Over the past 40 years, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Foundation has steadily expanded its support for performing artists nationwide, offering free professional development and financial aid to more than 160,000 members. In 2016, the Foundation opened its main screening room in New York City. Now, through a partnership with Best Practice Architecture, it has realized its long-sought goal of creating an educational and creative hub in the iconic Museum Square building in Los Angeles: the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Center For Performing Artists.
Located in the penthouse of the 1949 building designed by Wurdeman & Becket, the new 12,200-square-foot facility is a vital part of the entertainment industry, providing a much-needed environment for engaging educators, actors, voice actors and the film industry at large. The facility consists of three main elements: foundation offices, educational spaces and a screening room with support areas, all designed to inspire creativity and foster community.
Upon entering the 10th floor, visitors are greeted by hollow-core wood walls and led to the entrance through glass doors. Best Practice incorporated saturated red walls and a custom-lit marquee ceiling to create a dramatic and inviting entry point for guests. Supporting spaces, including new restrooms, a catering pantry, and a service area, flank the main lobby and highlight floor-to-ceiling windows that offer sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills. Best Practice enhanced the space's natural light by incorporating a mirrored back wall, which connects the atrium to a large classroom through an opening glass door, adding flexibility for larger events.
The heart of the center is a wood-paneled, drum-lined screening room that seats 100 and creates an intimate and luxurious viewing experience. The jewel-like theater, along with the new lobby, allows the Foundation to host industry events and film screenings.
The educational program is directly connected to the central atrium and leads members to a series of classrooms and laboratories. Designed conceptually as a "backstage," Best Practice lined the hallway with dark colors and contrasting red light fixtures to provide orientation with subtle visual appeal to the edges of the celluloid film strips. Social services and offices for educators are clustered in the center of the wing and provide access to voiceover labs, filming studios and recording booths. The rest of the program includes technical labs, editing rooms and a large conference room that can be used as an additional classroom.
Foundation offices occupy the southern end of the penthouse, where private, open work spaces have easy access to the screening room and educational program. In the center is a large room for staff breaks, while a corner greenroom provides views and natural light for visiting artists. Best Practice designed the offices to contrast with the dark character of the educational program; they are light and bright, but feature the same overhead lighting to unify the material language used throughout the complex.
The new Center for Performing Artists is a stage for creativity, education and industrial collaboration. Best Practice's innovative design combines professional functionality with intimate, creative spaces, making this center a vital resource for the Los Angeles performing arts community.
Team:
Architects: Best Practice Architecture
Structural Engineer: Silman Structural Solutions
MEP Building Systems Engineers: Derive Engineers
Acoustic Design: Akustiks
Lighting Design: dark | light Design
Theater Design: Theatre Projects
Audio Visual Design: Boyce Nemec Design
Furniture: Two-Point
Contractor: Howard Building Corporation
Theater Seating: Series Seating
Signage: Sign Specialists Corporation
Photographer: Rafael Soldi
Materials Used:
OPENINGS & HARDWARE
Glass Entry System and Hardware: CRL Blumcraft
Interior Aluminum Window & Door Systems: Wilson Partitions
Specialty Acoustic Doors & Windows: IAC Acoustics
Door Hardware: Allegion Group – Schlage, Falcon, Zero, Ives, Glynn-Johnson
Roof Access Hatch: Bristolite Daylighting Systems
Access Doors: Acudor
FLOORING
Carpet (Lobby Screening Room): Tretford – Interlife Roll
Carpet (Programs Offices): Ege Carpets – Eco Compact
Resilient Flooring: Johnsonite – Solid Color Rubber – Raised Round
Resilient Base: Johnsonite (Tarkett)
LVT: Interface – Natural Woodgrains
CEILING SYSTEMS
Acoustical Ceiling Tile (Offices, Classrooms, and Support Spaces): Armstrong – Grid – Suprafine 9/16”
Armstrong – Tile – Calla Optima Healthzone
Acoustical Plaster (Screening Room): USG Ensemble
Specialty Back-Lit Ceiling Panel System: Arktura – Vapor Panel
TILE
Floor and Wainscotting (Restrooms): Nasco Stone and Tile – Agglo Moro
Wall Tile (Support): Mutina Tile – Lane Collection
WALL COVERINGS
Textile Wall Covering (Restrooms): Chilewich – Boucle Trilam “Noir”
COUNTERS & SOLID SURFACE
Counters (Reception Pantry): Richlite – Black Diamond
Counter (Restroom, Classrooms): Natural Stone – Nero Marquina
CASEWORK & WOOD SPECIALTIES
Cabinetry Laminates (Support Spaces): Abet Laminati
Solid Wood Tambor Panels: Surfacing Solution
ACOUSTIC FINISHES
Specialty Wall Textile Wall Panels (Screening Room): FilzFelt – ARO Plank
Specialty Wall Textile Wall Panels (Sound Rooms): Turf – Reed Wall
Acoustic and Ceiling Direct-Mount Panels: Kirei – Echopanel
Specialty Acoustic Sound Diffuser (Screening Room): RPG – Diffractal
Acoustically Transparent Fabric Applications: Guilford of Maine
SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT
Toilet Accessories: American Specialties Inc. (ASI)
Portable Fire Extinguisher Cabinets: Potter Roemer
WINDOW TREATMENTS
Roller Shades: MechoShade
Drapery Fabric: Maharam – Nival
Drapery Track System: Kirsch
SPECIALTY ACOUSTIC ASSEMBLIES
Wall Framing Isolation: Kinetics Noise Control
Floor Isolation: Mason Industries
EXTERIOR
Pedestal Paver System: Archatrak – Porcelain Pavers
Exterior Planters: Green Theory
THEATER
Seating: Series Seating - MovieMax 42” Theater Seat
Seat Fabric: Carnegie – Elements - Bedrock
Screen Drapery: Rosebrand – IRF Charisma
Lighting Controls: ETC
LIGHTING
Decorative Dome Pendants: Barn Lights Electric - Loma
Decorative WC Vanity: Artemidi – Dioscuri
Decorative Sconce WC: Astro – Eclipse Round
Decorative Sconce Green Room: Techlighting – Orbel
Recessed Linear: Fluxwerk - Profile
Recessed Downlights: Lucifer – 2 Series
Recessed Linear (Screening Room): Luminii – Kendo M
Wall Mount Linear (Screening Room): Luminni – Vertical LED Bar
Recessed Steplight: Lucifer – Stealth Pathlight
Tracklighting: Flexalighting
AUDIO VISUAL
DCI Direct View LED Cinema Screen: LG – Mirrorclass
Cinema Audio Systems: Meyer Sound
Digital Displays: LG
Integrated AV Controller: Crestron
Cameras: Panasonic – PTZ Cameras
Speaker/Microphones: Shure
Workstations: Apple – Mac Pro
BUILDING SYSTEMS
Primary Mechanical System: Trane-Mitsubishi
Lighting Controls: Wattstoppers
SECURITY SYSTEMS
Access Intercoms & Cameras: Avigilon
