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“In-Phil” Architecture at the Walt Disney Concert Hall:
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The essay by famed architecture critic Joseph Giovannini traces the development of Belzberg’s technique through his houses in the hills of Los Angeles and his restaurants on that city’s great boulevards and reveals the common conceptual ground on which Gehry’s and Belzberg’s designs came together. From the introduction: For all its iconic impact, Gehry speaks of Disney Hall as supporting an active street life, and the architectural realization of program along the sidewalk was critical to Gehry’s vision of an animated and animating building. Gehry, however, was not hired to do this component of the building, leaving it open territory, but territory where angels would fear to tread. Most designs would be overwhelmed by Gehry’s architectural statement, and those that are not could be perceived as competitive. Belzberg had to retain his design integrity while offering a strong response.  
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Book Details
About the AuthorJoseph Giovannini is a New York–based architect and critic who contributes to Architectural Record, Art in America, and The New York Times. |
rank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall is perhaps the most iconic
new building in the U.S., but Gehry wasn’t responsible for all of
the interiors. Rather, 12,000 square feet of infill programmed for
a bookstore, restaurant, and street-side café was left blank. A
design competition was held to determine who would be respon
sible for filling out this space, but what designer would be able,
let alone daring enough, to stand up next to today’s most famous
and unique of expressionist architects? Hagy Belzberg won the
commission and his design is the perfect complement to Gehry’s
tradition-breaking concert hall. This volume explores Belzberg’s
infill in depth through detailed illustration, including glorious
full-color photography and precise technical diagrams.