What Technology is Used in the Walt Disney Concert Hall?
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles has played host to events ranging from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to Disney's World of Color. The rounded shapes of the structure make it architectural wonder, but it also plays a role in its acoustics. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
CATIA
-
Lead project designer Frank Gehry used Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) to help design the building. CATIA developed the 3-D models and interior, giving builders an interactive method to construct the primarily wood and steel building.
Amplifiers
-
In 2004, the Acoustic Technology Company installed eight P4 studio monitor amplifiers around the concert hall. These amplifiers, which can move vertically and horizontally, enhance the magnitude of sound in the concert hall through SL drive units, which eliminates the distortion that normally comes from traditional PA driver units. The system's "snake feed" sends high-level frequencies throughout the hall. It improves the sound frequency in areas far from the stage, eliminates sound delay and makes the music sound more natural.
-
Nagata Acoustics
-
Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics was the lead project coordinator and helped design the interior of the concert hall. The wood interior was covered in shotcrete so the building can pick up low-register sound. The seats are arranged in an elevating, circular fashion that helps the audience hear subtle nuances, while the peaks and valleys in the ceiling diffuse high-level sounds.
Building Curves
-
Nagata Acoustics and Gehry designed the hall as a series of curves that help carry sound throughout the hall. Toshiko Fukuchi of Nagata Acoustics points out that even small sounds can even be heard with concave walls as opposed to non-concave walls.
-
