October 24, 2024
Last week, the Los Angeles Business Council celebrated its 54th Annual Architectural Awards, and Oculus is thrilled to announce that three of our projects have received awards.
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The Culver Studios
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Ranch Lot Studios
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9000 Wilshire
The Culver Studios was awarded a Community Impact Award. This iconic 100-year-old studio lot features 13 sound stages, offices, and outdoor event spaces, along with a range of amenities. In partnership with Gensler, Oculus provided lighting for the core and shell of five new multi-story digital media buildings, as well as enhancements to the plaza, event space, parking, and other outdoor areas.
Another studio project, currently under construction, also received a Community Impact Award. The Ranch Lot Studios in Burbank is set to be the largest under development in LA County. Our lighting design covers the core and shell of a five-story creative office space, production support offices, 16 sound stages, backlot facilities, and the entire 30-acre site. Oculus is working with Krismar Construction Co. and Worth Real Estate Group to meet LEED Gold standards for this project.
9000 Wilshire won a Workplace Award. In collaboration with Neil M. Denari Architects and HLW, this project is not only LEED Platinum certified but also holds WiredScore Gold and Fitwel certifications. Its striking purple facade—symbolizing a tailored suit—and a beautifully illuminated planting wall create a memorable presence at night, enhancing its identity from the street.
Congratulations to all the teams involved in these projects!
April 25, 2024
Oculus Light Studio is thrilled to announce that seven of our projects have been nominated for this year’s 2024 Calibre Design Awards.
Still currently in the design phase, and nominated in the Unbuilt/On The Boards category, is the Century City Cultural Pavilion. We look forward to the completion of this project as we envision attending future galas like Calibre in a venue that we contributed in designing!
Nominated in the Work Medium category:
- Universal Music Publishing Group’s lighting scheme designed in collaboration with Gensler, includes a line of light that traces its way through the project uplighting the wood ceilings and dynamic atrium lighting that can be customized for live impromptu performances.
- 9000 Wilshire, a project in collaboration with Neil M. Denari Architects and HLW, has an eye-catching purple facade (a tailored suit was the metaphor), and the beautifully illuminated planting wall draws attention from the street scale, creating a strong identity at night.
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February 24, 2023
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, an 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!
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CSULA Student Services Building
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Culver Studios
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5670 Wilshire
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Confidential Studio Offices
Check them out here:
CSULA Student Services Building, Los Angeles, CA
Culver Studios, Culver City, CA
Amazon Frontier, Seattle, WA
5670 Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA
Confidential Studio Offices, Los Angeles Area, CA
December 7, 2022
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
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 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
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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Vanderpump à Paris
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The Bedford by Martha Stewart
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June 10, 2021
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
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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Cedars-Sinai Ventana
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Hell’s Kitchen
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Georgia Aquarium Expansion
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Keck Medicine of USC
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February 11, 2021
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 14, 2020
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
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 is under construction! This large mixed-use 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 strategic design elements that cater to a community-focused lifestyle reflect principles you’d find in a Woodstock house buying guide, emphasizing the importance of shared spaces and environmental considerations. 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, much like how a guide would highlight the benefits of local amenities and transport links when choosing a new home.
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