An otherworldly 16-story office building wrapped in metal ribbon has risen southwest of downtown Los Angeles, towering over the surrounding low-rise homes and commercial spaces.
The 180,500-square-foot speculative Wrapper building, on track to be completed this year, has yet to lure any tenants. Meanwhile, the greater L.A. office vacancy rate has climbed to 14.1% from 13.5% over the past year, according to CoStar data, as sublease space jumped 16% to a record 11 million square feet.
Yet, Eric Owen Moss, the distinctive building's award-winning architect, told CoStar News the space offers a compelling argument to return to the cubicle. Moss, 79, has long worked with developer Samitaur Constructs on redeveloping the industrial neighborhood around Wrapper into smaller, creative office buildings.
This one, he said, has features and views that workers simply can't get while toiling remotely.
"Wherever you look, you see the city, you see the green, you see the sky," Moss said of the vistas the more than 200-foot-tall building offers. "It argues for working in an environment that's so connected to the world."
Samitaur, based in Culver City, is adding the finishing touches to the Wrapper building at 5790 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Los Angeles. Unlike other office towers in denser commercial districts where visibility is restricted, the building has nearly unobstructed views of Santa Monica, Century City, the Hollywood sign and downtown Los Angeles, all made possible by floor-to-ceiling windows and ceiling heights ranging from 13 1/2 feet to 24 feet.
The Wrapper building's views are only obstructed where steel bands snake around the tower. The wraps aren't just for aesthetics: They help support the building and result in a column-free interior.
Moss said the lack of interior columns coupled with elevators operating on only one side of the building allows tenants to design spaces that can be adjusted as they adapt to new social-distancing requirements and other needs that came about as a result of COVID-19. The floors themselves are roughly 14,000 square feet with several having a 7,000-square-foot lofted space with elevator access that isn't seen in traditional office buildings.
The floor shapes vary throughout the tower, too, and in some cases result in what's called a bird's beak, or a corner that creates the impression the occupants are floating in midair. These unusual angles may be used as office space or meeting rooms.
The building's top level may be the most striking. On the 16th floor, a pair of roughly 3,000-square-foot glass boxes with private decks are available for lease. From there, a short walk upstairs leads to the rooftop, which has a sweeping view of greater Los Angeles. The top level will be shared by the tenants and is expected to have WiFi, enabling employees to work there. It also may be used for events.
Another quirky feature: The lobby isn't on the ground floor. Instead, it's 17 feet above the street and has a 22-foot ceiling and curved walls.
Beneath it all, the building employs a base isolation system for earthquake protection. The technology allows the tower wiggle room to move during an earthquake before returning to its original position when the shaking stops.
The tower is located next to multiple dedicated bike trails, including the Ballona Creek Bike Path, and adjacent to the L.A. Metro Expo line, offering workers commuting options. The building also will have surface-level and underground parking.
Moss said architects and developers should strive to make office buildings as accessible and flexible for users in terms of space and commuting in order to entice workers to return to the office after years at home.
"If you're coming back, come back to something that offers as many of the latest socializing and open-air amenities that you possibly can," Moss said. "And I think this building offers that."
At the very least, tenant or no tenant, the building's lack of visual obstacles and architecture means it could be talked about for years to come.
"You can see it from damn near anywhere," Moss said.
B U I L D I N G D A T A
Building Name: Wrapper
Building Size: 16 stories, 180,500 square feet
Owner: Culver City-based Samitaur Constructs
Building Location: 5790 West Jefferson Blvd. in Los Angeles
Date Completed: Late 2022
Developer: Culver City-based Samitaur Constructs
Building Architect: Eric Owen Moss Architects
Leasing: JLL's Micheal Geller and Gabriel Brown
Of Note: The building is wrapped in steel bands that allow for a column-free interior.
General Contractor: MATT Construction.
CoStar photographers capture images every day of distinctive buildings, each with its own story. Snapshots is an occasional feature showcasing one of them.