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