Disney Concert Hall
The Disney concert hall is an amazing building. You can love or hate Gehry’s architecture, but one thing is certain: it is unique. This is the first building of his that I’ve visited and I was expecting a much different experience.
I started by parking in the building to test and see how the structure relates to the form. Test one passed with flying colors. When entering the atrium from the parking deck, it was a pleasant experience: rich red colors, wood panels and glass in perfect rhythm and union playing almost like music. I also was relieved when I didn’t see Mickey Mouse.
The volumes on the exterior are not pure sculpture, they serve a purpose in guiding the visitor into a central focal point delimiting the main volume, and a secondary volume to the north for special events. There is a break in the flow from the curves on it’s main corner opposite from the Opera building that shows a clear path to the entrance. Overall, the fluidity of the volumes gives the building a really light feeling in comparison to the Opera building next to it.
In the back of the building there is a really pleasant terrace overlooking downtown LA.
There is a really good documentary (available on Netflix): Sketches of Frank Gehry directed by Sydney Pollack. I recommend it if you like his architecture.
Architecture, Travel Los Angeles, CA
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