A Place to Gather, A Place for the Community
Galleria Rio
While we love Los Angeles for its palm trees and movie studios, the City of Angels suffers from a lack of public space, and we wanted to help fix that.
LOCATION: Los Angeles
CLIENT: Commercial Developer
OVERVIEW: Retail and Office Center
SERVICES: Architecture
To solve the visual cacophony of shopping centers, we designed LED multi-colored louvers to display videos and images, draping the building in a cohesive facade.
Los Angeles has a median of 3.3. Acres of park space per 1,000 people below the median of 6.8 in other high density US cities. What Los Angeles needs is not another mall, it’s another space to gather.
The commercial variety in shopping centers can lead to a hodgepodge of different brands’ aesthetics and designs. So we first wanted to create a cohesive look - we did this in a few different ways. Starting with LED multi-colored louvers which are a great way to display videos and images. The experience of the space can be programmed with different colors and images at different times of day.
We were inspired by the organic possibilities of a lattice pattern similar to a weaving corset that seams everything together. Swooping from the walls to the floor surface, the rhythm is flowing and smooth.
A third design feature that gives the space its name is the river, el Río. Water elements flow through the space like a river winding its course.
Where the lattice meets the ground we’ve planted flora native to Southern California and can be found en masse along rivers and marsh edges. Clusters of white saltmarsh aster flowers, sprays of golden yellow bur-marigolds, and dark green stems and reddish-brown tassels of the California bulrush add to everyone’s enjoyment of the space.
A community gathering space where friends can meet up for a coffee, grandparents can take their grandkids for ice cream, or a future studio star could be reading their first script.
The Galleria offers respite from the urban heat island effect that results from sun-blasted pavement. The atrium allows hot air to rise and vent out, creating a cooling cycle that induces natural air flow.
Ask the Romans! Ah yes, they know a thing or two about a center open to the sky. At the Galleria, Los Angelenos see the sun and clouds overhead. It not only lets in natural light but also air. This helps purify the air, cool down the neighborhood and capture much-needed rainwater. We’re proud of the use of passive net-zero energy practices, such as a collection system to reuse rainwater from the roof for irrigation.
Studies have shown a substantial relationship between having a park within walking distance of home and good health outcomes. This is a public health benefit issue as well as an issue of environmental justice. Sometimes you just need a good space for an important conversation - maybe with a casting agent. It is, after all, Los Angeles.
