about was making sure
04:24 that even though this is an interior experience,
04:26 every room has access and visibility to the outside.
04:30 Another thing that you'll notice here
04:32 is this beautiful carpet.
04:33 Now this carpet was a special custom design
04:35 that was made specifically for the concert hall,
04:38 and it really embodies some of the important aspects
04:40 that Frank Gehry spoke about with Lillian Disney,
04:43 and that was to once again create a building
04:45 that was really warm
04:46 and was welcoming to all Angelenos.
04:49 You can find this carpet throughout the entire concert hall,
04:52 and so the flooring is either going to be the travertine
04:55 or this beautiful carpet that you see behind us.
04:57 The ceiling in this space is especially unique.
04:59 Now this space is treated differently than drywall,
05:02 which is a traditional sheathing material
05:04 for the interior of the building,
05:05 but here they did a special plaster finish,
05:07 which is the only way to achieve these sensuous curves
05:10 that we see in this space.
05:12 And if you look more closely,
05:14 you can actually see the plaster finish
05:15 because there's a little bit of like a shimmer
05:17 that you're gonna get when you're using plaster
05:19 that you don't get when you're painting a surface.
05:21 [upbeat music]
05:24 Right now we're in one of my favorite spaces
05:27 of Disney Concert Hall,
05:28 and that's the Blue Ribbon Garden.
05:30 The Blue Ribbon Garden was an important part
05:32 of this building because it really talks about the idea
05:35 that this building really is a gift
05:37 to the city of Los Angeles.
05:38 It's open to all Angelenos any day of the year.
05:42 You can come up here and have lunch
05:44 and take a view of the city behind us.
05:46 Another thing that you can see behind us
05:48 is one of the most impressive parts of this garden,
05:50 and that is the Blue Ribbon Fountain,
05:53 which is called A Rose for Lily.
05:56 Now, this is a special story that came about
05:59 during Frank Gehry's interaction with Lily and Disney.
06:01 On a visit to her home,
06:03 he saw that she had many pieces of fake Delft porcelain.
06:06 Apparently it was something
06:07 that she and her husband, Walt, would enjoy,
06:09 was purchasing fake pieces of porcelain
06:12 to see if their friends could spot the fakes.
06:14 Now, this turned into a wonderful story
06:16 between Lillian and Frank,
06:17 and so they decided that it would be a wonderful
06:20 and most appropriate way to create this fountain.
06:22 So Frank Gehry worked with artist Tomasz Osinski
06:26 and his wife, Iwa, along with eight other artists
06:28 to see the fountain that we see behind us.
06:31 Over 200 royal blue Delft vases were broken
06:35 in the making of this fountain.
06:37 You can also find 60 Easter eggs,
06:39 which include pieces of porcelain
06:40 from the artist's personal home,
06:42 as well as a depiction of Frank Gehry.
06:45 Another thing that you can see up here
06:46 in the blue ribbon garden is a close-up view
06:48 of the steel panels that cover this building.
06:51 One of the interesting things about the design
06:53 is you'll see that the panels are overlapped
06:55 the same way birds' feathers work or the scales on a fish.
06:58 This allows any water to shed off the building
07:01 without any worry about a water intrusion
07:04 into this interior of the space.
07:05 Now, one of the challenges that happened
07:07 when this building was first designed
07:08 is there were two types of finishes on these panels,
07:11 the matte finish that you see next to me
07:13 and also highly reflective chrome finish panels.
07:16 The chrome finish panels actually were reflecting too much
07:19 on nearby residences, which meant that those panels
07:22 had to be sanded down so they would no longer cause damage
07:25 to the buildings nearby.
07:27 Accessible from the blue ribbon garden
07:29 is a public walk that takes you up and around the facade
07:32 of the Disney Concert Hall, which provides view
07:35 of all over downtown Los Angeles.
07:37 [upbeat music]
07:40 So behind me, you can see BP Hall,
07:42 which is a special performance and lecture space
07:45 in the corner of Disney Concert Hall.
07:48 Now, one of the great things about this space
07:50 is you can really see the use of the Douglas fir
07:52 that is used throughout the building,
07:54 oriented and attached the same way
07:56 in which the exterior cladding of the building is.
07:59 So you can really see here the attention to detail
08:01 that the architects paid through every level of the design
08:05 to make sure that the whole building is cohesive.
08:07 And you can also see it in other parts of the buildings,
08:09 including the founder's wall,
08:11 where the donor panels are shingled and overlapped
08:14 in the same way we see on the exterior of the building.
08:16 Another thing you'll notice if you take a closer look
08:19 is that some of the panels are solid Douglas fir,
08:22 while others actually have small perforations.
08:25 That's what allows this space to work acoustically
08:27 when a lecture or performance is happening.
08:29 The amazing things about the skylights in this building
08:32 is they serve a dual function.
08:33 During the day, they bring an abundant natural light
08:36 into the space, but at night, the lights of the building
08:39 make the entire building a beacon for the entire city.
08:42 [gentle piano music]
08:46 So we are right outside of the auditorium.
08:52 Now, the auditorium seats 2,265 people,
08:56 and the acoustics were designed
08:58 specifically for philharmonic music.
09:01 Now, the acoustic design would not have been achievable
09:03 without experts.
09:05 And Frank Gehry enlisted world-renowned acoustical designer
09:09 Yasuhisa Toyoda from Japan to design the auditorium.
09:13 Now, the way the space is designed,
09:15 from any seat in the auditorium,
09:17 you will get pitch-perfect sound from the stage.
09:20 So there's no such thing as a bad seat in this auditorium.
09:24 The inside of the auditorium,
09:25 in addition to being acoustically perfect,
09:28 is also incredibly beautiful.
09:29 The interior paneling is curved to help the sound
09:33 reach every spot of the auditorium,
09:35 and also utilizes the same Douglas fir
09:37 that we see outside in the lobby and in other spaces.
09:40 Now, one of the most eye-catching pieces
09:42 of the auditorium is the organ.
09:44 The organ features over 6,000 pipes
09:47 and is often referred to as French fries.
09:50 So if you find yourself hungry
09:51 when you're in Walt Disney Concert Hall, now you know why.
09:54 The ceiling in the auditorium is beautifully raked
09:57 and ribbed, which helps the acoustics
09:59 and the sound travel throughout the space.
10:01 Now, the interior layout of the space
10:03 is also unique to Walt Disney Concert Hall,
10:06 and the way in which the seating is designed,
10:08 both to allow optimal viewing as well as optimal sound.
10:12 The upholstery that you'll find on the interior seats
10:15 is the same patterning that was created
10:16 for the custom carpet that we're standing on right now.
10:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]