Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Rooftop terrace made for stargazing

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is as unique as the industry it represents. And because one part of the brand-new museum—thesphere—has a glass rooftop dome, it required the superior structural capacity found in Saflex® Structural (DG41) PVB interlayers instead of standard PVB interlayers.

In a town where glamour and glitz are practically a requirement, the giant glass sphere sparkles appropriately. The museum gives visitors a behind-the-scenes look into how films are made while celebrating the power of the movies. Hollywood superstars Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks helped spearhead the project. And its designer, “starchitect” Renzo Piano, is as well known as many of the actors celebrated inside the museum.

Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy, the Academy Museum is housed in the historic May Company Building (now called the Saban Building) in Los Angeles. Glass bridges lead to the glass dome, designed for viewing the stars—both the Hollywood and celestial varieties. Located in the lower half of the sphere is the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater. The all-glass top half of the sphere resides over a rooftop terrace with jaw-dropping views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.

The dome design required careful attention to material selection and design detail and lasted several years. Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineeringdesigned a unique “shingle” system to accommodate the complex geometry and high load requirements of the dome.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Executive Architect: Gensler
Construction company: Josef Gartner
Glass laminator: Saint-Gobain
Engineering firm: Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering