Beverly Hills, California

 

Completion Date:
March 2010

Owner:
Larry Gagosian

Program: A 5,000-square-foot expansion of Gagosian's existing galleries and offices, which were designed by Richard Meier in 1995. At street level the addition features a 3,000-square-foot double-height gallery, along with space for storage and art preparation. The second floor includes offices and a skylit private gallery, topped by a sculpture terrace on the roof.

Design concept and solution: To make the most of their 7,400 square feet of land, the Richard Meier team adapted a former salon next door, which allowed them to avoid adding additional parking (a requirement for new construction in Beverly Hills) to an already full site. They wanted their reuse to accommodate a variety of artworks while maintaining the quality of light in Gagosian's existing space. The architects removed the ceiling in the new gallery to expose the original wood barrel-vault roof, which extends over much of the room. The remaining sliver of roof was flat, and the architects replaced it with a wide skylight. Along the opposite wall they cut away a narrow swath of the vaulted roof to install a smaller skylight. Made from acid-etched glass, the skylights diffuse the daylight to keep it even and soft. The orientation of the barrel vault—high on one wall and low on the other—creates display space for large and small works alike.

Architect:
Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP
1001 Gayley Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90024
310/208.6464 T
310/824.2294 F
www.richardmeier.com

People

Owner
Larry Gagosian

Architect
Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP
1001 Gayley Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90024
310/208.6464 T
310/824.2294 F
www.richardmeier.com

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Michael Palladino, FAIA – Lead Design Architect (Registered Architect)
James R. Crawford, AIA – Project Manager (Registered Architect)
Alex Wuo, AIA – Project Architect (Registered Architect)
Richard Kent Irving – Director of Interior Architecture
Collaborators:
Kimberly Lenz (Registered Architect)
Rozan Gacasan (registered Architect
Mark Sparrowhawk
Zhiwei Liao
John Gralewski

Architect of record
Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP

Engineer(s)
Structural: Englekirk & Sabol – Los Angeles, CA

Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing: Syska Hennessy Group - Los Angeles, CA

Consultant(s)
Lighting: Fisher Marantz Stone – New York, NY

Acoustical: Newson Brown Acoustics, LLC - Sherman Oaks, CA

Geological: R.T. Frankian & Associates, Inc. – Burbank, CA

Waterproofing: Roofing & Waterproofing Forensics, Inc. – Yorba Linda, CA

Elevator: HKA Elevator Consulting, Inc. – Laguna Hills, CA

Specifications – ANC Specifications, Inc. – Newbury Park, CA

General contractor
RJC Builders, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA

Photographer
Tim Griffith

CAD system, project management, or other software used
AutoCAD

 

Products

Structural system
Structural Steel

Major Exterior Finishes
Clear and translucent glass and aluminum curtain wall
Painted exterior cement plaster
Zinc

Major Interior Finishes
Painted gypsum board
Acid washed concrete floors
Natural finish maple floors

Roofing
Built-up roofing: Sarnafil – single ply PVC