The design for Davie-Brown Entertainment (DBE) developed around the need to create two distinct zones—warehouse and office—without jeopardizing fluidity of space, coherence of design, and smooth, functional communication overall. The feature film/television product placement and entertainment promotions marketing agency needed the space to accommodate and consolidate program that had been previously split into two separate locations: a large Prop Center warehouse on one side; executive offices, staff and client offices, a conference room, product display, and a dressing room on the other. While enjoying a high powered presence in the entertainment industry, DBE is a corporation that thrives on an open, informal, collaborative work environment. The design evolved with a desire to create a rich environment that would respond to the client’s needs while also allowing the content of their work to animate the space as an integral aspect of the design.
The solution was to divide the converted warehouse space by inserting a simply defined rectangular bar structure containing offices below and mezzanine storage above. The main office zone of Davie-Brown was driven by the desire to maintain a maximum amount of open space at the center of the building. This main area acts as an internal piazza around which all activities unfold—clients pass through, staff traverse—generating a buzz of casual social activity to enliven the entire space. Visual corridors extend unobstructed from one end of the space to the other, creating a vibrant sense of spaciousness. A 20 ft.-long, brilliant blue kitchen/café island sits astride one side of the space, while feature elements, such as a 12 ft.-high hourglass-shaped metal-clad conference room and a 14 ft.-high shrink-wrapped torqued steel frame dressing room, act as sculptural objects in the otherwise open field.
Project Team
Pugh + Scarpa Architects (architect)
Industrial Shrink Film Systems (custom fabricator)
A&M Steel Fabricators (custom fabricator)
CWE, Inc. (general contractor)
Marvin Rand (photography)
Awards
AIA Los Angeles Award, 2002
