of urban design thinking to
interior design, specifically in workplace and educational communities.
He was born in South Africa and educated in the United Kingdom. His
practice, Clive Wilkinson Architects, was established in Los Angeles in
1991, and is an acknowledged global leader in workplace design. The leaders of the motocross apparel company, Fox
Head, Inc. approached Clive in November 2011, with the goal of relocating
their headquarters from Morgan Hill, in Northern California, to Irvine,
California. They wanted a space that would inspire their staff and
encouraged CWa to challenge preconceptions about how an office space can
work and how this warehouse shell could become a cutting edge creative
house. The industrial warehouse on Armstrong Avenue in Irvine offered an
opportunity of consolidating the company in one open, creative
environment. The design solution for the 82,000 sq. ft. space evolved
from the desire to create a functional yet playful environment that
befits the Fox image. Equally significant was the company’s desire for
an open, flexible and collaborative work environment for its employees.
Traditional urban planning concepts were utilised to
provide the architectural frame to foster a community centered around
place, interaction and innovation. A Main Street concept, individual
task-oriented neighborhoods, park-like landscape elements and
circulation-oriented ‘facades’ were each enlisted to create a community
unique to the company’s culture. On the
exterior, a sculptural addition was proposed to accommodate Fox’s main
entrance and provide an identifying landmark. Existing and new
infrastructure are exposed and coordinated to enhance the architecture,
while the warm palette of reds, oranges and yellows reference the
original brand colors of Moto-X Fox while differentiating the
‘monuments’ in the city from the muted background. The
resulting ‘city’ is a reflection of the company’s character: an open
and creative workplace that fosters interaction between varied groups of
specialists.
Photos: Benny Chan of Fotoworks courtesy of Clive Wilkinson Architects
Photos: Benny Chan of Fotoworks courtesy of Clive Wilkinson Architects
