Project: Akio Morita Building at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Culver City, California
To reinterpret a landmark Art Deco building in Culver City, California from the 1920s into an inviting, community-focused office space for media powerhouse Sony Pictures Entertainment, Gensler looked to “provide adaptability for an evolving industry and foster wellness and teamwork among diverse user groups—ranging from Sony Home Entertainment to record labels,” explains principal and design director Lee Pasteris. Named for Sony cofounder Akio Morita, the building’s sustainable design takes cues from the past, creating a backlot feel with an open layout and modern sensibility, notably in the use of exposed steel, concrete floors, and wood ceilings, she says. The double-height lobby boasts a handpainted desert scene from Lawrence of Arabia above the reception desk to complement the rich material palette, while interconnecting staircases create fluidity between floors. For a direct nod to the company, a portrait of Norman Lear, the famous Hollywood TV writer and producer, made of hundreds of photos covers a wall in the Home Entertainment workplace. Meanwhile, a museum, commissary, and coffee shop are also housed on the ground floor, where folding rolled steel and glass doors open to the outside, forming a shared gathering space for employees to take in the California sunshine.
