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Pen Factory | Awesomeness, Santa Monica, California, USA

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

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Designer
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Client
Lincoln Property Company & Awesomeness
Floor area
19509.00 ㎡
Completion
2017

This sustainable, adaptive reuse project transforms a long-abandoned assembly line manufacturing facility-the former Paper Mate Pen Factory-into a 19,500-square meter multi-tenant creative workplace. Inspired by the spirit of Southern California and the site's location-in one of Santa Monica's most active creative-office communities-the re-purposing promotes an open, casual, and flexible work environment for innovative companies of all types.

Referencing the building's past, the facade features colorful striations that evoke "pen lines." The LEED® Gold certified project injects a dormant site with new vitality and presence, is accessible by the light rail Metro Expo Line, while a new subterranean parking facility provides capacity for 270 bikes and 700 cars. Additional site amenities include a bike and car valet, a dog park and shower/locker rooms that promote alternate commutes to work.

Awesomeness' headquarters encompasses 7,246-square-meters on two levels and accommodates more than 500 employees. The design team created a campus-like environment, with interconnected public and private spaces. A "Main Street" corridor connects two large daylit areas at each end of the building. Along the corridor are assorted "work hives" that provide a range of choices for collaborative and individual work including open and closed workspaces, meeting rooms, a screening room, and production and post-production areas.