pocketknife house
Roger TV is a dynamic, independent motion graphics and animation studio that needed a bold re-imagining of a below-code 5,000 sf warehouse into a creative media workspace in the transportation corridor near Silverlake, Los Angeles. The design brief required a new 1,500 sf floor to be added within this warehouse structure. A defunct garment manufacturing space with significant life safety and zoning code issues, the design transformation needed a bold yet meticulous approach.
The program brief needed to address dedicated work areas for 30 animators, 6 producers with 4 private offices, 3 editing suites, 2 conference rooms, 3 new restrooms, a large and high clear area for a green screen mockup shoot area, a central pantry, a lounge and a flexible work space within this shell.
“This former garment manufacturing warehouse in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood has now become the home of independent animation and motion graphics studio, Roger. The 6,500-square-foot space was renovated by CHA:COL, Inc., who were tasked with bringing the industrial building up to code.”
Animation and video culture is as whimsical as it is technologically intensive, therefore our approach emphasized this mixing of two distinct work needs. The design proposed a continuous loop around a central armature customized (nicknamed The Pit) for meeting, working, eating and lounging needs. To address the industrial character of the space architecturally, we sought to go beyond merely retaining it, into emphasizing its raw physicality.
The Pit is an orthogonal multi-faceted armature and was custom designed as an open shell with laminated plywood and light gauge framing. The surrounding loop houses a reception area, a working lunch countertop that dovetails into a seating area, bleachers for visual artists facing the producers as well as a library and display shelving system. Adjacent is a staging zone for photo shoots, sized for a green screen shoot mockup area for heavy loading access and entertainment needs. The mezzanine houses post-production, including acoustic editing suites and recording areas with a ship ladder for rooftop access.
A key challenge designing for this space was the creation of a diverse settings within a relatively modest floor space. Another major challenge was working within interior shell height limitations in order to insert new foundations, framing and floorplates. We looked upon the overall project as an opportunity to demonstrate the diverse set of skills architects and interior designers must bring to such projects and help benefit the larger built environment we operate within.