Bay Street Office

Location: Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles
Year: 2027
Status: In Permitting

Set on an urban infill site in the Arts District, in an industrial stretch between Maru Coffee, Soho House and a run of weathered warehouses, this adaptive reuse project begins with an existing building the client already loved for its raw, industrial character. The brief was to add a second level above, increasing the floor area and creating an indoor-outdoor office for a vibrant company culture.

Working closely with the City, Matter navigated the district’s new zoning overlays so that an extensive addition could still proceed as a renovation, a decision that protected both the budget and the concept.

Inside the old shell, the design sets pristine, floating boxes that puncture the space with light and planting, creating moments of intrigue and airiness in an otherwise industrial site. Inside glulam beams and outside corrugated metal let the new level appear to hover above the original structure, echoing the boxes within.

Project Role: Architecture & Interiors
Type: Adaptive Reuse — Commercial Office
Client: Private
Bay Street Office — exploded axonometric of the second-level addition and floating interior boxes, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles
© Matter Architecture
Bay Street Office — street facade, with the new corrugated-metal level floating above the planted, vine-covered industrial base, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — skylit workroom with long timber tables and a wall of display shelving, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — planted atrium with an olive tree beneath a skylit light well, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — aerial view of the second-level addition above the existing industrial building, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — double-height lounge beneath the floating mezzanine, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — upper-level corridor between glazed, timber-framed meeting rooms, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — kitchen and stepped amphitheater seating below a perforated-metal stair, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — long work table framed by a timber-lined opening, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles Bay Street Office — olive tree and planting beside the open-plan desks, Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles