Oculus is Thankful For…
With the holidays rapidly approaching, Oculus is keeping a positive attitude for the new year. Here’s what each of us is thankful for this year:
November 20, 2020
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.
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.
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.
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.
August 11, 2020
My (Remote) Summer at Oculus
Annabelle Fung, a student at USC School of Architecture was Oculus’ summer intern. It was a first for Oculus, along with many other firms, to try internships remotely, and though the day to day interactions were missed, we realized that there were plenty of learning opportunities. Following is Annabelle’s account on her summer at Oculus. Here’s wishing you all the best in your upcoming endeavors, Annabelle!
Upon finishing my semester online, I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity to virtually join the Oculus cohort this summer. Working closely with the Oculus designers, I hit the ground running, wearing many hats as I dabbled in a variety of projects from mixed-use complexes to office buildings to single-family homes, designing away for interior and exterior lighting, crafting up renders, and even performing lighting calculations.
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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- Amazon Nitro
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- Mary’s Place
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- OCGP Novel Park
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- Athletic Propulsion Labs
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- Los Angeles LGBT Center
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- St. Louis Aquarium
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.
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.
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.
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!
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- Birdie G’s
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- Birdie G’s
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- ROW DTLA
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- ROW DTLA
Screenshots taken from episodes listed above, broadcast on Bravo TV.
April 23, 2020
Birthdays from Home
We hope you have all been staying safe and healthy out there during this unusual and unprecedented time. As you may know, we are currently on week 6 of working from home and it has been an interesting ride to say the least.
Earlier this month, we celebrated the birthdays of our Senior Associates, Jane You and Carol Prendergast. Usually, we like to plan a surprise craft activity, get a cake, sign a card, and sing as loud as we can to embarrass them, but this year was different. We had to figure out a fun and creative way to put together a birthday card as well as continue to help make their day feel special for them. We also sent some yummy birthday cupcakes to brighten their day!
Amidst the stacks of paperwork and endless Zoom calls, we’ve introduced an element of surprise with decor inspired by Untamed Creatures. Quirky animal-themed decorations now in the background, bringing a sense of playfulness and camaraderie to our virtual gatherings. In a time where the world feels a bit untamed itself, these small gestures of creativity serve as a reminder that laughter and connection can thrive, even in the midst of uncertainty.
Here are the digital birthday cards that the team put together (click photos to enlarge):
From all of us here at Oculus, we wish you both the happiest of birthdays and look forward to gathering together in person soon!
April 10, 2020
Calibre Award Nominations 2020
Nominations for the 2020 IIDA Calibre Awards were announced this week, and Oculus is proud to be recognized in three separate categories!
March 23, 2020
Tools of the (Remote Working) Trade
So here we are in week 2 of the work from home, WFH, situation.
We have been following the statistical charts produced by Johns Hopkins University and see that as of today the US has the 3rd highest number of confirmed cases and many people who need testing are not able to get them yet. The outlook has not become positive yet with the rate of cases going up faster than in Italy, though we all try to make the best of a tough state of affairs.
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.
February 24, 2020
Oculus is Hiring!
We are currently looking for a full-time mid-level lighting with 3-5 years experience, designer to join our diverse team currently working on a wide range of architectural lighting design projects located both locally and around the globe.
February 10, 2020
St. Louis Aquarium Opens!
The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station opened its doors to the public over Christmas, and they saw over 61,000 visitors in just the first week!
In the months leading up to the Christmas Grand Opening, Oculus worked with PGAV and the Contractors (literally) around the clock—the Grand Lobby inside the aquarium features a clock tower tank that recalls the Victorian origins of the 126-year old site. Located in a train shed built in 1894, the new aquarium is now home to otters, shark, and myriad species of both freshwater and saltwater creatures.
January 24, 2020
Hell’s Kitchen: Reality Restaurant
If you’re a fan of the show Hell’s Kitchen, you’re in luck! Chef/host Ramsay has just opened another Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, this time in Lake Tahoe, NV at Harvey’s Hotel and Casino. Oculus was part of the design team, collaborating with architect firm DezMotif to create an immersive atmosphere reflecting the dynamic energy of the show (minus the actual yelling).
We are happy to see it come to life exactly as planned: surface-mounted monopoints and recessed wall washers enhance the restaurant’s two-tone color theme, while warm white adjustable projectors spotlight the Winner Display wall above the banquette seating. Custom pitchfork pendants work together with dueling red and blue thematic lighting to add layers of drama, which is certainly on-brand for this destination restaurant.
January 14, 2020
Hello Seattle!
Oculus is excited to announce the opening of a studio in Seattle! We have been fortunate to work with long-term clients in the Seattle area for numerous years and even though we were a little further away, the collaborations have continued with multiple firms and repeat clients.
With Oculus Seattle, we will be closer to our many clients we enjoy working with, and it will be an opportunity to cultivate new relationships in the dynamic design community of the area. We will also be able to better service our projects already in design and construction in the region. Joel Weston, Associate, who has been in our LA office for over 4 years, is now permanently based in Seattle, where he is leading our work in the Pacific North West.
December 20, 2019
Recently Completed Projects
Check out Oculus Light Studio’s most recently completed projects now added to our website! These new projects include a family-friendly community park, offices for your favorite streaming service, a restaurant on the campus of a legendary movie studio, and an iconic flagship store in the Big Apple.
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- Cadence Park
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- Streaming Media Offices
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- The Arroyo
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- Backlot Restaurant
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- Concord Music Group
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- Cross Campus South Bay
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- Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship
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- Erewhon Market
