Colburn Center (Under Construction)

Designed by Frank Gehry, the Colburn Center is a 100,000-square-foot expansion of the Colburn School, a renowned institution for music and dance in downtown Los Angeles, scheduled to open in September 2027. At the heart of the development is the 1,000-seat Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall, a concert hall designed with an in-the-round seating arrangement that brings audiences closer to performers, creating a more intimate musical experience.

One of the hall's most distinctive architectural features is its ceiling, composed of 20 sculptural steel acoustic clouds suspended above the audience. Designed to improve the hall's acoustics while creating a sense of lightness and movement, the clouds combine flowing, double-curved steel surfaces with a concrete-based acoustic treatment. Together, they form an intricate overhead installation that plays both a functional and architectural role in the concert hall.

CIG was responsible for the engineering, production, pre-assembly, and surface treatment of the steel acoustic clouds. Our work included structural analysis, detailed 3D modeling, workshop drawings, and the development of approximately 79 transportable sections. Using advanced production techniques, individual 6 mm steel plates were cut, cold-formed, and welded together with supporting ribs to create the complex structures.

With a combined steel weight of approximately 57 tonnes, the acoustic clouds required extensive preparation and precision throughout production. At our facility in Groningen, the sections were pre-assembled, inspected, and finished with a protective coating and white surface treatment, providing the foundation for the acoustic treatment applied on-site.

Manufactured in the Netherlands and now suspended above the concert hall, the completed steel clouds demonstrate how advanced digital engineering and specialist steel fabrication can translate Gehry's ambitious architectural vision into reality.