The purpose of this project is the preservation, celebration, and exhibition of Hollywood’s 1920s-1980s golden age of cinema as like the Westlake Theatre itself, these films are a major part of Los Angeles’ history and through the proper archiving and preservation, the local public will come to better appreciate these relics of the past. A philosophy to help go along with preserving both the film inventory and the theatre is the variety of brick wall assemblies that categorize programs based on importance to align specific fire ratings. 

The adaptive reuse project starts with retrofitting the original building, gutting out the interior while preserving the shell, and making way for new programs such as the renovated main screening room, lobby, library, collection room, and private office level. 

A new additional mass consists of a separate tower that has the top floor extending over the theatre and connecting the two masses via elevator cores and two bridges. Within the additions are a smaller public theatre, cafe, exhibit gallery, mechanics and electrics, private screen rooms, IT and security, storage, outdoor lounges, and the film archives themselves (one digital and one celluloid). 

The new addition’s exterior will consist of a layered red clay brick wall to boost fire protection and interior temperature control, while incorporating a varying window-to-wall ratio with energy efficient double glazing with the public spaces being the most exposed and the private space being closed off. The orientation and form of the new mass protects the theatre from overbearing direct sunlight with the south façade’s perforated sand lime brick wall pattern reducing light, wind, and heat intake, the roof’s fitted solar panels utilizing the sun’s period of peak solar energy, and the facade walls with the most sun exposure shaded with overhanging fins angled to the sun paths throughout the year.