048 _ _SEPT 2019
Groundbreaker
LEFT: Pride Hall, a
15.2-metre-tall event
space, opens directly
onto the plaza with large
bi-folding doors, lending
the building an inviting
presence at street level.ABOVE AND BELOW:
The campus comprises
a series of glass and
white stucco volumes,
which wrap around
cloistered courtyards
and a rooftop deck.in terms of massing, openings and visual access points.
At street level, the need to combine a sense of wel-
coming with one of security translated into a continuous
horizontal plinth – solid-looking yet porous – with an
attractive plaza, distinct entrances for the various
programs and a system of interior courtyards.
“We were looking at historic Hollywood courtyard
houses as a point of reference for scale, that tradition
of indoor–outdoor living and how that inner courtyard
becomes a sort of sanctuary,” says partner-in-charge
Dominic Leong.
Rising above the plinth are expressive transparent
volumes that lend a strong civic presence, glowing
at night to create what Leong describes as an “urban
lantern.” The restrained palette serves as a canvas for
multicoloured LEDs in the curtain wall. The facade is
additionally activated by anamorphic projections cut
through the frit; when viewed from precise locations
by car or on foot, these coalesce into three perfect
circles, a reference to the institution’s logo, as well as
its nickname: the Center. “It’s another way of creating
visual porosity,” Leong says. The frit pattern also helps
to reduce heat gain, adds Barbara Flammang, manag-
ing partner at KFA.At the heart of the campus is Pride Hall, a 15.2-metre-tall, glass-enclosed event
space with a curving wall that frames an interior courtyard and another angled wall
that negotiates the urban plaza and connects visually to the organization’s existing
arts centre across the street. The crystalline structure serves as both LGBT hub
and public interface, not to mention a significant architectural presence for a
historically marginalized community. “We were hoping to create a space that was
uplifting,” says Leong. “One that you can go into and feel like this is a space of
pride.” leong-leong.com, kfalosangeles.com