LEIMERT FILM INSTITUTE

Leimert Park is a historical area in Los Angeles, predominantly populated by people of color, especially members of the African American community. This creates a unique challenge for designers creating new complexes like the one we were requested. 

The proposed project is a film school that includes a library, museum, and performance spaces for the community. The project attempts to create an airy structure through the use of light wells and the lack of a closed off circulation space. Specialized rooms like art storage and the auditorium are temperature controlled and sealed off of the exterior, but the circulation space and odd rooms are exposed to open air and are intentionally laid out to benefit from cross ventilation. This architecture is allowed due to the generous weather of Southern California and this creates a lower energy consumption for a building of this scale.