Warehouse Conversion Test Fit

The Trammel Crow Company approached Gensler to study the conversion of an older, vacant warehouse into a creative office space for the University of Southern California. The interior was an impressive space with a series of bays using long-span bow-truss roof framing with a wooden ceiling.

 

There were two inherent issues with the site. First, USC did not require that much square footage. Secondly, the warehouse occupied most of the lot, leaving little space for on-site parking. After studying numerous options for resolving the parking, it was determined the best solution was removing the front half of of the building to reduce square footage and provide area for parking. 

 

In turn, the partial removal of the building exposed the magnificence of the long-span bow-truss bays creating dynamic light-filled spaces along the path of travel, the parking and the street.