Our Work | California Modern Design — EYRC Architects

AIRSPACE CREATIVE OFFICE RENOVATION

Written by Natalie LaHaie | Jul 10, 2021 8:29:00 AM

Project Airspace consists of renovating an existing 121,443 SF two-story tilt-up concrete building into a 126,817 SF multi-tenant creative office space.

Birdseye view of the interior

The renovation will re-imagine the existing structure and landscape, transforming it into multi-tenant creative offices with a new park connecting the entries of the Airspace building and adjacent property.

The project goal is to create a modern workspace by bringing the natural light that the spaces are lacking, creating indoor/outdoor connections, and bringing back the natural materials that have been hidden by insulation or paint.

All exterior windows will be replaced with energy-efficient clear glass windows and storefront assemblies. Existing garage doors will be replaced with glass roll-up doors, and the two on the west elevation will be framed out with tube steel and steel cable turning them into green walls that form a garden while creating a buffer from the parking. The landscape design begins to develop a sense of place within the surface parking and is critical to the concept. It is the glue connecting all the amenities, outdoor spaces, and softening the architectural materials.

A new entry porch will be created by carving an outdoor room into the south facade that connects the main lobby to the park. This new entry opens up to the sky with eight new penetrations and brings in the landscape by the use of vertical vine. The porch is surrounded by two levels of storefront to allow natural light to fill the adjacent spaces, and an artist mural will be painted on the existing concrete shear wall.

On the east side of the porch, a new amenity is programmed; a cafe is added with bi-folding doors that open up to its own patio. On the west side of the porch, there is an indoor gym space with bi-folding doors to an open deck.

Inside the new main lobby, a new public conference room 'the jewel box' acts as a shared amenity between the tenants. Its sides are made of fritted glass, green cable, and a seating area above that looks back out onto the park. Adjacent to the room is a ceremonial stair that takes you up to the new mezzanine level and second-floor tenant spaces. The back wall of the lobby is wrapped in a wool felt accent panel that helps acoustically and adds a splash of color. The building will be stripped away from all old partitions, insulation, and paint.

Two new private patio spaces located on the northeast and southeast corners of the building are defined by vertical and horizontal stainless steel cables, which would host the project's 'vertical gardens.' The ultimate goal of the vertical garden is to shield these patios from the parking lot and to create a shaded place for the tenants to enjoy the inside out relationship with the landscape, creating meditative green spaces.