Warner Bros. Office Building (2)

Place

Warner Bros. Office Building (2)

Ahead of its time in terms of structural system and energy efficiency, this architectural gem's mirrored glass walls reflect up to 80% of the intense summer heat gain.

Place Details

Address

3903 W. Olive Ave. Burbank, CA 91505
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Year

1981

Decade

Property Type

Community

Serving as an anchor to Warner Bros.' Burbank Studios, the Warner Bros. Office Building rises above Olive Avenue in a beautiful composition of mirrored glass.

Designed by the Luckman Partnership with interior design firm Milton I. Swimmer Planning and Design, Inc., the Warner Brothers Office Building opened in 1981 to widespread praise: the Los Angeles Times called it an "architectural gem," and it received the City of Burbank Civic Pride Committee Award. Despite its size – it spans the width of an entire block – the six-story building almost disappears as it reflects its surroundings at every surface.

This vanishing act was intentional; the office building is placed at the edge of a residential neighborhood, and great care was taken to make it as unobtrusive as possible. The design team engineered a building that was ahead of its time in terms of structural system and energy efficiency. Its curved exterior glass is glued into place with a silicone adhesive, eliminating the need for projecting mullions and framing, and its mirrored glass walls reflect up to 80% of the intense summer heat gain.

Designed to hold the offices of Warner Bros.' film production staff,

the interior contains a network of moveable partition walls that allows for flexibility of space, depending on whether the company is in pre-production, full production or post-production.

The result is a building that somehow manages to be both striking and humble at the same time, setting a high standard for glass skin corporate office buildings in terms of beauty, innovation, and utility.