Los Angeles Official Visitor Guide 2008 - (Page 21) Photos (left to right): Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels; Walt Disney Concert Hall at the Music Center; model of BCAM at LACMA; Caltrans District 7 Headquarters; The Getty Center ©Weaver Multimedia Group, LA INC./Steven Berkman, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Ambient Images, Ambient Images Features: This building is guaranteed to elicit strong reactions from viewers. But love it or hate it, the building can’t be ignored. Perforated metal panels create a skin that covers exposed structural elements, visible from inside the building’s walkways and interior spaces. At night, the exterior panels open up to reveal windows. The south wall has a photovoltaic system capable of producing up to 5 percent of the building’s energy. Many of the building’s features are meant to evoke the state’s highway system, including the environmental art installation by Keith Sonnier in the outdoor lobby. The area consists of red and blue neon lights meant to suggest automobile head and tail lights. tied to more than just its architecture. It’s the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, serves more than 4 million Catholic worshippers and is the site of the Archbishop’s major liturgies. The exterior is sand-colored concrete, with an interior lit during the day by sunlight shining through thousands of alabaster panels. The large bronze doors by sculptor Robert Graham, the tapestries by artist John Nava and other works of art complete the building, making it well worth close inspection. U.S. Bank Tower (Library Tower) Architect: I.M. Pei Opened: 1989 Address: 633 W. Fifth Street Features: The tallest building in the United States west of Chicago, this is one of LA’s most iconic pieces of architecture. With 1.3 million square feet, the U.S. Bank Tower is 73 stories tall and reaches a height of 1,018 feet. The design of the building features interlocking sets of granite planes and curves that step down in a series of terraces and ledges, creating a building that’s neither round nor square. A large glass “crown” on top of the building is illuminated at night, and in the lobby a giant mixed-media mural entitled Unity depicts the history of Los Angeles. Walt Disney Concert Hall Architect: Frank Gehry Opened: 2003 Address: 111 S. Grand Avenue Features: There aren’t many buildings in Los Angeles as recognizable as the Walt Disney Concert Hall at the Music Center. The stainless steel skin covers a framework of steel beams erected in the shape of billowing sails or flower petals, depending on your point of view. Inside, the building houses one of LA’s best concert venues, with an auditorium known as much for its acoustics as its design. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Architect: José Rafael Moneo Opened: 2002 Address: 555 W. Temple Street Features: A contemporary cathedral designed with virtually no right angles, this building breaks the mold of the classic European cathedral of the Middle Ages. And as the third largest cathedral in the world, the significance of this building is For more information, check out the itineraries on our Web site at www.discoverLosAngeles.com 21
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