Hodgetts + Fung Design and Architecture, devoted to preserving the rich history of a Los Angeles icon, has reinterpreted the Hollywood Bowl’s trademark creamy-white curvilinear shell while infusing advanced technologies to provide the world-class acoustics envisioned by the founders.

Partners Craig Hodgetts, AIA, and Hsin-Ming Fung, AIA, worked closely with a team of consultants and engineers to combine classic lines and streamlined technology to echo the glamorous associations of the Bowl’s history. “Our objective was to create a rare evening experience blending the glamour of a Hollywood premiere with the lush background of the Hollywood Hills,” Hodgetts says.

A Wrightian influence
The new Hollywood Bowl shell marks the fifth constructed since it was built in 1922. Hodgetts + Fung’s design replaces the 1929 shell, designed by Elliott, Bowen and Walz. In 1928—one year after building a temporary wood shell—Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the Modern shell that remains its trademark shape. That shell, however, was demolished after it deteriorated from being left unprotected in winter. The original bowl, which stood for five years, was a simple wood platform with a canvas shell; a wood proscenium was added in 1926.

Hodgetts + Fung’s plans resonated with county residents and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which considers the Hollywood Bowl one of its two homes. Voters in 1996 approved a $25-million upgrade, and commissioned Hodgetts + Fung to create new solutions for the Hollywood Bowl. After experimenting with several options—including retaining the 1929 structure in some form—the architects proposed a new approach with a halo-like acoustic canopy to accommodate the architects’ environmental-impact analysis, community’s desires, and practical needs of the Philharmonic. In October 2003 construction began on the new design, which included a re-conception of the arch, advanced digital sound reinforcement system, and expansive stage. Flanking the arch are dramatic, stepped wings harking to the Bowl’s 1920s beginnings. Behind the wings are new backstage areas, completed in collaboration with executive architect Gruen Associates.

State-of-the-art acoustics
In addition to upgraded acoustical features, the new configuration expands the stage by 30 percent to accommodate the full Philharmonic orchestra within the arch, where previously some musicians were forced to play outside of the shell. The historic shell’s interior conical shape did not meet acoustic needs, yet had become familiar to millions of Bowl patrons. Through careful analysis, the architects gave the shell the appearance of the original cone shape. Hodgetts + Fung also positioned knife-thin baffles that line the interior walls to recall the visual effect.

The architects worked with Jaffe Holden Acoustics to incorporate innovative technologies to solve the acoustical problems that have afflicted the bowl since its creation. The highlight of the new shell’s acoustic features is the grand canopy, which floats as an elliptical ring above the stage and reflects sound waves to all parts of the stage. A series of computerized translucent louvers extends across the ring and is programmed to shift into place according to the type of music being performed. The canopy allows performers to hear each other on stage—a goal that had never been previously achieved.

Hodgetts + Fung says the bowl will adapt to future demands. Working with theater consultant Fisher Dachs Associates, the team devised an adaptable-stage design to accommodate touring groups and performers. Expanding the roof and making the suspended ellipse partially removable increases the proscenium height to 60 feet, adding even more flexibility. Lighting and sound equipment, which can be customized for each performance, are stored above the acoustic canopy. Three towers above the exterior shell support linear arrays of vertically suspended speakers, which curl just below the proscenium to complement the ellipse and ensure the seamless visual flow of the bowl’s regal arch.

Copyright 2004 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. Home Page