Offices of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners
Santa Monica, Calif.
Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners

A cozy home inspires creativity and comfort for these California architects

© John Linden

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The architects created a humanistic workplace embodying the spirit of their firm in this modestly priced adaptive reuse of two buildings. A 1920's loft building with bow trusseswith bow trusses in a mixed-use neighborhood shares a party wall with a simple one story box from the 1950's. Both buildings were gutted and openings were punched to create maximum communication between them. Skylights and clerestories optimize borrowed light and views. Cross-ventilation is achieved throughout the building and shading is accomplished with deep awnings on the south and west, making heat and air conditioning seldom necessary.

The building is organized to be highly efficient, yet flexible. The high-volume loft is a studio with bays for easily reconfigured teams. Special purpose rooms such as conference rooms and office support are accommodated in the simpler 1950's building. Circulation is organized around a simple grid and allows for a range of informal meeting places along pathways: kitchen, periodicals, entry, photo library, etc. Sliding walls allow for multiple configurations of major meeting areas.

An array of scales and kinds of places accommodate different needs and moods. A private bathroom with shower serves bicyclers and early-morning athletes. The courtyard serves several kinds of activities. A central grove of olive trees is paved in decomposed granite and accommodates café seating, outdoor meetings, or large parties. A bordered lawn is cool and restful and a covered colonnade provides shaded meeting or work areas. While the materials of the studio are modest, they provide a rich array of strong accent walls to play against large areas of white walls and light maple cabinetry. The architects strove to be both stimulated and soothed by their offices, as they explore and develop their collaborative community.

Formal name of Project:
Offices of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners

Location:
Santa Monica, Calif.

Gross square footage:
9,174 sq ft

Owner:
Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners

Architect:
Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners