Microclimatic Impact: Glare around the Walt Disney Concert Hall

Buildings have an impact on the environment at a macroscale in terms of the resources that they use. But they also have an impact in the microclimate of their immediate surroundings. One such building is the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry. It is a landmark, scintillating building, in more ways than one. Occupants of surrounding buildings have complained of elevated temperatures and visual glare. Ground temperatures at the sidewalk are uncomfortable and freestanding lightweight objects get hot enough to soften plastic. This paper records a method of measuring the visual glare and some of the thermal impact of the light reflected onto the surrounding environment.