Project Data:
Completion Date: 2/1/2022
Square Footage: 36526
Building Use: Commercial Adaptive-Reuse
Project Description:
How do you renovate a medical office building reminiscent of the coastal New England aesthetic into something contemporary and sustainable? That is the question the design team asked themselves when asked to modernize a cramped Cape Cod-style building. Located at Mariner’s Mile in Newport Beach, 3101 West Coast Highway is a renovation and adaptive reuse of a 4-story Cape Cod-style building from the 1980’s into a modern articulation of the marine coastal aesthetic.
Situated on a concrete podium 6’ above West Coast Highway, this project creates a modern aesthetic by removing existing embellishments to enhance the clean and timeless geometry of the gabled roofs, all while staying within compliance with the Coastal Commission’s strict reframing constraints. To provide tenants with fresh air, natural light, and unobstructed bayside views, individual dormers were demolished to create inset terraces. Floor slabs were removed to create double-height spaces, existing window openings were made full height, and prominent street and bayside gable walls were opened up with floor-to-ceiling curtain walls to create transparency from the street to the bayside. Tenant spaces were also demised in a north/south direction to provide all tenants with bayside views throughout the building.
To encourage more pedestrian traffic along the waterfront, the bayside connection was shifted from walking through a parking garage to utilizing a public plaza. The existing stairs and boat ramp were demolished and replaced with an ADA-accessible ramp that winds around new concrete-stepped planters, creating a meandering circulation that provides a slow and peaceful walk to the public podium. On the podium level, the existing boat storage was converted into a public plaza with planters and custom teak furniture, while outdoor patios off the east façade are introduced to enhance the ambiguity between interior/exterior conditions. Following the Mariner’s Mile design framework, which encourages connections to the waterfront, there is also a 10’ easement on the bulkhead side and east side of the property which allows for public access to the bay.
Elevated by the rejection of typically provided bulky trim pieces, the project’s utilitarian standing seam panels use custom break metal details throughout the project to create clean corner conditions. Exposed steel connections at the top of the columns emphasize the appearance of the horizontal C channels floating above while existing interior framing elements are exposed and sandblasted to provide a warm yet minimal space. The building’s juxtaposition of transparent and opaque surfaces creates tonal shifts and spatial depth throughout the façade. As the sun rises, standing seam metal panels glow with metallic luster while interspersed high-performance glazing reflects the sunset’s gradations.
The building’s sense of transparency is further enhanced by the cable rails installed by local sailors, which provide physical safety without compromising the bay’s vistas. Other local marine elements that are reflected throughout the project include the main entry canopy, which is reminiscent of an inverted boat hull, which was built by a local builder using marine-grade ply covered in resin. IPE trellis columns and canvas covering materials draw inspiration from nautical masts and booms.
Firm Name: ShubinDonaldson
Completion Date: 2/1/2022
Square Footage: 36526
Building Use: Commercial Adaptive-Reuse
Location: 3101 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Project Description:
When designing this adaptive-reuse project, one of our questions was how to renovate this energy-dependent 1980's Cape Cod-style medical building into a contemporary high-performance building that engages the senses and creates a sense of place. Our solution was to distill, carve, and cut the building's geometry, be mindful of our use and reuse of materials, and redesign a boat parking lot into a public plaza.
To enhance the clean and timeless geometry of the project's gabled roofs, we decided to refine the building's geometry by removing embellishments such as balconies, trim overhangs, and individual dormers. In addition, eliminating individual dormers allowed us to carve inset terraces to bring natural light and unobstructed bayside views to the upper floors. Cutting the interior floor systems created double-height spaces, and existing window openings and prominent street and bayside gable walls were opened with floor-to-ceiling curtain walls to create transparency from the street to the bayside. The tenant spaces were demised in a north/south direction providing all tenants with bayside views throughout the building and a strong connection with nature and occupant comfort.
To become more energy efficient, Solarban 72 glass was installed throughout the project to regulate the amount of high-intensity light and a Mecho shade system to mitigate against intense glare and UV rays. Strategically maximizing the building's openings create a cross-ventilation strategy that allows fresh air to circulate through the space, reducing the use of an air-conditioning system. The wood used to create the original dormers was reused in the project parts to cut costs and reduce the project's embodied carbon impact.
The xeriscaping strategy for this project was to introduce a mix of drought tolerant hardy shrubs and grasses into the landscape. Custom Ipe-clad planters house a mixture of deergrass, foxtails, and pine muhly that require minimal hand watering. Trapezoidal fiberglass planters house shoestring acacias and fishhook plants that also thrive with little watering. On the west façade, 42" high fiberglass planters contain a mix of Canyon Prince Wild Rye and California Grey rushes. These fiberglass planters serve dual purposes as guardrails and shade devices for the adjacent west-facing windows.
The building's juxtaposition of transparent and opaque surfaces creates tonal shifts and spatial depth throughout the façade. As the sun rises, standing seam metal panels glow with metallic luster while interspersed high-performance glazing reflects the sunset's gradations, creating a multisensory experience. At the exterior east canopies, exposed steel connections at the top of the columns emphasize the appearance of the horizontal C-channels floating above, while existing interior framing elements are exposed and sandblasted to provide a warm yet minimal space. The building's sense of transparency is further enhanced by the cable rails installed by a local sailor, which provide physical safety without compromising the bay's vistas. Other locally crafted marine elements throughout the project include the main entry canopy and the trellis columns. The entry canopy is reminiscent of an inverted boat hull built using marine-grade ply coated in resin. The IPE trellis columns and canvas covering materials draw inspiration from nautical masts and booms.
To encourage more pedestrian traffic along the waterfront, the bayside connection shifted from walking through a parking garage to utilizing a public plaza. The existing stairs and boat ramp were demolished and replaced with an ADA ramp that winds around new concrete-stepped planters, creating a meandering circulation that provides a slow and peaceful walk to the public podium. The existing boat storage was converted into a public plaza with planters and custom teak furniture on the podium level. At the same time, outdoor patios off the east façade were introduced to enhance the ambiguity between interior/exterior conditions. Following the Mariner's Mile design framework, which encourages connections to the waterfront, there is also a 10' easement on the bulkhead and east sides of the property, allowing public access to the bay.
Design Architect:
ShubinDonaldson
Associate Architect or Firm:
Landscape Architect:
Terremoto Architects
Owner / Developer:
Jakosky Properties Inc.
Engineer:
Civil Engineer | Joseph C. Truxaw & Associates
Structural Engineer | KPFF Irvine
MEP | AMA
General Contractor:
Slater Builders
Consultant:
Lighting Consultant | Oculus Light Studio
Photographer:
Benny Chan
3101 West Coast Highway
Category
Commercial > Built
Winner Status
- Citation Award