About

A brand-new building on an abandoned oil field reverses history, from carbon-intensive to carbon-neutral, with an abundance of daylight, and energy efficiency.

Project Details

Location

Long Beach, CA

Practice Theme

Building Community + Place

What We Did

Architecture

Size

100,000 sq. ft.

In 2018 Studio One Eleven was commissioned by Laserfiche, the foremost SaaS provider of intelligent content management and business process automation, to reflect the company’s vision of reimagining how technology can transform lives by designing a new state-of-the-art global headquarters.

Created during the pandemic, the building not only represents the company’s place as a cornerstone of technology-focused enterprise in Long Beach, but also demonstrates that forward-thinking creative offices are more vibrant than ever: It embodies a future workplace that is more sustainable, flexible, and efficient.

The corridor was once part of the expansive Long Beach Oil Field, a swath of land over five miles wide spanning from the City of Carson to the west through Long Beach and Signal Hill. The site was considered undevelopable until the client capped eight abandoned oil wells and removed several storage tanks.

Architecturally, the new building responds to a “garden office” designed by Mid-Century Modern architect Ed Killingsworth. That iconic landmark sits across the street from the new project, its scale and style a design reference point. In response the massing of the project is turned 90 degrees and then stepped back at the upper floors to relate to the scale of the garden office. The upper floors then slide to shade the building on the south face and create decks on the north face for socializing and connecting to nature via treetops and mountain views.

Other key design elements as determined by a thorough programming and operational exercise between the design team and Laserfiche’s staff:

Mid-Century-Inspired: Studio One Eleven’s design reflects the neighboring landmark garden-office building. We mirrored the massing of the building, stacking it vertically and sliding forms horizontally to create shade and multiple outdoor spaces.

Space Configuration: The design shifts the service core – typically in the center of an office building – to the outer western edge. This allows for a more contiguous workspace and a communal environment. The solid core also serves to block unwanted western solar heat gain.

Sustainability: A The design team prioritized connection to natural light, nature, and the support of physical fitness in concert with Laserfiche’s operational and programming goals.The design incorporates 100% access to daylight while minimizing glare on the south and east sides with exterior shading. The upper floors on the south side extend over the ground floor to prevent increased solar heat gain in the summer. This, tied in with a high-performance VRF system directly contributes to a 24% increase in efficiency beyond the LEED baseline supporting LEED Gold Certification.

Health and Wellness: Office-based lifestyles can result in staff spending 90% of their time indoors, which can cause a significant drain on mental and physical well-being. The Laserfiche team is pursuing WELL Platinum certification to support a healthy work environment. Design strategies include increased ventilation, high-performance air filters, and a wide variety of indoor and outdoor restoration spaces dedicated to decreasing stress and enhancing productivity.

Design for Flexibility: Work areas vary from cubicles, quiet work cubbies, and collaborative communal tables. Team spaces include conference rooms, mob stations and lounge areas. Furniture configurations can be easily reconfigured for optimal environments.