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Architects: Belzberg Architects
- Area: 13500 ft²
- Year: 2014
- Photographs: Bruce Damonte, Benny Chan/Fotoworks
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Manufacturers: Vitro®, Pulp Studio, Spectrum Oak Products, Arc Light Designs, CGTile, California Glass Bending, Inisigns, PPG IdeaScapes, Stoneland USA
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Lead Architects: Hagy Belzberg (Principal), Cory Taylor (Project Architect), Kris Leese (Project Manager), Ashley Coon, Elizabeth Lorenz
Text description provided by the architects. Located at the western gateway of Beverly Hills, the renovation of the Gores Group Headquarters presented an opportunity for a particularly impactful design within the city. The holistic approach to re-defining this three-story building and the adjacent parking structure focused equally on creating a unique identity for the Gores Group and providing a healthy, enjoyable place for employees and visitors.
The design of the project first and foremost responded to the client’s desire to improve office culture. By carving out a new atrium in the center of the main office building and adding an elegant, generous staircase, staff was drawn to use more active circulation spaces, increasing impromptu conversations and interaction. This move also drastically increased the natural lighting and ventilation reaching each floor, and together with the addition of a large communal rooftop terrace and garden, the design has helped improve the health and happiness of employees, and the connectivity and comradery among them.
The transformation of the two structures, now connected by an interior bridge across a public thoroughfare, included several bespoke features and material investigations. Most visible among them was the development of a new modular, slumped glass panel system used on the façade. The customized pattern within each glass panels selectively filters views, provides privacy and light based on site conditions and the user’s needs. Although there are only eight unique patterns, the panels are configured such that the overall design does not repeat itself across the façade.
Private equity firms are not often associated with design innovation, but at the Gores Group Headquarters, it was used to elevate the operations and branding of the company. The new headquarters conveys a pride of place and embodies the symbiosis of work and space.
