Frank Gehry designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to capture the motion of music, creating curvilinear exterior forms that seem to dance. The interior features one large volume auditorium with vertical seating surrounding a center stage, allowing intimacy between patrons and orchestra. Acoustic calibration produced clarity and warmth. Gehry worked with organ builders to create an unconventional instrument with front-facing, curved pipes complementing the wood interior.

1. By: Dan Johnson
1

2. • In 2010 the WorldArchitecture Survey labeled him on of the "most
important contemporary architect of our time".7
• In the same year Vanity Fair labeled him "the most important architect
of our age".7
• His work has a "spirit of experimentation coupled with a respect for
the demands of professional practice".7
• Not really aligned with any architectural styles or movements.7
6

3. (Google Earth)
(Google Earth)
The establishment of a Concert
Hall originally began in 1987
when Lilian Disney donated
$50 million in honor of her late
husband.5 A year later, Frank
Gehry was selected during the
design competition but
mismanagement and politics,
the project didn't really start
until 1996.5 Finished in 2003
for $275 million.5
Capturing the motion of Los Angeles, and representing
musical movement, Gehry created an exterior composed
of curvelinear forms that seem to dance both on and
above the site.5
5
5

4. (Google Earth)
(Google Earth)
Ahmanson Theatre
Disney Concert Hall was completed and became part of the Los Angeles California's performing district on
October 23rd 2003.5 The home of the LA Philharmonic, it has become widely well known for its unique
architectural form and its excellent acoustics.5
Mark Taper Forum
Los Angeles Opera
Disney Concert Hall

6. The douglas fir tree like sculptural forms rising through the lobby were inspired by Lilian Disney's love for
gardens.5
The skylight in the lower lobby space draws patrons from the
parking below.5
8
8
8

7. This pre-concert space is used for chamber concerts and talks.5
8 8

8. The steel structure used in the roof eliminates the need for columns within the hall.5 The curved billowing ceiling and
partitions become part of the acoustical system and help relate the interior to the sculptural language of the exterior.5

9. Designed as one large volume, the
auditorium allows the occupants to be
in the same space as the orchestra.
This allows for a sense of intimacy
within the hall.5 Designed as a "shoe
box design" with vertical "vineyard"
seating along the sides of the
orchestra.3
5
5
8
• 80ft(H)x120ft(W)x180(L)
• 21,000 sq. Ft.
• 2,300 seats
• 9.15 sq. ft. per seat.

10. Stage level (second) Orchestra level (third) Terrace level (forth)
Vertical Circulation to Garage Below
Audience Circulation
Performer Circulation
CIRCULATION
88
8

11. Playroom
60'
170'
80'
ACOUSTIC DIAGRAM
8

12. A 1:10 scale model was
constructed in order to test
and study the acoustics of
the auditorium. The
frequency of the sounds used
for testing were increased in
order to reduce the
wavelengths by a factor of
ten. To expel the oxygen and
water vapor that absorb high-
frequency sound the model
was filled with nitrogen.5
An acoustical consultant,
Yasuhisa Toyota, honed the
hall's sound.5
3

13. One of the challenges Toyota faced was achieving full sound coverage from an unamplified orchestra that had no volume
control.5 The vineyard design calls for terraced seating to surround the orchestra allowing for more flat surfaces.5 This would
increase the area for sound to be reflected-an important feature for the success of an unamplified orchestra.5

14. Much of Toyota's design is based on the principle that concave shape
focuses sound and convex scatters it.5 Using this principle, he
employed concave shapes wherever possible.5 In fact, the "walls"
surrounding the Disney Hall are an optical illusion.5 They are made of
transparent mesh to allow sound to easily pass through and reflect off
whatever lies behind (row upon row of hidden concave curves).5 The
result of Toyota's design is a sound described as "acoustical clarity and
warmth".5

15. Made from Alaskan yellow
cedar, the stages provides
resonance and can be
configured to hold larger
performances by removing the
first rows in Orchestra.2

16. Gehry worked with organ builders Manuel Rosales and Caspar Von Glatter-Gotz,
but they didn't want a conventional looking instrument.2 An organ's wooden pipes
are often unseen, but these are front and center to connect it with the wood interior
of the hall.2 The pipes are also curved and bent, which had not been done before.2
3

17. The organ was completed in 2004.2 The organ console can be
moved around and plugged in to 4 different locations on the
stage.2 In all there are 6,125 pipes that range from a few inches
to the longest being 32 feet (which has a frequency of about 16
hz).2
3

18. SUMMARY
The beauty of this concert hall is the way Gehry was able to remove himself from the typical form and capture the motion of music, creating an exterior that
seems to dance both on and above the site. The interior then becomes very organic as one journeys between and into these sculptural forms. The creation
of one large volume auditorium with a center stage and vertical seating allows the patrons to have an intimate relationship with the orchestra. The calibration
with Yasuhisa Toyota and many sophisticated acoustic studies produced a space described as having "acoustical clarity". This clarity caused the Los
Angeles Philharmonic to relearn their repertoire to fit the new space. To accompany the orchestra, Gehry worked with organ builders Manuel Rosales and
Caspar Von Glatter-Gotz, to produce an unconventional organ for the space. An organ's wooden pipes are often unseen, but these are front and center to
connect it with the wood interior of the hall. The pipes on this organ were curved and bent, which had not been done before.

19. References
1 "AD Classics: Walt Disney Concert Hall/Frank Gehry" http://www.archdaily.com/ 441358/ad-classics-
walt-disney-concert-hall-frank-gehry,[cited 6 Feb. 2016]; internet
2 "The Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ: L.A.'s Finest Instrument"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/xaque-gruber/disney-concert-hall-organ_b_1535278.html,[cited 6 Feb.
2016]; internet
3 "Walt Disney Concert Hall" http://www.slideshare.net/kappa2007/walt-disney-concert-hall ,
[cited 6 Feb. 2016]; internet
4 "Walt Disney Concert Hall" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall, [cited 6 Feb. 2016]; internet
5 "Walt Disney Concert Hall 10th Anniversary" http://wdch10.laphil.com/wdch10/wdch/process.html,[cited 6 Feb.
2016]; internet ; internet
6 http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrB8pzMRL1W_TkAHumWnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBxNG1oMmE2BHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmwEaXQD/RV=2/RE=
1455273292/RO=11/RU=http%3a%2f%2fmodelinganddesign.wordpress.com%2f2012%2f01%2f16%2fentrevista-a-frank-
gehry%2f/RK=0/RS=Qyr.4IATWlVR_26bkQFPbvouaP0-,[cited 6 Feb. 2016]; internet ; internet
7 "Frank Gehry" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry,[cited 6 Feb. 2016]; internet ; internet
8 "Walt Disney Concert Hall" https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall,[cited 6 Feb.
2016]; internet ; internet