flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

In Southern California, a former industrial zone continues to revitalize with an award-winning office property

Office Buildings

In Southern California, a former industrial zone continues to revitalize with an award-winning office property

The three-floor building offers about 25,000 sf of office and amenity spaces, as well as a variety of sustainable and energy-efficient components.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | May 4, 2023
In Southern California, a former industrial zone continues to revitalize with an award-winning office property. Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging
Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging

In Culver City, Calif., Del Amo Construction, a construction company based in Southern California, has completed the adaptive reuse of 3516 Schaefer St, a new office property. 3516 Schaefer is located in Culver City’s redeveloped Hayden Tract neighborhood, a former industrial zone that has become a technology and corporate hub. In March, Los Angeles Business Journal gave 3516 Schaefer St the top Gold award in the commercial office category.

Owned by Redcar Ltd. and designed by RAC Design Build, with contract administration services from Formation Association, the three-floor property consists of about 25,000 sf of office and amenity spaces. In addition to 18-foot-high floors, the building’s features include a mix of open-floor work areas and conference rooms, a second-floor break room with kitchen space, a third-floor mezzanine area, private patios, outdoor decks on all floors, and a secured parking lot.

Originally, the project site included an existing single-story building that Del Amo Construction removed, as well as a crane-rail steel structure that was modified and incorporated into the new building. The new space, which is adjacent to Redcar’s two-story 3520 Schaefer St, provides an airy, low-rise structure with indoor-outdoor features, a sloping roof line, and an exterior of metal, glass, concrete, and wood.

3516 Schaefer St’s sustainable and energy-efficient components include custom steel windows and doors fabricated to allow for fresh air and ventilation, roof solar panels with a fully integrated photovoltaic system, variable refrigerant flow (VFR) HVAC, EnergyStar appliances, programmable Lutron lighting, three fully operational EV charging stations with eight additional pre-installed locations, bicycle parking, a stormwater capturing drywell system, and drought-tolerant landscaping.

On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Redcar Ltd.
Design architect and architect of record: RAC Design Build
MEP engineer: AMA Consulting Engineering
Structural engineer: Glotman Simpson
General contractor: Del Amo Construction

In Southern California, a former industrial zone continues to revitalize with an award-winning office property Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging
Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging
3516 Schaefer St adaptive reuse 8B2A3940
Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging
3516 Schaefer St adaptive reuse 8B2A4000
Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging
3516 Schaefer St adaptive reuse 8B2A3912
Photo: Patrick Tang, Take Flyt Imaging

Related Stories

Sustainability | Mar 2, 2023

The next steps for a sustainable, decarbonized future

For building owners and developers, the push to net zero energy and carbon neutrality is no longer an academic discussion.

Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023

Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers

Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors. 

Seismic Design | Feb 27, 2023

Turkey earthquakes provide lessons for California

Two recent deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria offer lessons regarding construction practices and codes for California. Lax building standards were blamed for much of the devastation, including well over 35,000 dead and countless building collapses.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Feb 27, 2023

New 20,000-seat soccer stadium will anchor neighborhood development in Indianapolis

A new 20,000-seat soccer stadium for United Soccer League’s Indy Eleven will be the centerpiece of a major neighborhood development in Indianapolis. The development will transform the southwest quadrant of downtown Indianapolis by adding more than 600 apartments, 205,000 sf of office space, 197,000 sf for retail space and restaurants, parking garages, a hotel, and public plazas with green space.

Retail Centers | Feb 24, 2023

Santiago Calatrava unveils plans for a luxury retail and office complex in Düsseldorf, Germany

Renowned architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava, along with the CENTRUM Group, has unveiled plans for Calatrava Boulevard, a luxury retail and office complex in Düsseldorf, Germany. Running parallel to Königsallee and connecting with the Steinstrasse station, Calatrava Boulevard will incorporate and connect to the boulevard’s existing buildings.

Reconstruction & Renovation | Feb 16, 2023

Insights from over 300 potential office-to-residential conversions

Research from Gensler finds that, surprisingly, the features that result in an unpleasant office often make for a superlative multifamily product.

High-rise Construction | Feb 15, 2023

Bjarke Ingels' 'leaning towers' concept wins Qianhai Prisma Towers design competition

A pair of sloped high-rises—a 300-meter residential tower and a 250-meter office tower—highlight the Qianhai Prisma Towers development in Qianhai, Shenzhen, China. BIG recently won the design competition for the project.

Office Buildings | Feb 12, 2023

Smyrna Ready Mix’s new office HQ mimics the patterns in the company’s onsite stone quarry

Designed by EOA Architects to showcase various concrete processes and applications, Smyrna Ready Mix's new office headquarters features vertical layering that mimics the patterns in the company’s stone quarry, located on the opposite end of the campus site. The building’s glass and concrete bands are meant to mirror the quarry’s natural contours and striations.

Office Buildings | Feb 9, 2023

Post-Covid Manhattan office market rebound gaining momentum

Office workers in Manhattan continue to return to their workplaces in sufficient numbers for many of their employers to maintain or expand their footprint in the city, according to a survey of more than 140 major Manhattan office employers conducted in January by The Partnership for New York City.

Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023

New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel

See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.   

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021