eric owen moss architects studio visit in los angeles

renowned for challenging preconceived notions of architecture, eric owen moss and his practice strive to explore new understandings and possibilities within the field. first established in 1973, the firm’s portfolio extends from the city planning of nanjing in china, to the vienna business school proposal in austria. it also includes the republic square design in almaty, kazakhstan, and the cactus tower in culver city, los angeles. this part of LA is also where the firm’s office is based, and where many of its realized projects reside.

on a recent trip to los angeles, designboom visited the practice’s culver city headquarters where we interviewed architect eric owen moss. following our conversation, we were given a detailed tour of the studio as well as the surrounding culver city district — a former industrial tract revitalized by moss and his firm.

eric own moss’ office is full of books, memorabilia, and models
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housed within a single storey brick building that recedes from the street with pitched roofs, a heavy industrial metal doorway welcomes visitors into the studio. once inside, a large reception — which continues the exterior themes of curved brickwork and large windows — leads down a corridor with a conference room on one side and eric owen moss’ office opposite. with more book shelves than clear wall space, the room seems like a personal library, filled with novels and architectural studies. this collection of intellect extends across the almost room-length table which is covered with drawings, models, and again, more books.

depending on workload, the office is made up of 15 to 20 employees
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at the end of the corridor, the office opens up to a large communal workspace where between 15 to 20 employees work in two teams: one for the development of culver city, and the second for all other projects. surrounding the room, as well as in and among the work stations, are incredibly detailed models of past, current, and future schemes. these range from small intricate experiments to large scale and highly elaborate final representations, including the ‘(w)rapper’, which has been 17 years in progress, the ‘first and broadway park’ proposal, and the completed ‘pterodactyl’ office building/parking lot.

the workstations are illuminated with large overhead windows
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models adorn the studio’s walls, shelves, and table tops
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made apparent by the numerous models dotted across the different workstations, the office encourages a hands-on design process in order to generate unusual and challenging forms. at one end of the communal studio, there are two smaller rooms dedicated to the crafting of these final models as well as exploratory ones. here sits all the tools and materials needed, from CNC machines and laser cutters to card and acetate.

a scale model of the ‘(w)rapper’
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a representation of the ‘vespertine’ restaurant
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small model of the ‘(w)rapper’ (left) and two models of the ‘samitaur tower’, which was completed in 2010
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model of the ‘pterodactyl’ which was completed in 2014
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the ‘térmicas del besòs’ proposal for barcelona, spain
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the office is located on higuera street in culver city
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venturing out into the surrounding area, we saw many of eric owen moss architects’ realized or nearly-complete projects that were displayed as intricate representative models in the studio. the firm has been a key influence in the redevelopment of culver city, where many of its projects are just a few blocks from one another. many of these have been accomplished with a local developer — a husband and wife team who have been working with the architecture firm for over 30 years, accumulating over 40 completed projects to date.

the ‘cactus tower’ (2010) is an office building with a ‘green structure’ installed at its midpoint
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the route took in: the ‘pterodactyl’ (2014), the ‘vespertine’ (2016), the ‘samitaur tower’ (2010), the ‘umbrella’ (1999), the ‘stealth’ (2001), the ‘box’ (1994), ‘the new city’, the ‘beehive’ (2001), the ‘cactus tower’ (2010), the ‘3555’ (2007), the ‘what wall?’ (1998), and the ‘3535 hayden’ (1997). culver city is truly a testament to the realism, determination, and vast capabilities of eric owen moss’ challenging architecture. it is a rarity, and no small feat, that these extraordinary constructions have been built in such close proximity, transforming industrial warehouses into radical structures in their own right.

‘3535 hayden’ (1997) houses the HQ of an international graphic design and media company
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