Breakfast Food in the Hayden Tract

Culver City's Hayden Tract has long served as an architectural playground for Eric Owen Moss.  In recent years, the SCI-Arc director has designed a variety of undulating structures that decorate the former industrial neighborhood, including a vertical cactus garden and the Samitaur Tower (a familiar landmark to Expo Line passengers).   Moss' latest creation is a four-story mini-tower dubbed "Waffle," currently taking form on Hayden Avenue.  World Architecture News reports that the project will stand 55 feet tall, containing a conference area, mezzanine lounge, closed meeting space and a rooftop deck.  Waffle is a unique adaptive re-use project, utilizing the frame of a 60 year old former industrial press.  Signage is also up for Moss' proposed 12-story office building at the corner of Jefferson and National Boulevards, although work is not imminent for that project.

Waffle, image from Eric Owen Moss Architects.

• The Waffle and Cactus Towers (World Architecture News)
• Waffle (Eric Owen Moss Architects)

Whoa: Eric Owen Moss's Expo-Adjacent Tower Pulls Permits

Expo Line passengers in-between the Culver City and La Cienega/Jefferson Stations might be getting some very noticeable eye candy in the not-so-distant future.  Believe it or not, LADBS permits appear to be in the works for (W)rapper, the poorly-named, Eric Owen Moss-designed creative office building slated for the intersection of Jefferson and National Boulevards.

Due to an extremely high floor-to-ceiling ratio, the 12-story tower would stand 230 feet tall, giving it a monolithic presence within the primarily low-rise Baldwin Hills neighborhood.  Consisting of just over 150,000 square feet of office space, (W)rapper's design would utilize a "continuous system of curvilinear ribbons," to allow for completely open floor plans.  The tower would rise above three levels of parking -- one at-grade and two below ground.

The project is being developed by Samitaur Constructs, landlord of the Conjunctive Points creative office haven.  The firm has engaged in a successful partnership with Eric Owen Moss Architects over the past several decades, creating a multitude of undulating structures that fascinate potential tenants and passersby alike.  (W)rapper would be their most ambitious collaboration to date, and one of only a handful inside Los Angeles city limits.

Located at 5790 Jefferson Boulevard, the creative office tower would sit within walking distance of La Cienega/Jefferson Station.  Although many of the blocks surrounding the elevated tracks are car-oriented in design, several  properties could lend themselves to a future mixed-use community.  Notably, the 10-acre site that currently houses the KLOS/KABC radio broadcast facility was put up for sale late last year.  Further south, development rumors have also floated around a 5-acre, city-owned property on Jefferson Boulevard.

• Video Flythrough of Eric Owen Moss' Creative Office Tower (Building Los Angeles) 
• (W)rapper (Eric Owen Moss Architects)
• 5790 W. Jefferson Boulevard 90016 (LADBS)