Episodes
In conversations with local industry experts and thought leaders, each episode of Building LA explores a specific project in Los Angeles, providing you with insights into how it progressed, challenges that were overcome, and what makes the project successful.
EP.20 / Michael White and Sarah Koos on the Workplace of the Future
In the Building LA Season 1 finale, Michael White and Sarah Koos discuss Gensler’s post-COVID workplace strategy, highlighting their data-driven LA office redesign. They explore AI, sustainability, and urban transformation, emphasizing architecture’s role in shaping LA’s future amid upcoming global events.
EP.19 / Frances Anderton and David Kersh on Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now
Frances Anderton and David Kersh discuss their new initiative, Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now. This is a yearlong, new media project aimed at advancing understanding and appreciation for affordable housing: how it’s funded, produced and designed.
EP.18 / Robert Hale, FAIA on Sony Scenic Arts Building, Echelon Studios and the Future of Studios in LA
Robert Hale FAIA, Partner at RIOS, talks about two of his latest production studio projects - Echelon Studios and the Sony Scenic Arts Building. During our conversation, we discuss Robert's career before joining RIOS and his perspective on the future of production studio development.
EP.17 / Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich on Victory Wellness and Adaptive Reuse Projects
Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich, the co-founders of Patterns, discuss their latest project – The Victory Wellness Center in North Hollywood. The project involves the conversion of a former supermarket building originally built in the 1940s, into a contemporary medical office building.
EP.16 / John K Chan, AIA on Atwater Canyon and Creating Great Retail Spaces
John K Chan, AIA, LEED AP is the Co-Founder and Design Director at Formation Association. We discuss how to create a great retail experience, as exemplified by his firm’s design of the Atwater Canyon retail complex. Atwater Canyon is an adaptive reuse project located in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles.
EP.15 / Babak Ziai on BrandView and Transforming Underutilized Properties
Babak Ziai is the Founder and Managing Principal at BrandView, Inc. His commercial real estate investment management firm focuses on acquiring underutilized properties in exceptional locations and transforming them into high-performing mixed-use developments. We discuss his investment on Windward Avenue in Venice.
EP.14 / Oliver Evans on The Kinn and Building Community in LA
Oliver Evans is the CEO and co-founder of The Kinn – a membership club and workspace in LA that caters to socially conscious entrepreneurs.
EP.13 / Ski Trip - Monica Cuervo on the Limelight Hotel Mammoth and the LA Hospitality Market
In this episode we get out of town for the weekend and go to Mammoth to discuss the Limelight Hotel Mammoth with the Managing Director of WATG's LA office, Monica Cuervo.
EP.12 / Mikey Taylor on Commune Capital and Multifamily Investing in LA
Commune Capital, a private equity real estate investment firm which invests primarily in multifamily in California, including a co-living development in Mar Vista which is currently under construction.
EP.11 / Kristi Paulson, AIA, Paulson Poei Projects on Healthy Haus and Sustainable Design in SoCal
The Healthy Haus is a case study for how to prioritize true sustainability in Southern California, rewilding the land, utilizing passive heating and cooling, specifying environmentally friendly construction materials, and promoting the well-being of not only the user, but also every construction worker.
EP.10 / David Kuo, Fatty Corp and Catherine Johnson AIA, ACLA, Design, Bitches on Fatty Mart
We discuss the creation of Fatty Mart, a vibrant neighborhood deli/grocery in Mar Vista with David Kuo, Owner of Fatty Mart and his architect, Catherine Johnson, AIA, ACLA, Founding Partner at Design, Bitches.
EP.09 / Mark Zajdzinski AIA, DBIA, SmithGroup on the Caltech Chen Neuroscience Research Building
A home for Nobel Prize winners and the center for research that is helping push humanity forward, the Chen Neuroscience building is an academic and research hub in Pasadena. Mark Zajdzinski describes how his team at SmithGroup designed and delivered this building for Caltech.
EP.08 / Patricia Rhee, FAIA, DBIA, EYRC Architects on The Culver Steps
The once underutilized triangular site in Downtown Culver City was transformed into an open-air gathering place for the community, and is a commercial success for owners Hackman Capital. We dive into the design process, the future of Culver City, and Patricia's role as a founding co-chair of the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture Committee.
EP.07 / Andrew Byrne, Grimshaw on the LAX Airport Metro Connector
The Airport Metro Connector will link the forthcoming Automated People Mover at LAX to the LA Metro and associated bus terminals at Aviation Boulevard and 96th Street. The project will create a fully intermodal facility and a new point of arrival into Los Angeles.
EP.06 / Haley Nelson, HGA on the Vallarta Supermarkets HQ
Vallarta Supermarkets is a Los Angeles success story, owned by the same family since it was founded in 1985. In their new corporate office, Haley Nelson was tasked with telling the story of the company, and reflecting their values through the workplace design.
EP.05 / Sean Madden, SPMD on the Kaleidoscope Mural
Kaleidoscope Mural situated on a power station a stones throw from the ocean, is the largest mural in California. We speak with Sean Madden, CEO of SPMD about how it was created. We also discuss in detail how he has grown his business, the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship, and what he means by being a servant leader.
EP.04 / Brian Orter, BOLD on The Press
The Press is a transformational 450,000 SF re-development of the old LA Times Printing Facility. In collaboration with the architects EYRC, BOLD brought this space back to life, celebrating its previous use.
EP.03 / Shawn Gehle and Christian Robert, OFFICE UNTITLED on 6000 Hollywood
6000 Hollywood Blvd is a proposed mixed use development including a total of 350 apartments, as well as 136,000 square feet of offices, approximately 22,500 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space. It is due to break ground in 2026.
EP.02 / Ryan Lovett, Lendlease on 3401 South La Cienega
Situated adjacent to the La Cienega / Jefferson Light Rail Station on a 3.5 acre site, this project includes a 260-Unit residential building, ground floor retail and a 250,000 SF office building constructed of carbon sequestering mass timber.
EP.01 / James Woolum FAIA, ZGF on the Cal State LA Student Services Building
Originally built in 1972, the building was left damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and sat vacant for nearly 20 years until ZGF was tasked with renovating it. Cal State LA initially asked for the 50-year-old structure to be converted into swing space while a new building was being constructed. But ZGF had a different vision.