Emerson College Los Angeles, the newly opened West Coast outpost of the Boston-based institution, sits on a stretch of Sunset Boulevard that is rapidly changing from seedy to cinematic. The school has strong alumni community in Los Angeles and an established internship program. Designed by Wallpaper* Design Awards judge Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, the $85 million, 10-storey building-cum-microcampus hosts students majoring in television, film, marketing, acting, screenwriting, and journalism.
At nearly 10,000 sq m, Morphosis' scheme maxes out the site, but has a hollow centre. The mixed used educational building includes two 10-story dormitory towers (housing 217 students), classrooms, faculty offices, video and film production labs, and multi-use performance spaces, including an outdoor amphitheater with a view of the Hollywood sign. A superstructure roof connecting the two towers does double duty as a theatrical lighting grid and helipad.
The architects hope to achieve LEED Gold certification. Motorized sunshades on the east and west tower facades control solar heat gain and give the building a tough, mechanical-looking exterior. Designed using computational processing, the folded aluminum screens on the sides of the courtyard are dynamic and mesmerizing, an optical illusion suggesting depth and motion.
Mayne was inspired by the hangar-like soundstages found on studio lots. 'There are all these worlds in a big room,' he says, reflecting on the sets. 'We understood our building as being very flexible and open ended. And very possibly used for a background for filming.' Indeed, every curved wall is endlessly photogenic, and in true Sunset Boulevard fashion, ready for its close up.
The college is situated on a stretch of Sunset Boulevard that is rapidly shrugging off its seedy reputation.
Covering nearly 10,000 sq m, the college's microcampus is formed of two dormitory towers which frame a network of classrooms, faculty offices, video and film production labs and multi-use performance spaces, connected by a snaking system of walkways.
Motorized sunshades control the towers' solar heat gain and give the building a tough, mechanical-looking exterior.
In customary Hollywood style, every Mayne's project is a faultlessly photogenic, from the grand curving walls down to the security desk.
The main entrance to the college is situated in the hollow space in between the two dormitory towers.
Seen from above, Mayne's meandering walkways are testimony to how space has been manipulated to maximum effect.
-
Bedside tables for design enthusiastsEssential companions for your nightly rituals, discover 10 bedside tables that balance function and style.
-
Six hotels where you’ll find the winter sun this FebruaryFrom intimate seaside inns to balmy city breaks, here are six Wallpaper*-approved winter sun escapes
-
Meet Carlo Ratti, the architect curating the 2025 Venice Architecture BiennaleWe meet Italian architect Carlo Ratti, the curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, to find out what drives and fascinates him ahead of the world’s biggest architecture festival kick-off in May
-
On the shores of Discovery Bay, this wooden house is the ultimate waterside retreatDekleva Gregorič’s Discovery Bay House is a structured yet organic shelter that blends perfectly into the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape
-
The 10 emerging American Midwest architects you need to knowWe profile 10 emerging American Midwest architects shaking up the world of architecture - in their territory, and beyond
-
A light-filled New York loft renovation magics up extra space in a deceptively sized homeThis New York loft renovation by local practice BOND is now a warm and welcoming apartment that feels more spacious than it actually is
-
Inside Bell Labs, the modernist vision behind Severance's minimalist settingWe explore the history of Bell Labs - now known as Bell Works - the modernist Eero Saarinen-designed facility in New Jersey, which inspired the dystopian minimalist setting of 'Severance'
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ new project will be Miami’s priciest condoConstruction has commenced at The Delmore, an oceanfront condominium from the firm founded by the late Zaha Hadid, ZHA
-
A West Austin house invites you to commune with natureWestview Residence by Alterstudio, a West Austin house among trees, makes the most of large windows and open-air decks in a verdant setting
-
Apple’s new Miami store employs the principles of biophilic designApple’s first mass-timber store connects shoppers to nature while echoing the Art Deco architecture of Miami
-
The World Monuments Fund has announced its 2025 Watch – here are some of the endangered sites on the listEvery two years, the World Monuments Fund creates a list of 25 monuments of global significance deemed most in need of restoration. From a modernist icon in Angola to the cultural wreckage of Gaza, these are the heritage sites highlighted
