Designs for a modernized Television City revealed

Foster + Partners has been appointed by Hackman Capital Partners to reimagine the Television City studio complex in Los Angeles, following an international competition.

The project restores William Pereira’s 1952 buildings and transforms the 25-acre site into a low-rise multi-modal campus, consisting of new sound stages, production offices, creative office space, and retail along its perimeter. The new elements are inserted into a flexible low-carbon structural grid, which learns from the city’s world-renowned Case Study Houses. The green campus is designed to set a new precedent for sustainable and community-centred developments within a city.

David Summerfield, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said: “We are designing a creative multi-modal campus that celebrates Television City’s 70-year history and sets a new benchmark for the entertainment industry. It’s a great privilege to breathe new life into Pereira’s iconic and inherently flexible building, which forms the heart of our modular scheme. The campus is designed to embody L.A.’s innovative spirit, while integrating seamlessly with the city fabric and reinvigorating the surrounding streets at a human-scale.”

Armstrong Yakubu, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, added: “We are completely reimagining filmmaking and content production by creating an interconnected green campus with people at its centre. Working with a low-carbon structural grid allows us to craft a flexible and collaborative environment, which can adapt to changing needs well into the future.”

With William Pereira’s buildings at its heart, the studio is arranged into two distinctive zones, which focus on content production and media operations. Production offices are adjacent to the new stages, improving efficiency and enhancing collaboration between departments. Buildings are flooded with natural light and tied together by tree-lined pedestrian boulevards, pocket parks and courtyards to enhance wellbeing. Street level retail activates the perimeter of the studio and has a positive social impact on the surrounding area.

The design incorporates locally sourced low-carbon materials, on site renewable energy, and an abundance of greenery, making Television City L.A.’s first all-electric studio. A new state-of-the-art mobility hub is an integral part of the project, with a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program reducing vehicle trips by up to 30 percent.