The Oaks (office building)

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The building from a distance photographed at the Route 101 located

The Oaks is an office building in Westlake Village on the border of Thousand Oaks , California in the Conejo Valley. It was completed in 1982 to a design by the Los Angeles-based architecture firm AC Martin.

Companies

The office building was initially used by the client, the insurance company Prudential Financial . In January 1985, it was sold to the private telephone company General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (GTE) for over $ 67 million .

The office building is now a scientific research institute and the headquarters of Baxter International . It used to be the seat of the United States Bureau Of The Census , GTE (GTE of California / GTE Paging) and Verizon Communications .

In 2007, the building was purchased for $ 131 million from Beverly Hills-based real estate management and investment firm Kennedy Wilson .

architecture

The building was planned between 1978 and 1980. Michael O'Sullivan was the chief designer.

The 230 meter (755 f ) long office building with a usable area of ​​around 32,919 m² ( 354,341 sqf ) has one, two and three storeys. The facade tapers diagonally upwards in a straight line over the individual floors. It is built into the slope of the area's low-hill landscape. During the planning phase there was a disagreement about the height of the building between the developers and the city of Westlake, which always paid attention to low-rise buildings. Finally, excavated earth was piled up at the ends of the building to create a seamless transition into the surrounding area.

A full-height atrium with a skylight runs through the entire building. The atrium is spanned by 9 bridges that connect the main inner paths. Two elongated wings meet at an angle of approx. 45 °. The long corridors should enable the local companies to run smoothly. The atrium is flanked by open offices that enable employees to communicate and provide daylight.

The window walls on the long sides of the building are protected from direct sunlight by approximately 1.80 m (6 f) wide overhangs. The north windows of the atrium let in natural light, while the smaller south windows should allow the controlled admission of direct sunlight.

The company M. Arthur Gensler from San Francisco designed the interior architecture of the building for Prudential, which was oriented as the main axes on the corridors along the atrium and also included specially designed furniture, including upholstery, room dividers, chair systems and desks suitable for tube monitors .

A large part of the approximately 19.8 ha (49 ac ) site is intended for the recreation of users and visitors. An artificial lake has been created next to the entrance to the building. Due to its straight lines and the fact that it is built completely in dark brown metallic, it looks futuristic in the style of the 1970s.

The building won the American Institute of Architects , Los Angeles Chapter's "Excellence in Design, Commercial" award in 1982 and the American Institute of Steel Construction's 1983 Architectural Award of Excellence.

AC Martin had been developing a master plan for the new city of Westlake since 1963 on behalf of the investor, the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. In Thousand Oaks, AC Martin also designed the Grand R. Brimhall Library , built in 1995 .

Location

Due to its striking futuristic appearance, the building has often been the location of Hollywood films and series. These include Demolition Man , Airwolf , My Stepmother is an Alien and 12:01 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.cbre.us/o/losangelesnorth/properties/the-oaks-at-westlake/pages/overview.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17755727/1-Baxter-Way-Westlake-Village-CA/
  3. ↑ Since the building is on the city limits, it is listed with two addresses: 1 Baxter Way, Westlake Village, CA 91362 and 1 Baxter Way, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.
  4. ^ National Real Estate Investor , Volume 27, Part 1, Communication Channels, 1985, p. 206
  5. ↑ http://www.loopnet.com/Property-Record/1-Baxter-Way-Westlake-Village-CA-91362/ZHq0jmg0Q/Tenant/?LID=17755727&LinkCode=21740&PgCxtGuid=346f3d56-42cd-4cf0-a50Pg7cxt & PgCxtCurFLKey = ProfileSE & PgCxtDir = Down
  6. ↑ Kennedy Wilson Acquires the Oaks at Westlake, a $ 131 Million Class A Office Building ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Press release, 1 page pdf), September 11, 2007 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kennedywilson.com
  7. ^ Robert Winter: An Arch Guidebook to Los Angeles , Gibbs Smith, 2009, p. 375
  8. ^ A b M. Arthur Gensler, Anthony Iannacci: Developing the architecture of the workplace. Gensler, 1967-1997 , Edizioni Press, 1998, p. 32
  9. ↑ Emmett & Hannelore Schoeberl: West Lake North Project 'Will Cause Misery' , Los Angeles Times , June 4, 1989
  10. ↑ David Martin, Christopher Martin (foreword), Maurizio Vogliazzo (introduction): AC Martin Partners. Thinking Simultaneously , L'Arca Edizioni, 2002, p. 32
  11. ↑ http://www.wlv.org/Archive/ViewFile/Item/298 (17 pages pdf)
  12. ^ Los Angeles Conservancy: Westlake Village

Coordinates: 34 ° 9 '22 "  N , 118 ° 49' 8.8"  W.