The History
The Fisher Center was designed by the distinguished architect Frank Gehry, whose other projects include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Gehry worked in collaboration with acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota and a team of theater consultants. The center opened in April 2003; it took three years to build, at a cost of more than $62 million. The Fisher Center is 107,000 square feet. Its materials include:
- 40,000 square feet of fir veneer;
- 9,600 cubic yards of concrete;
- 5,647 stainless-steel shingles covering the roof; and
- 1,030 tons of both conventional and curved steel.
Additionally, the building is served by eight separate mechanical equipment rooms. Geothermal heat pumps fueled by 150 wells provide heat and air conditioning. The Fisher Center does not burn any fossil fuels during normal operations.