Frank O. Gehry & Associates - Experience Music Project

Frank O. Gehry & Associates
Experience Music Project
Science Fiction Museum
Seattle, Washington

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

The Experience Music Project, designed by Frank O. Gehry & Associates, is an exciting blend of exhibits, technology, media, and hands-on activities that combines the interpretive aspects of a traditional museum, educational role of a school, state-of-the-art research facilities of a specialized library, and audience-drawing qualities of performance venues and popular attractions.

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

Located on 5th Avenue adjacent to the Space Needle at Seattle Center, the 140,000-square-foot facility celebrates the creativity and innovation of American popular music and culture. The EMP presents opportunities to explore its history and traditions, participate in the music making process, experience great music, and learn the secrets of composition and performance. It places a special emphasis on music-related traditions in the Pacific Northwest, and specifically commemorates Jimi Hendrix, one of America's a most creative, innovative, and influential musical artists.
Exhibits and public programs are envisioned as a three-dimensional floating puzzle formed by six elements, with each piece being critical to the shape and the nature of the whole.

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

The Sky Church, a concept inspired by Jimi Hendrix, represents the coming together of all types of people united by the power and joy of music and music making, and is physically embodied in the building's central public gathering area. Through a series of exhibition spaces, The Crossroads presents the collision of multiple viewpoints and traditions, which is American popular music.
The Sound Lab offers hands-on opportunities to create and illustrate some of the relationships between music, science, and technology. The Artist's Journey is a compelling history of the life and times of artists, illuminating the human aspect of their artistry and revealing the unexpected events and formative experiences that contributed to their creative development. The Electric Library is a multimedia archive of the EMP collection and information resources, and provides services that are available both on site and on-line.

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

The Ed. House functions as an educational public outreach program, offering opportunities to learn more about the themes explored in the exhibit areas, experience and participate in a variety of musical activities, and further explore and develop creative abilities and music-related skills.

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

In addition to 35,000 square feet of exhibition space, the building houses a restaurant, bookstore, and administrative spaces, with support and storage areas located beneath grade.

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

The building itself consists of a cluster of colorful curving elements clad in a variety of materials. The fragmented and undulating forms are inspired in part by the image of a shattered Fender Stratocaster.

Photo: Kirsten Kiser

The Seattle Center Monorail, a remnant of the 1962 World's Fair that continues to provide transportation between Seattle Center and downtown Seattle, passes through the building, allowing Monorail riders to glimpse inside.

Sketch courtesy FOGA

Client: Paul G. Allen
Architect: Frank O. Gehry and Associates
Area: 140.000 square feet
Schedule: Begin Design 1996
Begin Construction 1998
Completion 2000
Paul Zumwalt:
Director of Design and Construction for EMP
Design Team:
Frank O. Gehry
James M. Glymph
Craig Webb
Terry Bell
George Metzger
Laurence Tighe
Kenneth Ahn
Project Team:
Kamran Ardalan
Richard Barrett
Herwig Baumgartner
Elisabeth
Beasley
Anna Helena Berge
Kirk Blaschke
Karl Blette
Rebeca Cotera
Jon Drezner
Jeff Guga
David Hardie
Leigh Jerrard
Michael Jobes
Naomi Langer
Gary Lundberg
Yannina Manjarres Weeks
Kevin Marrero
Brent Miller
Gaston Nogues
Davi Pakshong,
Douglas Pierson
Steven Pliam
Daniel Pohrte
Paolo Sant'Ambrogio,
Christopher Seals
Dennis Sheldon
Tadao Shimizu
Eva Sobesky
Randall Stout
Tensho Takemori
Hiroshi Tokumaru
Lisa Towning
Scott Uriu
Jeffrey Wauer
Adam Wheeler
Douglas Glenn CATIA Modeling
Bruce Shepard
Rick Smith

Editor's note:
My first visit to EMP was in 1997 when I was planning an exhibition on Frank Gehry's creative process for the Louisiana Museum in Denmark. I was lucky to be taken around and up on top of the concrete shell to see the pods in place for the metal panels and the shotcrete cement being applied to the 'swoopy' shapes. (Paul Zumwalt, EMP director of design and construction, who took me around, used the word 'swoopy' a lot.) Watching one of the enormous steel ribs being lowered into place, Zumwalt said he had expected this to be the hardest part but that the ribs, calculated by the Catia computer program, fit like a glove. I saw a couple go into place and can tell you it was a 'swoopy' experience.
Two months ago I was back walking around the outside of the buildings. It was late in the day; the metal panels were glowing in the sunset, the monorail was running through, the construction crews were working straight through the night to get ready for the late June opening. There were crowds of people taking their evening walks around the buildings, and I did hear words like 'amazing' and 'wow' and 'My God! What is that?..
Kirsten Kiser

Frank Gehry arcspace features





				Features
		Frank O. Gehry & Associates Experience Music Project Science Fiction Museum Seattle, Washington Photo: Kirsten Kiser The Experience Music Project, designed by Frank O. Gehry & Associates, is an exciting blend of exhibits, technology, media, and hands-on activities that combines the interpretive aspects of a traditional museum, educational role of a school, state-of-the-art research facilities of a specialized library, and audience-drawing qualities of performance venues and popular attractions. Photo: Kirsten Kiser Photo: Kirsten Kiser Located on 5th Avenue adjacent to the Space Needle at Seattle Center, the 140,000-square-foot facility celebrates the creativity and innovation of American popular music and culture. The EMP presents opportunities to explore its history and traditions, participate in the music making process, experience great music, and learn the secrets of composition and performance. It places a special emphasis on music-related traditions in the Pacific Northwest, and specifically commemorates Jimi Hendrix, one of America's a most creative, innovative, and influential musical artists. Exhibits and public programs are envisioned as a three-dimensional floating puzzle formed by six elements, with each piece being critical to the shape and the nature of the whole. Photo: Kirsten Kiser Photo: Kirsten Kiser The Sky Church, a concept inspired by Jimi Hendrix, represents the coming together of all types of people united by the power and joy of music and music making, and is physically embodied in the building's central public gathering area. Through a series of exhibition spaces, The Crossroads presents the collision of multiple viewpoints and traditions, which is American popular music. The Sound Lab offers hands-on opportunities to create and illustrate some of the relationships between music, science, and technology. The Artist's Journey is a compelling history of the life and times of artists, illuminating the human aspect of their artistry and revealing the unexpected events and formative experiences that contributed to their creative development. The Electric Library is a multimedia archive of the EMP collection and information resources, and provides services that are available both on site and on-line. Photo: Kirsten Kiser Photo: Kirsten Kiser Photo: Kirsten Kiser Photo: Kirsten Kiser The Ed. House functions as an educational public outreach program, offering opportunities to learn more about the themes explored in the exhibit areas, experience and participate in a variety of musical activities, and further explore and develop creative abilities and music-related skills. Photo: Kirsten Kiser In addition to 35,000 square feet of exhibition space, the building houses a restaurant, bookstore, and administrative spaces, with support and storage areas located beneath grade. Photo: Kirsten Kiser The building itself consists of a cluster of colorful curving elements clad in a variety of materials. The fragmented and undulating forms are inspired in part by the image of a shattered Fender Stratocaster. Photo: Kirsten Kiser The Seattle Center Monorail, a remnant of the 1962 World's Fair that continues to provide transportation between Seattle Center and downtown Seattle, passes through the building, allowing Monorail riders to glimpse inside. Sketch courtesy FOGA Client: Paul G. Allen Architect: Frank O. Gehry and Associates Area: 140.000 square feet Schedule: Begin Design 1996 Begin Construction 1998 Completion 2000 Paul Zumwalt: Director of Design and Construction for EMP Design Team: Frank O. Gehry James M. Glymph Craig Webb Terry Bell George Metzger Laurence Tighe Kenneth Ahn Project Team: Kamran Ardalan Richard Barrett Herwig Baumgartner Elisabeth Beasley Anna Helena Berge Kirk Blaschke Karl Blette Rebeca Cotera Jon Drezner Jeff Guga David Hardie Leigh Jerrard Michael Jobes Naomi Langer Gary Lundberg Yannina Manjarres Weeks Kevin Marrero Brent Miller Gaston Nogues Davi Pakshong, Douglas Pierson Steven Pliam Daniel Pohrte Paolo Sant'Ambrogio, Christopher Seals Dennis Sheldon Tadao Shimizu Eva Sobesky Randall Stout Tensho Takemori Hiroshi Tokumaru Lisa Towning Scott Uriu Jeffrey Wauer Adam Wheeler Douglas Glenn CATIA Modeling Bruce Shepard Rick Smith Editor's note: My first visit to EMP was in 1997 when I was planning an exhibition on Frank Gehry's creative process for the Louisiana Museum in Denmark. I was lucky to be taken around and up on top of the concrete shell to see the pods in place for the metal panels and the shotcrete cement being applied to the 'swoopy' shapes. (Paul Zumwalt, EMP director of design and construction, who took me around, used the word 'swoopy' a lot.) Watching one of the enormous steel ribs being lowered into place, Zumwalt said he had expected this to be the hardest part but that the ribs, calculated by the Catia computer program, fit like a glove. I saw a couple go into place and can tell you it was a 'swoopy' experience. Two months ago I was back walking around the outside of the buildings. It was late in the day; the metal panels were glowing in the sunset, the monorail was running through, the construction crews were working straight through the night to get ready for the late June opening. There were crowds of people taking their evening walks around the buildings, and I did hear words like 'amazing' and 'wow' and 'My God! What is that?.. Kirsten Kiser Frank Gehry arcspace features