Revolution Studios
Santa Monica, California
Gensler, in conjunction with Michael S. Smith Inc.

Interiors designed to evoke mid-century modernism

© John Linden

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Lantana West is a building originally designed for multiple tenants with exterior lobbies on all three of its floors. In order to respond to Revolution Studios’ needs and the teams desire to give a cohesive feel to the entire building, the lobbies were enclosed to create specific points of arrival and departure. The architecture supports this in that all entries are marked by soffits/canopies that flow from exterior to interior. In designing the interior architecture the team chose to respect the expressed structure of the building evident at the main entry lobby and third floor open office area, where columns and soffits frame the space at 30-foot intervals.

The collaboration between Gensler and Michael Smith was influenced primarily by the southern California modern era of architecture of the 1940’ and 1950’s, illustrated in such films as the Fountainhead, and RKO Studios’ pictures. The ornamentation of the interior was expressed through a warm palette of materials that conveys a residential feel from which the architecture of Richard Neutra and Albert Frey’s Palm Springs vernacular became a departure point for the design team.

At less than 1,000 square feet, the screening room is like a large home theatre. It houses state-of-the-art equipment and was designed to THX standards by an extensive team of acoustical and audio visual consultants, Revolution Studios head of post-production Gloria Borders, and the architectural design team.

The production spaces and executive offices are located at the exterior perimeter of the building. The enclosed perimeter spaces are designed with an aluminum storefront system that includes translucent laminated glass and clerestory windows to allow the maximum amount of natural daylight to permeate through the entire space.

Formal name of Project:
Revolution Studios at Lantana West

Location:
Santa Monica, Calif.

Gross square footage:
60,000 sq. ft.

Owner:
Revolution Studios

Architect:
Gensler, in conjunction with Michael S. Smith Inc.
2500 Broadway, Suite 300
Santa Monica, California 90404
310-449-5850

From left to right: Kevin Southerland,
Robert A. Jernigan, AIA, Denise Zacky,
Todd Dundon, RA, Kaz Baba,
Martha de Plazaola