CRENSHAW OFFICES
CRENSHAW, 2019
PROJECT
In 2019, rapidly growing tech firm moved into their new corporate headquarters: a fully renovated, 60,000 square foot warehouse in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles.
SALT Landscape Architects and RADAR masterminded a stark, black and white motif for the cavernous warehouse. We were charged with providing sculptural elements, benches and desks to allow for communal work while at the same time strengthening the design aesthetics. We worked closely with the designers, testing out a variety of materials and treatments until arriving at a singular solution - locally sourced Coast Live Oak dyed black.
PROJECT SERVICES
Design Development
Fabrication
Project Management
Chain of Custody
Custom Milling
Los Angeles Lumber Consultancy
PRODUCTS
Timber Benches
Log Benches
SPECIES & LOCATIONS
Coast Live Oak: Newhall Ranch & Santa Clarita
PROJECT TEAM
Radar: Architect
Salt Landscape Architects: Landscape Contractor
Design Build Labs: General Contractor
COAST LIVE OAK
Coast Live Oak grows up and down the Californian coast and west of Sierra Nevada. This evergreen tree belongs in the red oak family and has a storied history of helping to feed indigenous cultures by providing acorns to make flour. Early settlers also used the uniquely shaped branches for boat building. Many of the oak woodlands were cleared in order to erect sprawling cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego, but their namesakes are commemorated in the neighborhoods of Sherman Oaks, Thousand Oaks, Encino and Encinitas.
Due to recent climate change patterns, California has seen some of the most intense wildfires in the history of the state. The trees sourced for the sculptural elements in this project were victims of the 2018 wildfires in Newhall, Santa Clarita Valley. Leaning into the wildfire theme, the remaining faces of the logs were dyed black, matching the design aesthetic but also demonstrating the close relationship we have living with fire in California. The massive burn scar along the side of the log reminds us that we are part of the evolving ecology in Southern California
Coast Live Oak is a very dense wood and has a good resistance to decay. The grain pattern can be irregular as some trees grow straight while others curl and twist due to the nature of their growing conditions. Most always we find rays growing perpendicular to the grain which makes for unique and beautiful patterns in the wood. We find the oak to be perfect material for furniture, cabinetry, boatbuilding, and flooring.
