87 'Project Updates' posts:

February 24, 2023

New Projects on our Website

If you missed out on any of Oculus’ recently completed projects within the last year, we’ve added these to our website!

In typical Oculus fashion, we have a wide range of projects added. These include an 218,000sf repurposed Physical Sciences building into a new student administration center with ZGF Architects, a 14.3-acre 100-year-old studio lot where we worked with Gensler, a 544,000sf luxury multi-family complex with KoningEizenberg, 89,000sf of multi-level amenity spaces for Amazon’s new campus in Seattle with Graphite Design Group, a remodeled tower facade, lobby and amenities with Rapt Studio, and a brand-new studio office for a confidential client in which we collaborated once again, with Gensler. Phew.

In all case, the lighting design is approached in a way that is unique to each project and speaks to the specific architectural needs of the spaces. Let us know if you have any questions!

Check them out here:

CSULA Student Services Building, Los Angeles, CA

Culver Studios, Culver City, CA

The Park, Santa Monica, CA

Amazon Frontier, Seattle, WA

5670 Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA

Confidential Studio Offices, Los Angeles Area, CA

December 7, 2022

Long Awaited Site Visit to the Mississippi Aquarium

After a two-year COVID delay and two eventful hurricane seasons, we were finally able to visit the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport, MS for our long overdue punchwalk post-construction (and in this case, post-opening). The Mississippi Aquarium fills the void of its predecessor, Marine Life Oceanarium, which was tragically destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Seventeen years later, this new aquarium is the definition of hope and regrowth – helping to rejuvenate tourism within the surrounding community, providing animal rehabilitation initiatives to animals, and aquatic life education to the public.

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November 30, 2022

Netflix Alert: Oculus’ Custom Home featured on Buying Beverly Hills

If you enjoy reality shows exploring multi-million-dollar homes, then Netflix’ Buying Beverly Hills is for you! The show gives you an inside look following a real estate agency that specializes in these high-end home sales.

In the final episode, developer/owner Duangpatra “Dang” Bodiratnangkura is ready to sell the 18,850 sft Orum Residence for a cool $42 million. Oculus worked closely with architects SPF:a and Dang on the lighting design of this “propeller” residence up in the hills. Its unique shape and glass exterior brings in panoramic views of the city and ocean, providing stunning views from every angle.

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October 18, 2022

Lumen West Awards 2022

Lumen West Awards are finally back in person! We are excited to announce that we won two Awards of Merit – one for the for 5670 Wilshire located in Los Angeles, and another for Amazon Frontier in Seattle.

5670 Wilshire was designed in collaboration with Rapt Studio and includes a remodeled lobby and amenity areas of a mid-century style tower located within Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile. A sculptural line of light forms a chandelier to enhance the high-end hospitality vibe of the space. Concealed lighting within knife edge coves highlights the fluted marble walls. The vibe is one of understated luxury.

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August 18, 2022

Two New Celebrity Restaurants in Vegas

Oculus Light Studio is excited to share two new celebrity restaurant projects that have both recently opened at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, NV; alongside DezMotif Studios. The aesthetics of the restaurants are complete opposites, both with their own distinctive flair.

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June 10, 2021

Pasadena’s New Family Friendly Restaurant

Located in Old Pasadena, Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery opened their doors last week for the grand opening! Named after the executive’s chef’s own grandmother, the restaurant was inspired by and envisioned as a warm, family-style gathering place. It’s clear the chef partners and owners truly care about how their restaurant looks and feels, and Oculus played a big part in making sure all of the details were just right!

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April 16, 2021

More Recently Completed Projects!

This past year has had its ups and downs, and some of those “ups” were completions of projects that we were excited to see come to life! Oculus has recently added more projects to our website that have been completed in 2020, including two new healthcare facilities with a hospitality feel, a well known TV-show-turned-restaurant, and an aquarium expansion that added a 1-million gallon shark tank as well as a new 40′-long jellyfish tank illuminated exclusively with color-changing lighting.

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February 11, 2021

Citizen Public Market

Downtown Culver City, CA is starting to get quite a facelift, especially with Amazon moving into their new offices at Culver Steps and at Culver Studios (both Oculus projects incidentally!).   Now a new little market has come to light in a small historic building right across from all of the office action.

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January 26, 2021

Oculus Projects Pushing Ahead

Despite challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, construction is still moving forward on many of Oculus’s projects. San Pedro Public Market is one of them: this redevelopment of the seaside plaza originally constructed in 1962 as “Ports O’ Call Village”, is underway and expected to be completed next year.

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December 4, 2020

UGG Launches its New Flagship Store!

Just in time for winter weather, UGG recently opened its brand new flagship store located along 5th Avenue in New York City, and Oculus is pleased to have been a part of the new branding concept and design.

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October 23, 2020

Georgia Aquarium’s SHARKS! Predators of the Deep Opens Today!

After nearly three years of design and construction, it’s finally ready for the grand reveal, and Oculus couldn’t be more excited and proud to have been a part of it all! Today Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, is opening its much anticipated and mysterious exhibit, SHARKS! Predators of the Deep! With 1.2M gallons of water and over 5 different species of sharks, this exhibit is sure to give thrills and chills, while helping educate its visitors on these misunderstood creatures.

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October 9, 2020

FLOR 401 Supportive Housing Lofts Near Completion

Oculus Light Studio is in the midst of wrapping up work on the FLOR 401 Lofts, one of three recent developments funded by Skid Row’s Proposition HHH bond. We designed in collaboration with KoningEizenberg on these new affordable housing units, which will support individuals experiencing homelessness: half of the units are intended for homeless Veterans, and the other half for low-income households and/or those with special needs.

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September 18, 2020

Mississippi Aquarium Opening Day!

The new Mississippi Aquarium made a big splash with its recent grand opening, and Oculus is proud to have been a part of the design team for this 5.8 acre aquatic campus! Having dodged three hurricanes and being delayed due to COVID-19, the original opening date was postponed, but on the 15th anniversary of Katrina, the Governor opened the gates of the aquarium to the public.

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August 27, 2020

WarnerMedia Moves to Culver City

It’s official! In 2021 WarnerMedia will be moving into the newly constructed office building located at the Culver City Metro Station. Oculus is thrilled to be the lighting designer for this over-$350M mixed-use complex at Ivy Station.

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July 30, 2020

Newly Completed Projects

Oculus Light Studio has added more of our recently completed projects to the website! These projects include Amazon’s new office towers in Seattle, which also house a community shelter; an award-winning shoe retail store, a colorful center for the LA LGBT community, an exciting new aquarium built in an old train station, and another fresh neighborhood park in Orange County.

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July 14, 2020

Cedars-Sinai Opens New Cancer Treatment Clinic

Cedars-Sinai Ventana recently opened up their new Oncology and Internal Medicine clinic in Tarzana, CA. Oculus has been working closely with ZGF, the lead architect, for over 3 years on this project. At approximately 30,000sf, this clinic is comprised of clinical sections for exams and treatment areas where the design is more “hospitality” and less “hospital”, to create a calming environment for patients during their multi-hour infusion.

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June 22, 2020

Virtual Lumen West Awards

The winners of the 2020 Lumen West Awards were announced this weekend, and although we didn’t get to dress up and have a fancy dinner this year, Oculus was still excited and proud to take home two more awards! Our IES Lumen West Award of Merit winners this year are the Aviron offices and Athletic Propulsion Labs retail store.

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May 29, 2020

500 Broadway Under Construction

500 Broadway is under construction! This large mixed-used development in Downtown Santa Monica is also being called “The Park”, as it will provide communal courtyards, and green outdoor spaces on the top levels of 4 different towers connected via pedestrian bridges. The project also intends to help reduce neighborhood vehicular traffic by providing employees and residents with transportation allowances that would cover the costs of transit passes and bike parking.

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May 15, 2020

Oculus Projects Star on Top Chef All Stars!

Oculus Light Studio’s projects have made their TV debut on this season of Top Chef All-Stars, which has already filmed at two of our project locations! Will there be a third?! Stay tuned to find out!

Our first project premiered on Episode 4 on April 9th, 2020, where the chefs had to serve 40 guests at Birdie G’s, which opened last summer in Santa Monica, CA. The lighting design creates a comfortable rustic design with linear glow lights behind the banquettes that accentuate a subtle, ambient environment.

Episode 8’s Restaurant Wars, the biggest competition of the season, aired on May 7th, 2020, and took place at ROW Downtown LA, which Oculus has been continuously working on with Atlas Capital Group on various phases since the start of the historic site’s renovations. In this episode we got a peek at the small-profile linear lights integrated into the feature canopy above the pedestrian entry to valet parking.

You can watch the full episodes here!

Screenshots taken from episodes listed above, broadcast on Bravo TV.

March 19, 2020

100 Thieves’ LA Headquarters

Oculus recently designed the lighting for the Culver City based 100 Thieves Cash App Compound, the largest e-sports team facility in the U.S. The 15,000sf space features multiple private training rooms, meeting rooms, gaming rooms, an Apparel Design & Retail space, and a business headquarters area.

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