Archinect - News

Gehry-designed Warner Bros. Second Century expansion is now complete

2023-05-17T13:01:00-04:00

The Gehry Partners-designed Second Century expansion project for Warner Bros. is now complete, Urbanize LA reports. This news comes a year after the exterior finishes of the office complex were said to be nearly done.

Breaking ground in early 2020, the 800,000-square-foot structure, resembling staggered icebergs through its glass façade, now rises in full view above the 134 freeway in Burbank, California. It comprises two buildings, one seven stories high and the other nine, atop a large underground parking space.

Previously on Archinect: Exterior finishes of Gehry's Warner Bros. Second Century expansion nearly complete

The project was built through a joint venture between Worthe Real Estate Group and Stockbridge Real Estate Fund. It forms part of a major expansion of Warner Bros.’ headquarters, which includes the acquisition of the surrounding Burbank Studios.

The complex will house around 4,500 Warner Bros. employees. The completion of this endeavor coincides with the 100th anniv...

Hollywood Burbank Airport unveils three finalist for new terminal design

2023-03-15T14:02:00-04:00

Three options to replace the aging Hollywood Burbank Airport main terminal have been released to the public following an internal selection from the Holder, Pankow, TEC, Joint Venture (HPTJV) team tasked with leading the Elevate BUR process.

Urbanize LA has more on the forthcoming 14-gate, 355,000-square-foot terminal project, which will also include parking, maintenance, and cargo facilities, along with other “ancillary features” located on the northeast portion of the 91-year-old airport.

First, "The Century," is inspired by the region's rich architectural history and calls for a "light-filled hall" defined by the "simple forms" and "clean lines" that are synonymous with Mid-Century design.

"The Century" concept. Image courtesy Corgan

The next design, dubbed "The Icon," is supposedly inspired by the "glitz and glamour of Hollywood" and includes a silver screen facade that is subsumed by an overarching canopy structure connected to the par...

Exterior finishes of Gehry's Warner Bros. Second Century expansion nearly complete

2022-04-18T14:08:00-04:00

Just north of the SR-134 Freeway in Burbank, vertical construction is all but finished for the Warner Bros. Second Century expansion, and exterior finishes are climbing the hulking concrete buildings.

In August of last year, it was reported that the concrete frames of the Frank Gehry-designed project had risen. Now, as seen through new photos, the exterior finishes of the Warner Bros. Second Century expansion, which resembles staggered blocks, look to be reaching completion. The project is set to be complete in 2023 and will consist of two office towers, one seven stories high and the other nine, spanning 800,000 square feet atop a large underground parking structure.

Previously on Archinect: Concrete frames of Frank Gehry-designed Second Century Project have risen

Super Nintendo World Hollywood sets an opening date for 2023

2022-03-14T11:50:00-04:00

An expansion at Universal Studios Hollywood will bring the spinning coins and floating blocks of the “Super Mario Bros.” video game to the theme park next year, marking the completion of one in just a handful of theme park expansions in the U.S. since the onset of COVID-19.

Park officials have billed the new expansion as a “visual spectacle of vibrant colors and architectural ingenuity located within a newly expanded area of the theme park, featuring a groundbreaking ride and interactive areas, to be enjoyed by the whole family."

Related on Archinect: Super Nintendo World theme park to open in Japan this summer. Image courtesy Universal Studios Japan

Universal’s last comparable expansion came in 2016 to the tune of nearly $500 million, which bought a six-acre plot in L.A. that was later developed into the commercially successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The added attraction, which is now set to open within an undetermined nine-month period next year, would constitute Universal's fourth such planned Super Nintendo World, joining an existing facility in Osaka, Japan, and followed closely by identical attractions in Orlando and Singapore by the year 2025.

“They are getting a jump on the market, getting people excited early,” industry consultant Den...

Concrete frames of Frank Gehry-designed Second Century Project have risen

2021-08-11T18:07:00-04:00

The concrete frames of Frank Gehry’s Second Century Project for Warner Bros. have risen, as reported by Urbanize Los Angeles.

The project, a pair of office towers resembling icebergs rising above the 134 freeway in Burbank, California, broke ground in early 2020. The undertaking is part of a major expansion of Warner Bros.’ headquarters, which includes the acquisition of the surrounding Burbank Studios.

The project is being developed through a joint venture between Worthe Real Estate Group and Stockbridge Real Estate. The two buildings, one seven stories high and the other at nine stories, will span 800,000 square feet, atop a large underground parking structure.

Previously on Archinect: Gehry-designed Second Century Project for Warner Bros. breaks ground

On the side facing the freeway, the buildings are seen as one long sculptural glass façade. On the opposite side that faces the interior of Burbank Studios, a punched metal façade of staggered, slanted fragments is featured.

Upp...

Gehry-designed Second Century Project for Warner Bros. breaks ground

2020-01-16T15:02:00-05:00

Warner Bros. on Tuesday officially broke ground on a pair of Frank Gehry-designed office towers, which when completed will mark a major expansion of the Burbank-based movie and TV studio’s headquarters. [...] The construction endeavor is part of a larger expansion of Warner Bros.’ footprint in the area that includes the acquisition of Burbank Studios.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the high-profile Second Century Project was joined by California Governor Gavin Newsom, Burbank's new Mayor Sharon Springer, Warner Bros. Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff, and architect Frank Gehry himself.

Yesterday, Gov. @GavinNewsom and Burbank Mayor Sharon Springer joined Warner Bros. Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff, architect @frankogehry and Worthe Real Estate’s Jeffrey Worthe at groundbreaking on two new Gehry-designed office buildings for Warner Bros.’ expanded campus. pic.twitter.com/b5mFWNj8Tq
— Warner Bros. (@warnerbros) January 15, 2020

"It’s a legendary site," L.A. Daily News quotes Frank Gehry, who will be 91 next month, saying at the event. "I’ve been here many times over the years — not as a movie star or anything like that — and Warner Bros. is a legendary company. We have to create a legendary building for all this legendary history."

Rendering: Sora, image courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

The two office towers, designed to appear as "icebergs flo...

Work begins on Gehry-designed Warner Bros. 'Floating Icebergs' expansion

2019-10-09T13:47:00-04:00

A large dirt pit has emerged at the back of The Burbank Studios lot, as work begins for a Frank Gehry-designed office complex which will be occupied by Warner Bros. [...] Two mid-rise buildings -standing seven and nine stories in height- will overlook the 134 Freeway, providing 800,000 square feet of office space.

Called Second Century Project, the large-scale office development in Burbank, California first appeared on Archinect in April this year.

The complex of buildings, designed to appear as "icebergs floating along the freeway," is scheduled to be fully functional in 2023 to coincide with Warner Bros.'s 100th anniversary.

Rendering: Sora, image courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

Frank Gehry to design new Warner Bros. HQ towers

2019-04-26T14:21:00-04:00

Warner Bros. has sweeping plans to expand its Burbank headquarters by acquiring a nearby studio complex and moving into two Frank Gehry-designed office towers fashioned to look like icebergs floating alongside the 134 Freeway.

Rendering: Sora, image courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

"Once upon a time, Hollywood Studios had an important architectural presence in the city—they were like monuments to the movie-making process," the LA Times quotes Frank Gehry saying. "With this project, I was trying to recapture that feeling of old Hollywood splendor."

Rendering: Sora, image courtesy of Gehry Partners, LLP.

The new office towers are scheduled to break ground later this year.