L.A. Philharmonic Store
Los Angeles
Belzberg Architects

Sounding the right note for retail in a concert hall

© Tom Bonner

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Located inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the L.A. Philharmonic Store draws customers from both the hall and the street outside. In laying out the store's display areas, the architect sought to create a unique sensory experience in which customers feel as though they are amid a field of floating display cases, each one singling out and celebrating the merchandise it contains.

The architects treated the central floor area of the retail store as a dispersed field of screen shelves. Suspended on steel rods that extend from the floor up into recessed light wells in the ceiling, the shelves are movable and can be shifted vertically to accommodate a variety of uses. These fixtures alternately block and open paths for wandering customers. They are comprised of a series of stacked slats, each containing a double-curved contour. Through the repetition and re-orientation of these slats, a woven stack of wood layers appears to be punctuated by open pockets, which provide display space for CDs and other souvenir merchandise. When the shelves are lifted all the way up into the ceiling and the movable bases below get pulled away, the store is completely open for special events such as book signings and concert openings.

Near the lobby-side entrance of the store, a floor-to-ceiling wall of undulating display shelves creates unexpected ways of organizing and viewing books by embedding them within the wall itself. Like the screen shelves, the shifting surface of this display wall opens unique areas for display and storage of merchandise. The store also features a backlit acrylic display wall that incorporates puck hardware and shelves. This illuminated area is visible from the Grand Avenue entrance of the store, drawing in customers who are outside of the Hall.

Formal name of Project:
L.A. Philharmonic Store

Location:
Los Angeles

Gross square footage:
2,200 sq. ft.

Owner:
Los Angeles Philharmonic

Architect:
Belzberg Architects, APC
1507 20th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-453-9611
310-453-9166 fax
www.belzbergarchitects.com