Walt Disney Concert HallThe Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California houses the Los Angeles Philharmonic and has been praised as an architectural masterpiece by many professionals. Frank Gehry, a renowned architect, was chosen to design the building in 1987 by Lillian Disney, widow of Walt Disney. The building construction was completed in 2003 and cost around $274 million.
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Design Decision(s) |
The Concert Hall was originally designed to have a façade made of stone. After viewing the opening of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, which had a metal façade, Disney told Gehry that their building must have a metal façade as well. Gehry obliged claiming that the metal allowed the building to have more curvature as to imitate the music and motions of Los Angeles. He also told them that a building of this nature would have extreme effects on the surrounding areas.
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Social Impact |
The metal is highly reflective. It sent a blinding glare into the eyes of drivers and residents in the area saw an increase in energy costs. Some reports even showed people roasting hot dogs in the reflected heat. The County officials in Los Angeles had an environmental study done to confirm that all these effects were caused by the reflected heat from the metal surfaces.
This design decision to change the façade impacted many people in the Los Angeles area that surrounded the Concert Hall. Could this have been avoided? Yes, if the owners had listened to Frank Gehry and the case study of the Guggenheim. However, they decided to carry on with the design and suffer the consequences. |
Resources
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4541963
https://www.archdaily.com/441358/ad-classics-walt-disney-concert-hall-frank-gehry • https://www.thoughtco.com/gehry-responds-to-concert-hall-heat-178089
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall
https://www.archdaily.com/441358/ad-classics-walt-disney-concert-hall-frank-gehry • https://www.thoughtco.com/gehry-responds-to-concert-hall-heat-178089
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall