Located just outside of the University of Southern California campus’ main gates this gastropub provides a much needed local retreat, with an upscale feel. The interior is fashioned after a vintage laboratory and is outfitted with custom designed furniture and fixtures, unique graphics and a carefully edited collection of “found items” create a communal environment that offers its clientele an authentic experience. 

The space needed to be both scholastic in ambience and competitive with the countless hip bars and eateries being added to neighboring downtown Los Angeles. Black slate tables and lab benches create a large communal table designed for convivial interaction. The space is also dotted with murals of glass instruments and colored smoke, providing a backdrop for artfully laid out seating vignettes. Two large openings along the front make it easy to take advantage of the mild California weather. 

Private dining room is accessed through oversized sliding schoolhouse doors, while a compressed tunnel space lead visitors into a communal washroom. Separate men’s and women’s areas branch out from the communal wash area. The overall design captures the branded ‘laboratory’ concept without becoming a theme bar, providing a fashionable space and a consistent overall experience.

California State University, Fullerton’s 5-level, 2500-space parking structure provides a safe and welcoming facility for students and prominently defines a new entrance to the campus and the new Performing Arts Center. The design of the garage’s entry spaces, stairs and elevator lobbies are conducive to student interaction and promote cognitive way-finding and good pedestrian circulation.

Along the north façade and the entry to the campus, the parking structure features dramatic translucent glass paneling above the ground level which is back-lit at night. The continual movement of people, vehicles and headlights is projected onto the glass making the arrival into the campus a theatrical experience. The animated facade also pays tribute to the visual and performing arts schools that are directly adjacent to the structure.

As a creative and environmentally responsible way to integrate the building’s enormous mass into the natural surroundings, a “living wall” composed of Greenscreen, fast-growing flowering vines, and bamboo is installed on the south, west, and east façades, and is backed by a screen of perforated stainless steel panels. This skin allows natural ventilation and clear visual connectivity between inside and outside creating an open and airy feeling at all times.