This push to find ways to do more with less has inspired somewhat of a new trend in office design, according to Irvine-based architecture and design firm LPA Inc.
“We are seeing a smarter approach to workplace by our clients lately … a definite emphasis on ‘futureproofing’ and spending dollars wisely,” said principal and workplace design director Rick D’Amato, whose firm is OC’s No. 2 architecture firm by billings.
This means more involvement from tenants and the design firms they employ, with both taking time to understand how much space it needs, and how it plans to use it.
“There is an across the board demand for spaces based on research rather than the ‘cool’ factor. A significant aspect of this process is about understanding the brand expression of the client and allowing that expression to manifest in the actual design of the space,” D’Amato said.
MerchSource, Glaukos Work
LPA recently finished the new North American headquarters of MerchSource, which owns brands including FAO Schwarz and Sharper Image, in the Irvine Spectrum.
LPA is also working on the new headquarters for San Clemente-based ophthalmic device maker Glaukos Corp., which will move to the Element office campus in Aliso Viejo by this fall, and has begun work for Ghost Media, an L.A. media marketing firm that’s expanding its Irvine location.
Elsewhere on the leasing front in Orange County, Lincoln Property Company is working with electronics maker Epson America Inc. on the buildout of 3131 Katella Ave., a two-building project in Los Alamitos that recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation.
Epson agreed to move its headquarters from Long Beach into the 150,000-square-foot building last March, a deal which was among tops for the year.
Lincoln said Epson is slated to start moving some 600 employees there in June.
