Disney Concert Hall

study case by: Nhu Ho and Nadia Saleh

The idea of the Walt Disney Concert Hall was created by Lillian Disney in 1987 as a gift to the people of Los Angeles. Her idea for the concert hall was also a tribute to her husband, Walt Disney, and his passion for the arts and the city of LA.

The design of the building was created by the famous architecture name Frank Gehry, and he was accompanied by an acoustic designer by the name of Yasohisa Toyota. The design process started when Lillian Disney donated $50 million dollars to the project in 1992. The construction took place in 1999 and was finish by the year of 2003, taking a total of six-teen years to accomplish the Walt Disney Concert Hall building. The total cost of this project was $240 million dollars.

The first thing you will observe when you see the building is the magnificent stainless steel exterior walls. On most of the exteriors, the stainless steel has an angel hair finish, except for one side, which has a mirror polished finish.

When you enter the lobby level (Grand Avenue) you will be overwhelmed by the rising wood columns. These columns are shaped like tree trunks and are made of Douglas fir wood, which provides the interior with a conforming and warm atmosphere, which contrast the formal and polished exterior. The lobby floors are made of travertine tiles.

On the second floor, you will be walking onto a wool/linen carpet that is design with lilies as a representative to Lillian Disney name in the colors of red, orange, green, and yellow. On this floor, there is also the BP hall with caved fir wood walls and light colored red oak wood flooring.

Furthermore, you can take what is known as the Hennery Mancini Family Staircase up to the third level which contains the viewing of the wonderful garden. In the garden you will be treading on cement flooring and no doubt you will be shocked by the beauty of the Blue Ribbon Garden, which contains a rose shaped fountain covered in broken delft china pieces, design by Frank Gehry, a tribute to Lillian Disney for her love of roses and delft china. At the far end of the garden there is a staircase made of limestone walls, draped with green vines and leaves, leading outside of the garden to the street of the concert hall.

The overall use of products and materials conveyed the warm and comforting feeling that Lillian Design wanted on the interior of the structure, and it’s artistic exterior is typical of Frank Gehry. The curve and movement of the building reminds you of the smooth and strong flow of the different type of music that is beautifully played in the Disney Concert Hall, creating and experience like no other.

Related links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall

· http://www.sandiegotiling.com/limestone.htm

http://www.internethomealliance.org/travertine-flooring-tiles/

· http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall#Materials

· http://www.rojo-alicante.com/

hthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delftware

· http://www.bearcreeklumber.com/species/douglasfir.html

htthttp://www.glacierhardwoodflooring.com/red_oak.htm

http://www.directdiscounthardwood.com/red-oak.aspx

http://www.textilefurnishings.com/linen-properties.html

http://www.theflooringlady.com/linen_carpet_000763.html

http://fantes.com/stainless-steel.html

http://www.becklerscarpet.com/carpet/wool_carpet.php