Jun 16 2014
IAC, a leading media and Internet company, announced that it selected multi-disciplinary design firm Rios Clementi Hale Studios for the innovative renovation of its West Hollywood office building.
A rendering of the IAC Building at 8800 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA (PRNewsFoto/IAC)
The brick building will be "draped" with a six-story sculptural lattice that will hold native plantings sustainably irrigated by recaptured underground water. An open, public space will also be added, with custom-designed seating and bike racks on the vast entry plaza, welcoming the community along a commercial stretch of Sunset Boulevard.
"The IAC building at 8800 Sunset Boulevard is undergoing a stunning architectural transformation, which will breathe new life and function into the current structure. We wanted our building to not just be another office space but to become a gathering destination," says Christian Bryan, Vice President, Real Estate and Facilities, IAC. "We are proud to offer the City of West Hollywood a green wall and a public space that will provide a breath of fresh air for pedestrians on the iconic Sunset Strip, and further build a sense of community."
The project is currently under construction and is expected to be completed later this year.
The dramatic steel structure will face the street with a living garden of Southern California hillside native plants selected by Paul Kephart of Rana Creek, a globally known expert in planted roofs. A sustainable built-in irrigation solution, using an existing underground river water flow that is being pumped and a digital monitoring system, will make sure the specimens receive the appropriate amount of water and maintain the correct pH balance.
"The lattice has the illusion of peeling off the building," says project designer Sebastian Salvadó, a senior associate at Rios Clementi Hale Studios. "Employees will have views of the landscape below and the Hollywood Hills beyond." Vertical troughs ranging from 18' to 50' feet long are attached to a white brick façade at their highest point and protrude as much as 14' feet when they meet the second floor, creating a garden awning. On the west side of the structure, the three-dimensional planted grid flattens to become a green roof over a new restaurant.
The grid structure's apertures allow light to stream through, while the lines of the lattice create shade down below. The resulting dramatic shadow patterns are echoed in pre-cast concrete pavers that extend to the street edge, forming a public plaza. Large planters bring flora to street level. Custom-designed geometric-shaped benches are made of steel plates and are powder coated white. The hollow forms underneath are powder coated yellow to correspond with the lattice structure's underside.
The building will also be activated at night—a busy time in this area of restaurants and clubs. Rather than illuminate the face of the grid, Rios Clementi Hale Studios opted to light the lattice from behind, so illumination emanates through the plants. Likewise, in-ground lighting reflecting off the yellow furniture interiors will transform the seating into glowing lanterns. "By day it's a California hillside and by night it acts as a big urban lamp to illuminate the plaza," notes Salvadó. The building will be branded with two IAC signs strategically placed by Rios Clementi Hale Studios and designed by Bruce Mau.