ASC ARRI EDUCATION CENTER Hollywood, CA

How do you help prepare a venerable 20th-century organization for its 21st-century mission? Designed as a flexible space to house the American Society of Cinematographers educational programs and the staff of their magazine, American Cinematographer, and to be completed quickly, in time for their 100th anniversary, this small office building was conceived as a prefabricated but highly site-specific kit of parts for rapid assembly, sustainability, affordability, and most importantly, generous, light-filled spaces.

Built around an existing, mature Plumeria tree planted 90 years ago by an Academy award-winning former ASC president, a prefabricated, bolt-together steel frame supports a skin of glass and insulated metal panels. This skin provides insulation, waterproofing, and interior/exterior finishes in one prefabricated package. A roof monitor brings light deep into the interior and broad overhangs shield occupants from the abundant Southern California sunshine. The form references both the organization’s Cuppola-topped main building and low-slung modern architecture, and in this way is both deferential and at the same time not beholden to its senior, sister building on the campus.

The building’s sustainable highlights include a resource-efficient, factory pre-fabricated frame and wall panels, a below-grade, under-floor ventilation system that pre-cools or heats the air utilizing the earth’s stable year-round temperature, mineral wool insulation, and onsite stormwater retention. The concrete, steel, and glass structure is designed for low maintenance and long life.