“The conference room is the focal point of the office. Everybody who visits responds to it.” Carlo Caccavale, Hon. AIA|LA – Executive Director, AIA|LA
In designing the new AIA|LA offices in the historic Wiltern Theatre building in Los Angeles, Clay Holden Architects prioritized the needs of the AIA|LA team:
- Effective use of space for different types of work – individual work, meetings, brainstorms
- Open space, with varying options for collaboration and privacy
- Daylight and views
- A sense of dynamism and energy consistent with the AIA team’s culture
To address the need for varying degrees of privacy while maintaining openness and ample daylight, Clay Holden Architects chose Panelite Bonded Series panels with both small and large aluminum honeycomb cores. Says Holden:
“The unique attributes of each scale of the aluminum honeycomb patterns provided specific solutions for the central conference room. The small pattern provides enhanced privacy to other work areas, glare control to the west while bouncing daylight into the room, and a variegated veil of glowing light qualities along the broad faces. The larger pattern at the prow of the room provides a clearer view in and out of the room from the reception desk and walkway upon passing by or entering, while the daylight from the south reaches further into the room. From within the room the mix of transparencies, highlights of daylight, and the two scales of pattern reflecting off one another add a sense of layering and an expansive feel to an otherwise small space.”
Installation details are refined and minimal, featuring frameless vertical interlocking joints, a pre-fabricated mitered corner, and a simple channel capture at the floor and ceiling. These minimal details are possible due to the inherent structural strength of honeycomb core, which produces a lightweight, self-structural panel.
Nothing makes us happier than hearing from delighted clients, so we were thrilled by Clay Holden’s feedback: “Panelite worked out perfectly for the conference room and looks great! It’s ethereal as you move around it and into it, shifting and shimmering throughout the day and night. Both I and the whole AIA staff are happy, even enamored, with the result.”
To learn more about why Bonded Series is a resource-efficient / sustainable material, see Sustainability / Resource-Efficiency
View more Bonded Series projects here.
Bonded Series overview.
Project: AIA|LA offices, Los Angeles CA
Architect: Clay Holden Architects, Los Angeles
Photos: Jeff Badger unless otherwise specified
Black and white photographic mural: Benny Chan