Museum of Photographic Arts
Location:
San Diego, CA, United States
Architect/Specifier:
David Raphael Singer
Featured Products:
Interior Metal Ceilings"When I was a kid we used to watch movies under the stars," reminisces David Raphael Singer, architect and designer of the expansion and renovation of the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) in San Diego. That was the main inspiration for the ceiling plane of the revolutionary 228 seat state-of-the-art theater. The room's most popular feature is its vaulted ceiling with embedded twinkling fiber-optic star lights. Custom designed with acoustically lined Luxalon curved metal planks from Hunter Douglas, the finished project instilled a sense of awe in director Arthur Ollman: "I often walk around the museum when no one is here saying 'I can't believe this!'" he says. "...To sit beneath the ceiling of the theater, and feel the volume of the room, feel the generous curve of that ceiling, and enjoy those lights up there as if we were under starlight. That really is a visceral pleasure."