AUX is honored to receive a design award from AIA Los Angeles for The Art Room. Home to our own studio as well as The Art Room Cafe and Gallery, the project is designed so that culinary artists, sculptors, painters, architects, graphic designers, and musicians have a place to interact, create, and socialize. The spaces are highly adaptable with shared resources for anyone who comes to share in the discourse of design.
The expression of adaptability is evident in a kinetic façade that reimagines the roll-down security gates that are added as afterthoughts to buildings throughout Downtown Los Angeles. Custom perforated panels are mounted to off-the-shelf sliding door hardware and divided into three sections. These large “doors” (one slides horizontal and the other vertical) allow the building’s façade and its interiors to transform throughout the day. The façade becomes a lively participant with the businesses that open and close and help moderate the views and sunlight that pass through the floor-to-ceiling glass storefront.
The design speaks to the importance of saving and adapting existing buildings to preserve both the character of Downtown Los Angeles while taking advantage of the building’s embodied carbon and diverting additional building waste from landfills. Existing brick walls, wood framing, and concrete floors are preserved and refinished. Sustainably sourced walnut complements these materials, weaving old and new within the revitalized spaces. Skylights were added so light can graze across and highlight the existing surfaces and fill each room with natural light.
Congratulations to our amazing team of designers who brought this project to fruition. Their hard work and diligence throughout the entire process is something we are extremely proud of.
We are also happy to be included in the incredible group of awardees. Each project presented is a testament to the strength and creativity of the Los Angeles architecture and design community. See the full list of awardees, here.
