Integrated firm’s new headquarters in Irvine explores concepts of collaboration, sustainability and employee well-being
(IRVINE, Calif.) May 15, 2019 — Integrated design firm LPA has moved into its new corporate headquarters in Irvine, California, which is designed as a living laboratory for modern office design and the firm’s informed, research-based design process.
LPA’s design for the three-story, 55,450-square-foot office meets LEED-CI v4 Platinum certification standards, while supporting collaboration, creativity and employee comfort. A reworking of an existing space in the UCI Research Park, the layout emphasizes meeting spaces, respite zones and huddle rooms organized around a centralized atrium. Every aspect reflects extensive analysis of employee preferences and the firm’s daily work habits.
“We’re practicing what we preach,” said LPA Chief Executive Officer Wendy Rogers. “These spaces are adaptable, flexible and reflect our commitment to sustainability, designed under the restraints of a conventional budget.”
The research process included employee surveys, envisioning sessions and wall postings with ideas for people to review, which impacted everything from the placement of the kitchen to the acoustic treatments. Designers also examined how different parts of the company worked together, looking for new ways to foster collaboration and engagement.
“We’re putting our process on display, showing who we are and what we do,” LPA Principal and Design Director Rick D’Amato said. “What I really love about this space is it’s a direct result of the input from our staff.”
In addition to meeting LEED Platinum targets, the office is designed to surpass energy efficiency standards for interior projects set by the 2030 Challenge, which calls for new buildings and renovations to be carbon neutral by 2030. Photovoltaic panels on the roof offset 20 percent of the office’s energy requirements, which are reduced by natural light, ceiling fans and an array of passive energy-reduction strategies.
Signage throughout the office will highlight different energy reduction and sustainability measures. The office also features original art work by local artists David Gilmore and Hagop Belian.
“I think that by putting art in a space like this it gives you a different impression of the creative process,” D’Amato said. “Creativity can take many forms and I love the fact that they’re taking our work and abstracting it in such a unique way.”
LPA's Irvine office is located at:
5301 California Avenue, Suite 100
Irvine, California 29617
About LPA
Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and improve people’s lives. An integrated design firm with six locations in California and Texas, LPA’s team includes more than 430 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. For more information, visit http://lpadesignstudios.com.
