MB Office

The client’s goal was to create a bespoke office space that could feel expansive and light-filled, even on a tight Southern California lot. The site sits between commercial main street and residential neighborhood, requiring a design that could act as a respectful transition while still maximizing usable space.

The exterior is defined by two stacked concrete forms: a simplified composition where one volume hovers over the other. The upper mass extends to form an entry portico — a refined interpretation of a typical awning — while also increasing rentable square footage. Though the building’s materiality is homogenous, the facade’s textures differentiate floor plates, catching the shifting sun to cast micro-shadows that animate the building throughout the day.

Approach begins down a decomposed granite path, arriving under the covered porch. The glass entry maintains the sensation of being outdoors, flooding the threshold with light. To one side, the planted atrium pulls the eye down through the building, connecting ground floor to the basement level. To the other, a wrapped aluminum staircase rises through all three floors, its surface reflecting sunlight and movement. A skylight above pours daylight onto both stair and textured walls, tying the interior experience back to the facade outside.

Program is distributed across three levels: executive offices and a meeting room above, a main floor entry with lounge, kitchenette, and garage, while a flexible open office, a secondary meeting space, and showers further expand the sense of comfort and utility within the compact site.

Simple materials are deployed to heighten the experience of light. Concrete texture captures and diffuses shadows, while aluminum reflects the sun and the presence of those moving through the building. Together, these create a constantly shifting interplay of direct and indirect light, echoing the sensation of being outdoors.

Architect & Interior Design: Laney LA
Structural Engineer: Labib Funk + Associates
MEP Engineer: National Engineering & Consulting