Groundbreaking:
June 1997

Architect:
Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Santa Monica, California.
Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame is the first commercial project Gehry has designed in the Pacific Northwest.

Frank O. Gehry online >>

Associate Architect:
LMN Architects, Seattle

Location:
Seattle Center, next to the Space Needle and Seattle Center Monorail

Building Statistics:
140,000 total square feet; footprint,
35,000 square feet;
highest point: 85 feet at Sky Church
widest point: 210 feet at West Harrison Street
length: 360 feet at Fifth Avenue North

Building Fun Fact
If you made a typical steel guitar "E" (first) string from the steel in EMP|SFM, it would be 1.6 million miles long — enought to circle the Earth 65 times. If you made it into the lightest banjo string, you could stretch it 1/4 of the way to the planet Venus. Twang!

The data cable installed in the building could wrap around the earth!

Design

When Frank O. Gehry met with co-founders Paul Allen and Jody Patton, he was introduced to their drive and passion to share the creative inspiration of music with others. To design the building, Gehry looked to music for his inspiration. A classical music fan, Gehry wanted to understand rock 'n' roll so he traded in his Bach for Hendrix and took a trip to the neighborhood guitar store. Gehry bought several electric guitars, took them back to his office and cut them into pieces. The guitar pieces were the building blocks for an early model design. Influenced by the colors in the early model, Gehry's final design brightly displays the red and blue hues of electric guitars.

Unique Exterior
The outside of the building is as stimulating as what is on the inside. A fusion of textures and myriad of colors, the museum structure symbolizes the energy and fluidity of music. The exterior consists of stainless steel and painted aluminum shingles, each individually cut and shaped. The stainless steel has three finishes: mirrored purple, lightly brushed silver, and bead-blasted gold. The red and blue sections are painted aluminum. Each finish takes on an exciting and unique shade when viewed from different angles around the building. The red will fade with time, altering the appearance of the building's exterior and reflecting how music is ever changing. There are over 3,000 panels covering the exterior skin of EMP|SFM, each panel holding about seven shingles. Each shingle is a unique shape and size, cut and bent to fit exactly in its designed location. A total of 21,000 shingles cover the EMP|SFM exterior.

CATIA
CATIA, a three-dimensional computer program, enabled the complexity of the EMP|SFM building to be realized. Invented by Dessault Corporation for the design of Mirage fighter jets, CATIA is now the primary computer design tool for Boeing and Chrysler. Gehry is the first architect to use it in the creation of his highly shaped metal buildings.

CATIA allows a sculptural form to be digitized into a 3-D electronic model that can be used for the engineering of building systems and the fabrication of building elements. Gehry's actual models were digitized through CATIA and then used to develop the specific design of the metal skin, structural concrete and steel elements, as well as the routing for the mechanical and electrical systems. The building was literally designed from the outside in. Additionally, other 3-D software design programs that communicate with CATIA have been used in the building's design by the engineering and contractor teams.

Access Information

EMP|SFM is dedicated to providing an educational and interactive experience for all visitors. The designers and architects worked with representatives from the Seattle disabled community to ensure that music fans and EMP|SFM employees with disabilities can count on easy access to the entire museum. Nationally renowned accessibility consultant, Kevin McGuire, is part of the design team to guarantee all accessibility is maintained. Items reviewed include architectural and exhibit design plans, parking and mobility issues, Monorail station/path of travel issues and the building exterior layout to ensure it does not interfere with path of travel for visitors who are blind, visually impaired or physically disabled.

The multi-level building is accessible via six elevators for those patrons with difficulty using the stairs. All stairwell handles comply with building codes regarding size and placement. Wheelchair accessibility:

• electric door openers at all EMP|SFM entrances
• all interior counters are 34 inches high for ease of interaction between EMP|SFM employees and patrons
• wheelchair-accessible seats are available throughout Sky Church, the main music venue, not limited to the front row

Audio/visual assistance: Patrons with hearing and visual impairments can count on the latest technology to help them enjoy the exhibitions and interactive elements within the museum.

• assisted listening system
• sub-woofers installed in the floor so patrons can feel the music
• rear window captioning system
• audio narration system