The Hackable Building: From Corporate to Cool for Tech Tenants

At Latitude 34 in Los Angeles, Gensler is re-conceiving office space for a new type of client. Jack Skelley tells us how. Rendering courtesy Gensler.

By Jack Skelley

While the commercial real estate market remains in the doldrums, with high vacancies and low rents, one submarket is on fire: Tech. Companies such as Google and YouTube are expanding into Southern California, for example, and gobbling up all the “cool” buildings. You know, old bow-truss warehouses turned into creative space that feels authentic, textured, scaled to the individual, and not “corporate” like most traditional office buildings.

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Big Night: FORM Magazine Hosts "Work Ethic" Event

FORM Magazine recently hosted "Work Ethic," an event featuring some of the biggest names in architecture and real estate. Image via FORM Magazine.From time to time, FORM Magazine hosts compelling events that bring together architects, designers, developers, real estate professionals and more. Recently, FORM produced another great event—this time a thought-provoking evening held at the Cuningham Group in Culver City. Guests were treated to a panel discussion by architectural and real estate industry titans: John Marx of Form4 Architecture, Michael White of Gensler, Arty Maharajh of Transwestern and Jonathan Watts of Cuningham Group Architecture.

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FORM Event Draws Crowd Craving Info on Infrastructure

The Downtown Los Angeles offices of Perkins + Will hosted Form's most recent event on April 7: Infrastructure: The intersection of design, engineering and imagination. Form contributor Jack Skelley- Senior Partner at Paolucci Communication Arts-hosted the panel discussion, with four high-level practitioners: Leigh Christy, Senior Associate at Perkins + Will , the international design firm whose specialties includes urban design, planning strategies, preservation and reuse, discussed the proposed plan for revitalizing the Los Angeles River at the Piggyback Yards near Downtown Los Angeles.

Michael Bohn, Principal at Studio One Eleven at Perkowitz + Ruth Architects - an integrated practice of architecture, landscape and urban design - spoke about his firm's work with the City of Long Beach to create "road diets" and other innovative streetscaping. Among the successes of these efforts, Bohn reported, has been a dramatically increased business, thanks to enhanced pedestrian vitality and economic activity.  Cliff Garten, the internationally recognized sculptor and founder of Cliff Garten Studio in Venice, California, spoke about his project, "Corridor of Light," in Arlington Virginia - illuminated sculptures that combine public art with masterplanning. And Deborah Weintraub, who is Deputy City Engineer, Chief Architect for the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, at the City of Los Angeles, discussed the crucial importance of bringing architects early on into the discussion of large-scale

infrastructure projects. 

Co-sponsors of the event were Izze beverage company and Pama, pomegranate liqueur. 

April 7 Event at Perkins+Will

Thanks to everyone who came out to Perkins+Will last week and made our March/April "Infrastructure" issue event such a success! Special thanks to Photographer Claudio Farias, Jack Skelley,  Perkins+Will, Friends of the Los Angeles River, Michael Bohn, AIA, Cliff Garten, and Deborah Weintraub, AIA. 

Like us on our Facebook Page to check out additional event pictures. 

Happy Spring! 

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