WE3 at Water’s Edge, a six-story, 160,000-sf creative workspace has completed construction in an area of Playa Vista colloquially referred to as “Silicon Beach.”
WE3 is the third and final building in a pre-existing commercial campus. SPF:architects’ main challenge with the project was to create a plan fully integrated with the existing conditions that would maximize the lot’s buildable area and maintain a compelling architectural standard. The project evolved over time to create a longer, more flexible office space that allowed more light and views on each elevation. A new public courtyard was created and an existing on grade sports field was relocated over the parking substructure.
The 400-foot-long building includes four levels of parking (two subterranean, one at grade, and one above grade) and four floors of open workspace. Each of the four levels is approximately 40,000-sf and fifteen feet floor to floor.
WE3 at Water's Edge - SPF:architects from SPF:architects on Vimeo.
Due to zoning restrictions, the building’s top floor could not be contiguous and exceed 20,000 sf. In order to maintain the desired area requirements, a gap was introduced mid-floor and a sky garden was created. The sky garden is located approximately 70 feet above natural grade and provides views toward Baldwin Hills and the Pacific Ocean. It also provides tenants with a wind-shielded terrace that can be used for impromptu meetings or casual workspaces. Additionally, all circulation and exiting is designed to be exterior.
WE3’s exterior includes a “floating,” perforated skin that shrouds the building and dematerializes it, visually lengthening the structure’s significant mass while providing the glass facade cover from the full brunt of the sun. Natural light filters through the skin in all directions and is proportionally spread across the entirety of the interior surface area.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Apr 4, 2017
Amazon’s newest office building will be an ‘urban treehouse’
The building will provide 405,000 sf of office space in downtown Seattle.
Standards | Mar 29, 2017
Wellness movement is catching on with AEC firms
Hord Caplan Macht the latest to join the club by submitting its offices for certification under Fitwel’s program.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 28, 2017
Digital tools accelerated the design and renovation of one contractor’s new office building
One shortcut: sending shop drawings created from laser scans directly to a wood panel fabricator.
Office Buildings | Mar 27, 2017
New York warehouse to become an office mixing industrial and modern aesthetics
The building is located in West Chelsea between the High Line and West Street.
Office Buildings | Mar 24, 2017
Brookfield expands its ‘office of the future’ brand to Houston
The developer engaged four design firms to come up with unique suites it will market under its DesignHive label.
Office Buildings | Mar 21, 2017
Fruit company’s HQ acts as an oasis among surrounding industrial processing yards
Graham Baba Architects designed the project around a central, landscaped courtyard.
Office Buildings | Mar 20, 2017
The new workplace: More than a generational issue
Today’s workplace requires designers and employers to look holistically at the organization’s culture, its criteria for success, and its place in the world.
Office Buildings | Mar 7, 2017
Large creative office projects generate staggering returns for property investors
A new Transwestern report examines the adaptive reuse trend across the U.S.
Office Buildings | Mar 2, 2017
White paper from Perkins Eastman and Three H examines how design can inform employee productivity and wellbeing
This paper is the first in a planned three-part series of studies on the evolution of diverse office environments and how the contemporary activity-based workplace (ABW) can be uniquely tailored to support a range of employee personalities, tasks and work modes.
Office Buildings | Mar 2, 2017
Office renovation and addition give new life to a section of Huntsville, Ala.
The newly opened Freedom Center, near Redstone Arsenal, includes a 10,000-sf conference center.