Khalifeh & Associates Incorporates Energy Efficiency and Flexibility for the New Beckman YOLA Center Designed by Frank Gehry

The Los Angeles Philharmonic unveiled its new design plans for a new concert and rehearsal space by highly acclaimed architect, Frank Gehry. With a strong commitment to music education, the new Judith and Thomas L. Beckman Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) Center is located in Inglewood, California, replacing a former Security Pacific Bank.

Gehry, who designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall, worked closely with Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel to design the 25,000-square-foot space. The $14.5 million construction project will encompass a light-filled facility equipped for rehearsals, gatherings, classes and performances. Students will have access to music professionals from around the world, which will empower, educate and help the youth from the Los Angeles County.

We are so excited to share that our engineering firm, Khalifeh and Associates, provided many services on this amazing project. We are proud that our work will enable so much community engagement to the city of Los Angeles! The new YOLA Center is monumental for the city of Inglewood and we are honored to have been able to consult and provide our services for it.

As an MEP-specialized firm, we provided Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), plumbing and electrical design as well as designs for Title-24 Energy Model and Compliance services. We are also engaged to perform commissioning services for the project which verifies that all energy-using equipment function properly and efficiently to conserve energy.

The HVAC system is designed to provide sufficient ventilation and air filtration to ensure the quality of air in the new YOLA building will be up to par where using as little energy as possible. Our goal at Khalifeh & Associates is to supply top-notch MEP Engineering service while creating an energy efficient system that will work effortlessly for this project. The concert hall and rehearsal space, set to undergo construction in the Spring of this year. Energy efficiency is vital to us and our client as we aim to reduce our overall environmental impact.

Currently, more than 1,200 students have access to academic support, music training and free instruments. The new YOLA building is set to double the amount of students, allowing for more of our city’s youth to become ‘vital citizens, leaders, and agents of change.’ Working with Gehry and Dudamel to bring this vision to life has been nothing short of exciting and memorable. We know it will create a great impact on the community and its students who will feel empowered to become pillars of their community.