Caltrans District 7 Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
Think of a state office building in downtown Los Angeles as a canvas on which to create significant architectural design. When the California Department of Transportation (or Caltrans) committed to building a replacement headquarters for their 7th district, they gave the canvas to architectural firm Morphosis.
Thom Mayne, who founded Morphosis, recently won the prestigious international Pritzker Prize for architecture. Working with him on the District 7 headquarters was project architect Pavel Getov and project manager Silvia Kuhle. Contracting was handled by the Clark Construction Group.
At night Caltrans is visible in distinct ways, thanks to the artistry of the Los Angeles office of major lighting design firm Horton Lees Brogden. This was the fourth project that HLB worked on with Morphosis. Working with principal Teal Brogden, the lighting concept for the Caltrans project was created and implemented by project manager/senior designer Heather Libonati and Emily Koonce.
For support, HLB relied on California Lighting Sales, who worked closely with the designers on this project. For several situations around the complex, they recommended using Craft Lite® luminaires from Paramount. These units are Wet Location listed, compact and durable. Both Morphosis and HLB had used Craft Lite luminaires on previous projects and were confident of successfully using them here. Ms. Brogden described them as having a “simple, industrial aesthetic” as well as being able to handle the weather.
A number of the effects created for the courtyard utilized the Craft Lite® C2 Series. Primarily, these luminaires were used under the benches. They were also used inside the angled support walls around the outside of the plaza as well as to power the “Light Bar.”
Other places around the complex that featured Paramount’s products were the “Skip Stop” stairs inside the building. These are short runs of stairs between two floors only, rather than one continuous staircase.To light the stairs, Craft Lites® were mounted to nearby walls in random patterns. To light the playground, the same luminaires were mounted on the underside of a large trellis.
Since the Caltrans complex was completed, it has become a popular location for film crews and an attraction for tourists. The California Department of Transportation was pleased with the results. Ms. Brogden commented “This was a remarkable collaborative effort by a great team, all the way from the client to the person installing the lights – we feel privileged to have been a part of it.”