Design for Media and Entertainment by riosimagines

Design for Media and Entertainment

RIOS Ideas | Vol. 1

Entertainment Revolution

Design is never without story Design is never without story. It connects people to each other and the world around us. Together we work beyond boundaries to reveal, explore, and invent designs that amplify experiences.

RIOS was founded in 1985 as a design collective working beyond boundaries to inventively combine disciplines and amplify the impact of design. Within our practice, the built environment and landscape architecture are interconnected to harness the positive impacts of wellness and define design as a continuum. We use the power of story to connect us to one another and to place. The practice operates at the intersection of architecture, landscape, urban planning, interior design, graphics and signage, exhibit, and product design to inform design at all types and scales. We believe, fundamentally, that design is better when you think inclusively about ways to solve a problem and we practice this way within our studios and interdisciplinary teams. We are problem-solvers, innovators, and creative thinkers. This proclivity can be seen in the offshoots of RIOS, like our product company notNeutral,

but also in our unshakable nature as storytellers revealing the potential each project has to celebrate our diversity and humanity. Our work is irreversibly connected to the narrative of place and the complex order of human culture, creating solutions that are joyful, authentic, and unexpected. Each project is a genuine expression of the important stories that connect us and reveal location, ecology, culture, and ethnography. RIOS has been recognized for skill and design excellence across the broad spectrum of design disciplines, including as a finalist for the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for landscape architecture, and as ‘Firm of the Year’ by the California Council of the American Institute of Architects.

Becoming a Campus The Future of the Studio Lot

The landscape of media and entertainment has changed significantly, bringing with it a transformation of the original Studio Lot model into a more complete paradigm for the Creative Content Campus. This model responds to the need for the growing multiplicity of talents and disciplines to be collaborating more fluidly together. The growth of the Studio lot into a campus typology provides efficiency through the adjacency of the various aspects of the creative and production process, but moreover it also enhances the appeal of the production stages as a workplace by virtue of the amenitization of the campus. Campus amenities include increased quantity and quality of green space, improved food and beverage options, the addition of retail services and amenities, and first-class facilities for meetings, rehearsals, performance, and supporting office space. The dynamic campus also demands a thoughtfulness about how the studio can integrate and engage with the public, while still maintaining the security required by its users, as well as being located in proximity to places to live, creating a better work-life balance. Left As the city becomes increasingly dense, so must the Studio Campus. By increasing the interrelationship of various functions, the campus becomes more technologically-friendly and people-oriented.

Campus Connection

Sparks Fly

Today, the demand management, and have increased the space compared to

ds of integration, d technology e ratio of office to stage space.

Process, Proximity, and Efficiency The physical environment is the greatest asset in the production process, not only creating the setting for performance and artistic expression, but also contributing to communication and collaboration. The integration of all disciplines, trades, and specialties—located in proximity to one another—allows an improved performance and holistic product to be created with greater speed and more immediate feedback. The demands of integration, management, and technology require a higher ratio of office space compared to stage space. The overall relationship between production, support space, and office space has been turned upside down with so much production work taking place in an office setting, as opposed to on the set or in the actual production support areas. The physical proximity of a multi-function campus inevitably allows for the sparks of inspiration and innovation to flow more freely and vibrantly allowing for more optionality in the actual artistic endeavor—whether writing, rehearsing, acting, performing, or collaborating on post-production or distribution. Designing for fortuitous encounter, or serendipity, adds enormous value from unplanned engagements that produce new ideas and encourage valuable personal interactions.

City as Campus Making Entertainment Urban

Traditional Studio Lot SUPPORT

STUDIOS

OFFICE

BACKLOT

PARKING

BASE CAMP

SECURITY BUNGALOW VILLAGE

As the urban campus densifies alongside the city, it borrows from urban design principles to be organized yet exploratory, and much like the serendipitous experience of being within a city. Urban Studio Campus SUPPORT

OFFICE

BUNGALOW VILLAGE

STUDIOS

BASECAMP

SECURITY PARKING

AMENITIES

BASE CAMP

SECURITY

TraditionalBASE Studio Lot CAMP

BUNG VILL

SECURITY

BUNG VILL

The Evolving Campus Composition

To achieve density in the urban campus model, we bring the variety of physical working environments into a vertical composition. Using base camps as the podium adjacent to stage space, we can stack a variety of office product types above—from traditional large scale corporate floor plates to smaller plates for support functions, to bungalow style producer offices featuring a residential scale reminiscent of that found in the back lots of legacy studios. The variety of pedestrian spaces and circulation that occurs throughout all levels creates a balance of private and semi-public open spaces, making the urban content creation campus a composition in the sky. In the urban content creation campus, filled with numerous kinds of production, support, and amenity spaces, the need for security becomes even more important. Creating the right balance of open/closed, private/public, production/support, presents many challenges as well as opportunities. Managing the visiting public was traditionally relegated to audiences visiting studio lots for television filming. But the creative content campus now hosts many other types of events— from movie premieres and private concerts to conferences and press briefings, to weddings and even bar mitzvahs, to tours and amusement features. The importance of onsite venues for these experiences, and for a public-facing controlled experience, is growing.

IN OUT IN OUT

GALOW LAGE

PARKING BASECAMP

PARKING

Urban StudioPARKING Campus

SECURITY AMENITIES

BASECAMP

SECURITY PARKING

AMENITIES

How people interface with the campus

SCALE

LARGE MEDIUM SMALL

SCALE

LARGE MEDIUM SMALL

How the campus integrates with its context

New Media, New Medium Industry in a Footprint

, ms

The notion of the building as a campus choreographs unique moments of overlap between the spectrum of the industry— artists, producers, podcast hosts and more—to create a place where engagement, exchange, and celebration can happen at once. The components of this industry are often scattered across the city. We consider that content creation can exist at the scale of the singular building. An artist can arrive in the morning and consolidate the experiences of a multi-day production into one day. With this approach we maximize the artist experience by providing the entire array of possible activities related to recording, performing, and broadcasting—and the necessary amenities—under one roof. The building becomes a campus where the array of activities is amplified by the energy and connection to one another. In these production environments, artists seek experiences not only for themselves but for their entourage. Integrating a host of dynamic spaces that support the ancillary activities of artists is a competitive advantage.

Selected Projects Our ideas come to life through collaboration with our clients. The following projects represent some of our favorite partnerships.

A Vertica Vil

al llage Located amidst the beloved movie studio lots of Hollywood, Echelon Studios is a new production hub that fuses state of the art soundstage production facilities and a working studio lot with digital production and creative office space. Echelon Studios Location Los Angeles, CA Size 450,000 sq. ft.

Services Provided Architecture Landscape Architecture

Supporting a Modern Workstyle Conceived of as a vertical movie studio lot, the five-acre complex is centered around four 19,000-sq.-ft. soundstages and one 15,000-sq.-ft. flex stage with an extensive base camp and mill. A 90,000-sq.-ft. creative village features two six-story creative office towers flanking the production studios and stitched together by an elevated campus and bungalow village of executive and creative suites, all with unobstructed views to the Hollywood hills. Throughout the towers and bungalow village, lush shared and private garden terraces and paseos support a modern work style with an indoor-outdoor connection. Echelon Studios also features ground level with retail that engages the public along the street.

22 und Level Plan

RIOS | Hollywood Studio

The project inverts the typical Hollywood production lot by allowing the studios to stack vertically and the offices to open to the outdoors, maximizing creative space across a dense city block.

Articulate Massing - Virginia By shaping the stages, towers adn bungalows, the perception of mass and scale is reduced. Additionally, tenant gardens and balconies further break the mass.

Articulate Massing - Santa Monica Along Santa Monica, similar strategies were deployed to reduce the scale and increase teh variation along the block.

Project Massing Hollywood Studio Campus February 26, 2021 - Planning Meeting

development by:

Materials and Landscape Architecture - Virginia Through a variable treatment of materials and landscape planting palettes, the pedestrian experience and campus identity is enhanced.

Project Massing

Materials and Landscape Architecture - Santa Monica

world-class spaces

s s + stages The TVC 2050 Specific Plan will reaffirm Television City as a premier production facility for decades to come. Television City 2050 Location Los Angeles, CA Size 25 acres

Services Provided Master Planning Architecture Landscape Architecture

Planning for a Robust Future Formerly owned by the CBS Corporation, Television City is a cultural landmark and one of the industry’s most iconic television studios. RIOS is serving as the master and design architect for Hackman Capital Partner’s proposed Television City Specific Plan, dubbed TVC 2050. The $1 billion renovation plan will reaffirm Television City as a premier production facility for decades to come. State-of-the-Art Modernization The new plan embraces architect William Pereira’s original vision, which focused on flexibility and adaptability and called for the eventual development of dozens of stages and multi-story office towers. The TVC 2050 plan builds upon Pereira’s futuristic vision, allowing the studio to accommodate evolving technologies and industry demands. TVC 2050 will enhance the public realm, restore views of the historic façade and bridge entryway from Beverly Boulevard, and generate significant economic and community benefits.

That LA S

Sparkle When the dynamics of strategic business operations guide the foundation of design in a creative compound Spotify Content Headquarters Location Los Angeles, CA Size 115,000 sq. ft. 625 Employees

Services Provided Interior Architecture Landscape Architecture Workplace Strategy Experiential Graphic Design Furniture Design

The 154,000 square feet that comprises this client’s L.A. campus is in many ways more of an urban design problem than a typical tenant interiors project. Spread across four significantly unique buildings, the spaces weave circulation together through a series of spaces that are unified through a main street concept. This approach amplifies engagement and break-out throughout the established public plazas, reminiscent of urban forms and spaces, and experiential design that extends the sense of street and fabric through the building. With music, creativity, and the spark of inspiration being fundamental at every point in the project, the overall design juggles spatial prototypes that could instantly be switched-on for pop-up concerts, impromptu recordings, or spontaneous events.

Beyond the relatively low footprint for typical workplace spaces, this client’s LA project offers up a huge collection of extraordinary programs: seventeen podcast studios; a seventy person screening and mixing theater; three artist lounges; two artist green rooms; five artist listening rooms; two recording studios; a seven hundred and fifty person venue; one insert studio for video capture; forty person capacity editing and post production facility; a food hall; barista program; and enough workplace support spaces for over six hundred employees. These programs are scatter throughout the collection of buildings and are all tied together along various choreographed paths that can manage multiple artists at a single time, and discreet entry and access for the employee. This connectivity, and desire to not be behind closed doors, helps to realize the dream of the facility not as an isolated oasis within the Arts District, but as a tangible and real extension of the pulse that defines the area.

Spotifier Programs

POTIFIER PROGRAMS

HANDS | SPOTIFY LA | AUGUST 28, 2019

Artist Circulation & Programs

RTIST CIRCULATION & PROGRAMS HANDS | SPOTIFY LA | AUGUST 28, 2019

Instilling an instant sense of history is no easy feat, especially when also making an instantaneous impression in the glittering cultural fabric that is Los Angeles.

To respond to our client’s intense involvement in research and development initiatives, we set out to create a space that is adaptable to the everchanging music industry by providing a modular flow, which allows for flexible workplace transitions.

Industry Ed

ducation This Hollywood campus is designed to bridge the gap between entertainment education and industry expertise in a singular dynamic campus location. AMDA at Vine Center Location Los Angeles, CA Size Production Tower 252,400 sq. ft. Sound Stage 10,800 sq. ft. Sound Stage Support 9,000 sq. ft. Green Screen, Sound Rooms 211,500 sq. ft. New AMDA Building 270,555 sq. ft. Main Program 208,145 sq. ft. Theater Spaces 44,965 sq. ft. Outdoor Areas 17,445 sq. ft.

Services Provided Interior Architecture Landscape Architecture Workplace Strategy Experiential Graphic Design Furniture Design

RIOS and LPC West proposed a design that would create a new performing arts center in the heart of Hollywood— the Entertainment capital of the world. The design competition for this campus was a next-generation model that created a new platform for AMDA, the Community, and the entertainment industry to come together in a cultural center that strategically united the performing arts academy, theater venues, production of commercial entertainment, and residents in one vibrant and multidisciplinary environment. This new mixed-use campus was designed to add depth and vitality to the local neighborhood while allowing AMDA and its students exposure to the private entertainment sector by integrating it into the proposed development.

PRODUCTIONTower TOWER Production

AMDA BuildingNEW (New) AMDA BUILDING

AMDA BuildingEXISTING (Existing) AMDA BUILDING RESIDENTIAL Tower TOWER Residential

This campus sought to anchor AMDA to the entertainment and tech center of the world in Hollywood, allowing students better access and preparation for careers. 43

Extraor

rdinary Scale The master plan includes new soundstages, studio facilities, and offices, supporting NBC’s vision for the future. NBC Universal Master Plan Location Los Angeles, CA Size 397 acres

Services Provided Master Planning Architecture Landscape Architecture Experiential Graphic Design

The front lot along the western edge of the property will be enhanced with 600,000 sq. ft. of new office space, 120,000 sq. ft. of post-production and support facilities.

Sustainable Vision RIOS served as lead Master Planner for the NBC Universal Evolution Plan. This role included work on two specific plans, LEED ND certification, and the project’s Environmental Impact Report. At 397-acres, Universal Studios is the largest working television and motion picture production studio in the world, and is one of Southern California’s leading family tourist destinations. The Evolution Plan allows the company to shape a strong future for its business in a way that is compatible and consistent with a vision for a sustainable Los Angeles. The projects are focused on the incremental growth and improvement of the complex driven by changes, new attractions, growth and usage.

“Identify, augment, and disperse” — programming an office influenced by a proven strategy for curing cancer

Complete Renewal The studio will add new soundstages, support facilities, and offices, as well as a transformation of many of the existing outdoor set areas into more current and efficiently organized sets to allow for creation of a new residential community. The existing hilltop theme park and CityWalk Retail/Entertainment Center will also be renewed. Space is allocated for new attractions and new circulation for the tram tour of Universal Studios. 500 room hotels are accommodated on CityWalk. Supporting a Multitude of Needs Universal Studios is a tourist attraction in addition to an active production studio. As a result, the client has significant infrastructural needs to complement the phased vision of the master plan. Hemmed in by the L.A. River, the 101 freeway, and residential neighborhoods on all sides, the studio must find new and more efficient ways of working within its footprint as it adapts and grows. RIOS has been a partner to NBCU over the last decade, with work that can be seen in various support services from a pedestrian bridge, to public space and landscape improvements, to a new childcare center, just to name a few.

Projects Completed Over Two Decades • NBC Universal Toll Plaza (Architecture) • NBC Universal Master Plan AKA Evolution Plan/ Vision Plan (Master Planning) • NBC Universal Cineplex Plaza (Architecture, Landscape, Graphics) • NBC Universal Metro Pedestrian Bridge • NBC Universal Technicolor Plaza and Pedestrian Bridge (Architecture and Landscape) • NBC Universal Promenade: Connector Tunnel (Landscape) • NBC Universal Trailhead Park (Landscape) • NBC Universal UHD + USB (Landscape, Commercial, Civic) • NBC Universal Childcare Center (Architecture, Signage) • NBC Universal Sheriff Station (Architecture) • NBC Universal Executive Stay Residence • NBC Universal Island Neighborhood Beautifications (Landscape)

the gold stan

ndard The Hollywood Plan takes a cohesive look at the entire studio lot to improve synergy and efficiencies that are critical to the future, blancing the needs of businesses while protecting the historic and production core of the studio. Paramount Pictures Master Plan + Technicolor Post-Production Building Location Los Angeles, CA Size 62 acres (Master Plan) 65,000 sq. ft. (Post-Production)

Services Provided Master Planning Architecture Interior Architecture Landscape Architecture

Planning for Future Innovation RIOS worked with Levin & Associates to define a master plan for Paramount Pictures that protects the majority of the historic and production core, enables Paramount to improve their operations, and prepares for the future. For nearly 100 years, Paramount has created movies that are loved by people around the world; to continue to do that successfully, it is critical that they give their talent and staff the tools and technology needed to remain innovative in their approach to film making.

Made for Collaboration The plan preserves elements of the past by focusing future development on specific portions of the lot along Melrose Avenue and limited areas in the production core. Improved entrances create a cohesive look along the Melrose edge, and state-of-the-art production facilities from soundstages to high-tech post production and support facilities (i.e. props, lighting, etc.) are now available for use. Areas for production basecamps and improved circulation bring studio office and production support facilities together, enhancing collaboration and streamlining overall operations. 53

This post-production building and master plan ensure the protection of Paramount’s iconic legacy and heritage for future generations. Technicolor Upgrade RIOS renovated the Technicolor Post-Production Building on the Paramount Studios lot. This seamless space that blurs the distinction between indoors and out and creates an inviting new oasis along a busy thoroughfare on the Paramount Pictures lot.

Revolutio Hollyw

onizing wood Sunset Las Palmas’ Harlow building positions productionfocused creative office alongside soundstages and studio production facilities. Harlow at Sunset Las Palmas Studios Location Los Angeles, CA Size 128,000 sq. ft.

Services Provided Architecture Landscape Architecture Master Planning

An Instant Hollywood Icon Situated at the southeast corner of Sunset Las Palmas Studios, Harlow connects the lot with the greater Hollywood context, culminating in spectacular views of the Hollywood Hills. A new entry is positioned off Seward Street, which runs perpendicular to Santa Monica Boulevard. The four-story office building with one level of underground parking, serves as the terminus of the main pedestrian walkway and main communal space. The early shed buildings once served as a backdrop for iconic films, such as ‘I Love Lucy,’ and therefore parallels are created between the historic lot’s hot-house building typologies and Harlow, a creative office informed by history.

An Abundance of Outdoor Gathering Terraces are carved from the overall massing to enhance connectivity between the tenant interiors and the rich surrounding. Plantings bring seasonal color and dynamic movement. Benches are coordinated with groupings to promote areas of rest and contemplation. The project acheived LEED Gold Certification and a Fitwel 2-star rating.

A Hollywo V

ood Vision Columbia Square, home to Viacom, brings television media to a Hollywood epicenter and creates a dynamic new hub for creative office, dining, and modern living on a single campus. Columbia Square Location Los Angeles, CA Size 685,000 sq. ft.

Services Provided Master Planning Architecture Landscape Architecture Experiential Graphic Design Urban Design Historic Preservation 63

A Public Network Originally the West Coast headquarters of CBS, Columbia Square occupies an entire city block in the center of Hollywood. The creative, mixed-use campus includes the adaptive reuse of the 1938 Lescaze historic studio buildings and adds three new office buildings aimed at media and entertainment tenants, a high-rise residential building, and retail establishments. The development is tied together via a site-wide network of publicly-accesible open spaces and courtyards inspired by the landscape of the canyons above the site. The result is a unifying pedestrian experience with varied places for gathering, working, and relaxation. The project achieved LEED Gold Certification and Fitwel Certification. The Residential tower is WELL Certified.

➎

➏

➍ ➐ ➌

➊

➋

➑ ➒

➊ ➋ ➌ ➍ ➎ ➏ ➐ ➑ ➒

Radio Building Tower Building Studio A El Centro Office Building Residential Tower Selma Office Building Gower Building Studio B/C Business Building

Dynamic Square Columbia Square reuses historic studio spaces and storefronts, and creates new bungalow offices as part of the broader strategy of a collaborative, creative industry campus. In the campus plan, which is interconnected with the surrounding neighborhood, tenant spaces and the building lobbies are organized around the central garden-spine.

The Social Side of

f Things These industry offices emphasize social connection with a comfortable, modern design that also connects television and movie departments. Imagine Entertainment Location Los Angeles, CA Size 22,000 sq. ft.

Services Provided Interior Architecture Furniture Design Furniture Procurement Styling Services Experiential Graphic Design

Imagine’s offices offer a suite of spaces for meetings and work—conference rooms, informal living room, a congregation area, and lounges for spontaneous collaboration.

A Focus on Openness Imagine wanted the design to prioritize openness throughout the space. A large, central staircase was created as a focal point between the two stories, flanked with areas for impromptu gatherings. Many of the public spaces are located on the perimeter of the building, bringing natural light and open sight lines deep into the floor plate. The space is designed to feel modern and creative to attract new talent while retaining the studio’s 30-year legacy. The space successfully interconnect Imagine’s television and movie departments, which had occupied separate spaces in the former location, to create a greater sense of unity.

Los Angeles 3101 West Exposition Place Los Angeles, CA 90018 Austin 1711 E. Cesar Chavez St, Suite B Austin, TX 78702 Portland 2505 SE 11th Avenue, Suite 310 Portland, OR 97202 Boulder 1980 8th Street Boulder, CO 80302 London 68-80 Hanbury Street London E1 5JL, UK Singapore 1 Keong Saik Road The Working Capitol Singapore 089109 323. 785. 1800 RIOS.com