The lobby bar located on the east side of the lobby positions hotel guests and Angelenos alike to take in a privileged view of downtown LA. Looking over the skyscrapers, financial district and historic core, this "never-before-seen” perspective is the backdrop for the upscale bar formed out of bookmatched Italian marble, darkened nickel silver liquor display and custom-designed bar lamps.

A black glass wall features a historical image of the Studebaker Dealership that originally occupied the site of the hotel, overlaid with text glowing in amber neon. It reads: "From MAIN we SPRING to BROADWAY and over the HILL to OLIVE, O wouldn’t it be GRAND if we could HOPE to pick a FLOWER on FIGUEROA." This old adage was taught to children to help them remember the order of the downtown streets. This feature weaves together a historical image and narrative authentic to the property that enriches the guest experience.

The iconic, Los Angeles City Hall was designed and built by the Austin, Parkinson and AC Martin team in 1928. The 300,000 SF, 32-story building is faced with grey California granite and grey terra cotta, the most popular façade materials at the time. The concrete in its tower was made with sand from each of California’s 58 counties and water from its 21 historical missions. The structure is comprised of two wings with a 452-feet high central tower, based on the purported shape of the “Mausoleum of Mausolus.”

Steeped in symbolism, images of Mulholland’s water works – the Los Angeles Aqueduct, are burnished into its bronze doors amalgamated from California ores. A golden ship in the floor of the great Rotunda symbolizes Spain’s discovery of California. Carrera marble is used decoratively throughout, along with painted murals showing scenes of Hollywood movie-making. The cornerstone was laid by the Native Sons of the Golden West and holds a Los Angeles telephone directory, and signatures of personnel in the mayor’s office.

At the building’s dedication, a beacon bolted to the pinnacle tower’s pyramidal roof was illuminated with a telegraphed signal from Calvin Coolidge. The beacon was later named for Charles Lindbergh.

Los Angeles City Hall Seismic Rehabilitation & Renovation

The MAG-LITE headquarters consists of a 30-acre, 750,000 sf facility employing 1,200 people and housing the administrative offices, machining, fabrication, finishing, assembly, warehousing, shipping and receiving functions for the flashlight manufacturer. 

We performed architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical services on this new 900 student Junior High school on the historic Martin Luther King, Jr., Elementary School site. The project involved razing the existing school, and providing A/E designs, achieving approval, and construction of the new school within 13 months. 

The Million Dollar Theater at 307 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in February 1918. It is the northernmost of the collection of historical movie palaces in the Broadway Theater District and stands directly across from the landmark Bradbury Building.

The Million Dollar was the first movie house built by entrepreneur Sid Grauman. Sculptor Joseph Mora did the elaborate and surprising exterior Spanish Colonial Revival ornament, including bursts of lavish Churrigueresque decoration, multiple statues, longhorn skulls and other odd features. The auditorium architect was William L. Woollett, and the designer of the twelve-story tower was Los Angeles architect Albert C. Martin, Sr. For many years the office building housed the headquarters of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Working alongside Gray Construction, the design-build of this new 203,000 sf facility serves as a strategic location for the Japan-based company. The new facility is the company’s first greenfield operation, designed to meet the specific requirements of the aerospace industry. Featuring refrigerated and ambient temperature warehouse space, maximum flexibility, and secure storage of product in a controlled environment, the new facility will serve to support the company’s distribution services.

In 2009 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) commissioned AC Martin to update its Master Plan which sets forth the guidance for development of the JPL Oak Grove facility over a projected ten year planning horizon.  This plan will serve JPL in both establishing the overall direction for needed physical changes at the Oak Grove facility but also the Table Mountain Observatory facility and the Deep Space Network of satellite antennas located around the world. The master plan will identify specific core projects conceptualized to meet Lab needs, improve Lab functionality and campus aesthetics.  The current master plan developed in 2003, because of several recent events occurring at the policy and funding levels of NASA now calls for an update so that it conforms to current NASA guidance.  Specifically, the updated master plan currently in preparation (Update Plan 2011) will address the following policies and needs of NASA:

• Redirection of the 2006 NASA Strategic Plan elements associated with the Constellation Program to emphasize solar system robotic missions, earth systems and climate change;
• Compliance with NASA guidelines for the preparation of Center Master Plans (CMPs) as contained in NASA Procedural Requirements document NPR 8810.1 and incorporation of JPL Environmental Affairs Department documents, and significant public communication;
• Compliance with NASA guidelines for insuring a focus on facility efficiency and sustainability as contained in NPR 8820.2F;
• NASA guidance for facilities that specify goals for removal and upgrading of NASA real property assets for all NASA Centers;
• NASA guidance for facilities that adopt national goals for achieving facility sustainability in the areas of energy and water use and for achieving reductions in green house gas (GHG) emissions;
• NASA directions for Center Master Plans to comprehensively address master planning for all facilities under management by JPL. This requires that the JPL Master plans simultaneously consider the needs and assets of the Oak Grove, Deep Space Network (DSN) and Table Mountain Facility (TMF) activities under management by JPL/Caltech/NASA.

The Naslund Study Lounge at the Armacost Library offers students a comfortable “home away from home.” The design of this 8,700 SF entry addition features the ‘Grand Living Room’ gathering space as the formal entrance to the newly renovated campus library. It was important to maintain the library’s circulation and operations while giving the students a much-needed place to study, collaborate, and hang out. The look and feel of the ‘Grand Living Room’ had to reflect the University’s classic, timeless aesthetic while being modern, youthful and relevant to the students.

Library users are welcomed with custom-designed furniture, lamps and ottomans that can be quickly rearranged, creating a highly flexible gathering space. The grand staircase leading into the space includes double-height steps lined with floor pillows on either side of the center circulation, providing more informal lounge and study space. The study lounge includes computer labs, classrooms, group study rooms and a café. Open 24 hours a day, this library entry way has become a destination unto itself—a memorable space and image for the University.

AC Martin designed a four-building headquarters and manufacturing facility on a 74-acre site, housing 1,500 personnel. Facilities include a one-story administration building of 40,000 SF, data processing and cafeteria. Three manufacturing buildings, totalling 245,000 SF, house engineering and manufacturing activities of the firm's operation division.

The 74-acre site was master planned to allow orderly incremented expansion to meet the company's future growth. A campus-like arrangement of buildings affords an environment conducive to the professional nature of the engineering, design and product development work of the aerospace group. Sandblasted, integral-color, light-weight, concrete tilt-up walls at the exterior are demountable in the event of building expansion.

The initial intent for this project was an MEP upgrade and replacement, but the University decided to take the opportunity to upgrade and reposition Payson Library to become more of an enhanced student experience—a destination for students to interact socially and academically.

The Library decided to shift its approach with the renovation—specifically, to make the Special Collections museum-quality and better known. Goals include a state-of-the-art restoration and training program to care for their unique archives. This new approach was refined through many stakeholder workshops.

The renovation provides several levels of study space, ranging from vibrant interactive areas to be used for lectures, to private break-out rooms for small groups or private study. These are flexible spaces that can provide the differing levels of privacy desired by users. The intent is for Payson Library to become the students’ “third place” on campus— a place where students spend time between home (dorms) and work (study). It will be a place where students can interact, exchange ideas, build relationships, and be part of the total student experience.