Architecture

The 302,689 SF facility is situated on a sloping site with four-and-a-half levels. There are 998 parking spaces in the structure and 128 surface lot spaces. The partial level serves as an entry point to the structure on the site’s lower side. Several design elements break up the building’s exterior, making it less imposing. Rather than being hidden inside, the structure’s elevator tower and outdoor stairwell provide design interest as well as make it easier for visitors to find their way through the building. The exterior façade has a decorative, cast-in-place concrete wall with colored cement tiles and stainless steel perforated panel fins. This new structure meets LEED standards for sustainable design while also blending seamlessly into its surroundings. Solar panels incorporated in the structure’s roof have reduced campus energy costs by 25 percent.

This new police station is designed to exemplify the LAPD’s efforts to create an open, community-serving police force. AC Martin’s design relates the station to the surrounding community, encourages public interaction, and creates a beneficial work environment for the officers.  

Constructed on the site of the existing 1958 station and located near local government offices, community spaces, and a public park, the new station is significantly larger than the original and includes a 54,000-SF main building, a 7,000-SF vehicle maintenance facility, and 115,000-SF parking structure.

The surrounding neighborhood has a rich and layered history with a distinct tradition of artistic expression. Local murals and brightly colored houses and gardens speak to the area’s creative spirit and ultimately played a major role in the design of the new facility. It was important to the community that the building maintain its central location and that the new design help transform the station into part of the neighborhood’s creative fabric. The project’s art program includes a large mural that reflects the history of the area and physically bridges the station to a public park space.

This building is certified LEED® Gold. 

The headquarters building for Caltrans District 3 is a five story office building designed to house 800 state employees. The building features loft-like open offices with high ceilings and natural lighting for Caltrans administration, design and engineering studios. It includes a 200-seat auditorium, public service counters, teleconferencing facilities, and a cafeteria with outdoor tables. A prominent component of the building is the cavernous 4-story central space known as “The Canyon.” Beginning at the second floor, the canyon opens up to the light filled interior which is created by 115 linear feet of highly reflective light louvers.

The building was placed on the north half of the project site, and is at the visual termination of 8th Street and “B” Street. The main entrance, located near this intersection, strengthens the symbolic connection with the community. The siting of the building takes advantage of the favorable north-south sun orientation, allowing usage of the south orientation for day lighting into the building and the ambient light of the north elevation to create a controllable light filled working environment. With this building orientation, the Canyon drives the natural light into the building’s interior, where no work space Is more than 37-feet from natural light. This feature provides vertical visual communication, adding cohesiveness to the building’s organization, as compared to traditionally stacked floors organized around a central core. The headquarters is certified LEED® Silver.

Prolacta’s primary function is to provide milk based nutrients for premature babies. Currently located in an office complex in Monrovia, they plan to expand their facilities to a site in the City of Industry.

The new build-out will consist of approximately 15,000 SF of office space, 11,000 SF of receiving and storage, and approximately 40,000 SF of manufacturing. These spaces will be built into two existing and adjacent buildings. The project will primarily be a tenant improvement, with select exterior improvements including new exterior walls and openings to accommodate the new spaces.

The space will feature laboratories and manufacturing areas that take in, test, and produce milk-based products that are delivered to clients. Also included will be offices, conference and meeting rooms, warehouse and shipping areas and a large lunchroom/Town Hall that will serve as a company-wide meeting area and is planned to be directly adjacent to a proposed garden area.

This 17,000 SF classroom building is the final piece in Chapman University’s long-planned completion of the historic core campus. 

Completed in 2013, the hall is designed to reflect its historic counter parts built from 1913 to 1921. The building is designed with collaboration spaces which are meant to be less formal environments where faculty and students can meet.

The 24,000 SF building includes teaching studios, practice rooms, music classrooms, a 60-seat lecture hall, large instrumental rehearsal hall, and listening library. The building is also used for a number of other campus performances and functions for Dance and Theater providing a much expanded facility to their existing College of Performing Arts. The facility houses a state of the art infrastructure that is capable of meeting the needs of the students and faculty well into the future.

This 400,000 SF office building provides general office space for the Western Headquarters of Prudential Insurance Company of America. The project site consists of 49 acres developed within a 64-acre parcel of land. The project includes a three-story building, with 286,000 square feet of office area, and 100,000 square feet devoted to support functions such as a cafeteria, audio-visual, atrium and mechanical areas. Site development includes an internal access road system, parking facilities for1,054 cars and a fully landscaped master plan.

The building structure itself is integrated in an earthen saddle within the existing terrain. Secondary berms also serve to screen parking lots, service areas and mechanical cooling equipment. The integration of a three story atrium satisfies the client’s need for long-range departmental flexibility and provides a focal circulation point for the facility. The two long elevations include six-foot overhangs with a continuous window running the length of the building. The overhangs eliminate the excessive direct solar gain problems normally associated with continuous large expanses of glass.

The Center for the Arts at Pasadena City College brings together the disciplines of art and music in one facility. The goal was to create an environment that would inspire creativity, challenge the imagination, and encourage collaboration between the visual artists and musicians while carving out a distinctive home for both. Through the design process the team discovered the unique needs of these two departments and the potential to capitalize on the inherent artistic connections. Complex programmatic issues were resolved while introducing a dynamic collage of forms, materials, and colors that fits seamlessly into the campus.

The three-story, 87,000-SF building program includes a 94-seat lecture hall, 1,200-SF gallery space, art labs and studios, 88-seat Little Theater, 225-seat recital hall, music classrooms, rehearsal spaces, basement level support spaces and studio/labs for jewelry, photography, cinema, drawing, painting, digital, printmaking and sculpture. Due to the cross-disciplinary functions of the building and programmed space, careful consideration was given to acoustical treatment and separation. Lighting and theater equipment were carefully coordinated with the structure and building systems.

The Padre Serra Parish Church is located in the city of Camarillo on a site which is a portion of the historical St. John’s Seminary and is bounded on three sides by a vast agricultural area. The church architecture blends uniquely with the Spanish Colonial architectural style found at the Seminary and nearby Mary Magdelen Chapel.

The project was master planned into three phases on an 11.8 acre parcel comprised of:  the main worship sanctuary with support areas, a chapel, classrooms and offices, parochial school, day care facility, multi-purpose building, rectory, and play fields for the school

The complex is centered around a central courtyard which functions as a gathering space before and after worship, and for parish events such as weddings.

Entrances onto the property are marked by decorative gateways followed by tree lined drives which lead to and from a ceremonial auto court located at the entrance to the courtyard and service the parking area. The parking area contains approximately 330 spaces and is lushly landscaped to complement the existing Seminary property.

AC Martin provided a Feasibility Study and design for this 106,500 GSF facility for Social and Behavioral Sciences, which is located on the main planned pedestrian spine. It includes lecture halls, graduate research space, faculty offices, a Dean’s Suite, 10 department suites, support spaces, conference rooms and two centers. Research labs housed in the building include: Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Community Ethnobotany Lab, Communication Lab, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Lab.