Caltrans District 7 Headquarters
Los Angeles, California · 2004
A precedent for integrating monumental graphic design, deconstructivist steel framing, and perforated metal skins into a high-tech civic facade, as seen in Thom Mayne's Caltrans District 7 Headquarters.
- What we like about this project
- The way the giant '100' graphic is partially dematerialized by the perforated metal skin, revealing the structural skeleton behind it.
Materials
- perforated-metal
- aluminum-cladding
- exposed-concrete
- glass
- neon-lighting
Visual identifiers
- perforated-metal-facade
- supergraphics
- neon-installation
- deconstructivist-framework
- kinetic-envelope
Style tags
- deconstructivist
- high-tech
- morphosis
- industrial-chic
Visual tags
- civic-architecture
- deconstructivism
- high-tech
- urban-landmark
- integrated-signage
- media-facade
- Geometry
- A massive, flat-planed rectangular volume in the background is contrasted by a dynamic, layered foreground structure featuring a giant, sculptural '100' graphic integrated into a steel framework and perforated metal skin.
- Facade system
- Double-skin facade with an outer layer of perforated aluminum panels that open and close mechanically.
- Structural guess
- Exposed steel truss framework supporting the graphic canopy, anchored to a board-formed concrete base.
- Spatial scale
- Large-scale civic infrastructure; the '100' graphic element spans several stories in height.
- Lighting
- Dusk or overcast daylight with interior office lights glowing through the facade, complemented by vibrant horizontal red and blue neon light strips at the ground level plaza.
- Atmosphere
- An energetic, industrial-futurist mood created by the combination of raw concrete, metallic skins, and glowing neon.
- Environmental context
- Urban streetscape setting with a traditional street lamp in the foreground, contrasting with the high-tech, futuristic architecture.
- Spatial experience
- The approach feels civic yet highly industrial and kinetic, with the massive scale of the building envelope and the oversized graphic element creating a sense of monumental urban threshold.
- Composition rhythm
- The steady, fine-grained horizontal rhythm of the background window slits is disrupted by the bold, sweeping curves of the giant '100' and the diagonal lines of the supporting steel frame.
- Style reading
- Deconstructivist High-Tech
- Program
- Government or civic headquarters
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- perforated-metal, aluminum-cladding, exposed-concrete, glass, neon-lighting
- Visual identifiers
- perforated-metal-facade, supergraphics, neon-installation, deconstructivist-framework, kinetic-envelope
- Style tags
- deconstructivist, high-tech, morphosis, industrial-chic
- Visual tags
- civic-architecture, deconstructivism, high-tech, urban-landmark, integrated-signage, media-facade
- Geometry
- A massive, flat-planed rectangular volume in the background is contrasted by a dynamic, layered foreground structure featuring a giant, sculptural '100' graphic integrated into a steel framework and perforated metal skin.
- Facade system
- Double-skin facade with an outer layer of perforated aluminum panels that open and close mechanically.
- Structural guess
- Exposed steel truss framework supporting the graphic canopy, anchored to a board-formed concrete base.
- Spatial scale
- Large-scale civic infrastructure; the '100' graphic element spans several stories in height.
- Lighting
- Dusk or overcast daylight with interior office lights glowing through the facade, complemented by vibrant horizontal red and blue neon light strips at the ground level plaza.
- Atmosphere
- An energetic, industrial-futurist mood created by the combination of raw concrete, metallic skins, and glowing neon.
- Environmental context
- Urban streetscape setting with a traditional street lamp in the foreground, contrasting with the high-tech, futuristic architecture.
- Spatial experience
- The approach feels civic yet highly industrial and kinetic, with the massive scale of the building envelope and the oversized graphic element creating a sense of monumental urban threshold.
- Composition rhythm
- The steady, fine-grained horizontal rhythm of the background window slits is disrupted by the bold, sweeping curves of the giant '100' and the diagonal lines of the supporting steel frame.
- Style reading
- Deconstructivist High-Tech
- Program
- Government or civic headquarters
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture