Location: San Jose, CA

Status: Plan Check

Area: 6,400 sqft.

Located in San Jose’s Japantown neighborhood, this project will be an adaptive re-use and revitalization of an existing 1960’s adobe office complex. The existing building is located adjacent to a vibrant pedestrian neighborhood, but has under-utilized it’s corner lot and under-serves the neighborhood. The proposed design will modernize the existing building, opening up views to light and air while also creating a Japanese garden space more engaging with the neighborhood. The anchor tenant will be an Aikido Dojo, long a part of the neighborhood community which was previously pushed from the neighborhood due to increased rent and demand for space. The interior of the dojo will focus on traditional and modern Japanese design elements and create a new community gathering space. The remaining portion of the building will be office units, with a focus on each office having access to light, air, and open space.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Year Designed: 2013
Status: Complete

353 S Broadway is a contributing building to the Broadway Theatre District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Once the Grayson's department store, it will be reborn as creative office space with 13' high exposed concrete ceilings and original hardwood floors.  The building was originally engineered to support 7 stories but only 5 were built.  This created the opportunity to construct a new, distinctly modern 6th floor to cap the building without overloading the existing structural system. The project is located in the heart of the now thriving Historic Core and shares the block with the Grand Central Market, a Red/Purple Line Metro Station and a future stop of the Broadway streetcar.

A development project of David Gray Architect's sister company, Flatiron Development, the 353 S Broadway building is the home of David Gray Architects on the 2nd floor.  The ground floor boasts Bar Clacson and Slipper Clutch, the establishments of the 213 Group.

Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Year Designed: 2016
Status: Completed

David Gray Architects was commissioned to design standards for new offices spaces within the historic Bradbury Building.  The challenge was to respect historic fixtures and finishes while creating modernized flexible offices. A pallet of materials was selected to coalesce with the terracotta glazed brick, black wrought iron, mosaic floors tile floors, and natural oak doors. 

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Status: Completed 2018

312 Alameda is an adaptive reuse of an old derelict warehouse in the Arts District. The existing warehouse is subdivided into two creative office spaces and a restaurant that opens into a large open garden patio on 3rd Street. A structural retrofit is provided for safety for the new building use. This retrofit allows large steel industrial style windows and skylights to be carved out of the existing brick shell and wood framed ceiling for ample natural light throughout the building.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Year Designed: 2015
Area: 30,000 sqft.
Status: Under Construction

Originally built in 1963 as a 20,000 sq.ft, 3 stories structure, to house the Eagle Rock branch of the California Federal Savings and Loan Assn. The steel modular frame has floor-to-ceiling glass and a recessed ground floor. The classic mid-century modern elements of the building were left neglected for years, but are now getting a facelift. Failing tile is being replaced with a rain-screen system as the verticality of the columns will be punctuated with lively new color.  The double-high ground floor retail space will be re-opened up with floor to ceiling glass that will bring new light and views to the hills from the restaurant mezzanine.

An enlarged lobby on the tower will create an inviting entrance to the creative office spaces on the floors above.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: On the Boards

East Riverfront Landing is a proposed mixed-use development in Boyle Heights, located along the East bank of the Los Angeles River at the intersection of South Mission Road and Jesse Street. The project is a multidisciplinary effort by David Lawrence Gray Architects and Mia Lehrer + Associates. Building on the bold redesign of the Sixth Street Bridge, the project creates a unique development that offers residential apartments, retail space, clean-tech lofts, cultural spaces, and a series of public, semi-private and private outdoor spaces. The goal of the project is to create a new “Riverfront District” that addresses the community needs of the Boyle Heights population, and enables a stronger connection to Downtown and the River.

The site design looks to enhance the new series of open spaces related to the future Sixth Street Bridge by creating a continuous ground plane that extends throughout the project. The park is continued south down Mission Road via street trees and plantings, bicycle lanes, sidewalks and lighting which transform this street into a safe and accessible route for pedestrians and cyclists, and help connect the community to another large outdoor public space at the end of Jesse Street: the River Park.

The River Park includes a series of terraces designed to treat storm water on site, while simultaneously offering outdoor gathering opportunities. Decommissioned rail spurs running through the park provide a new pedestrian point of access to the River. These spurs create a connection beneath the active rail lines to a series of river bank terraces that step down to the proposed in-channel bicycle path. The River Park also connects to the Bureau of Sanitation’s newly installed Air Treatment Facility (ATF) and park, south of Jesse Street.

Aside from ample open space opportunities, East Riverfront Landing also proposes market rate, entry level, and workforce housing, ground floor retail space, clean tech lofts, and cultural spaces. Outdoor dining opportunities spill out of the ground floor of the buildings, and onto the series of plazas in between the buildings. Street frontages are also activated by loft spaces targeted to the clean tech industries, and a museum/ gallery focusing on the history of bridges which connects up to a river observation platform. Rooftops are programmed with semi-private gardens and recreation spaces.  Elevated terrace gardens, together with the extensive ground plane plazas, provide an emphasis on public open space as a new typology for riverfront development.

East Riverfront Landing supports Mayor Garcetti’s aim to create an additional 100,000 units in the downtown area as well as couple with ongoing efforts to revitalize the City’s River, and meets the needs identified in the Boyle Heights Community Plan (2014) by redeveloping existing industrial properties along the L.A. River; increasing housing and retail; providing additional open space, creating new employment opportunities; improving pedestrian mobility; and creating a new place that connects East Los Angeles to Downtown.

Location: Santa Monica
Year Designed: 1998
Area: 6,500 sf
Status: Completed (1999)

Situated on a narrowly configured site this modestly scaled office building project represents a transitional piece in between Santa Monica’s industrial and residential landscapes. Facing the morning light, the office reduces the neighborhood’s chaotic material palette into a simplified, three material composition of concrete block corrugated steel and transparent glass. The fluid light conditions over the day blend with molded exterior forms in order to affect a sequential play of planes and volumes. Driven by a desire for economy and an interest in minimizing energy consumption, the design solution relies on ‘off-the-shelf’ components like truss joists, concrete block modules, and a standard glazed storefront system in order to simplify the fabrication of the building. Opportunities posed by the mild Santa Monica climate inspire a series of indoor-outdoor connections that seek to push beyond familiar office relationships and facilitate a direct exchange between external spaces and interior business activities.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Year Designed: 1979
Area: 34,000 sqft.
Status: Completed (1981)

A typical gas station corner lot in the Mid-Wilshire district.  This project called for something more than the typical office building.  The solution was to create two stories of parking below three stories of office space centered around an internal courtyard.  To create something unique on the street, each facade changes thus reflecting different views.  Despite being designed in the 1970's, this office building does not show its age.

Location: Hayward, CA
Year Designed: 2008
Area: 1.43 Acres
Office: 145,000 sf
Restaurant: 8,000 sf
Retail: 1,200 sf

The former Hayward City Hall, designed by Welton Beckett in 1968, has been abandoned since the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake when some of the exterior concrete columns burst as the building was violently twisted.  As part of the renovation, the building will be seismically retrofit through the addition of concrete shear walls around the elevator core and through the strengthening of the columns with a carbon-fiber wrap.  The space that once housed served as the city council chamber will be reborn as a restaurant that will look out onto a re-landscaped public plaza through 28-foot high glass walls. On top of the building, a high, un-reinforced concrete parapet will be taken down and replaced with a new penthouse floor with 360-degree views of the Bay Bridge, Downtown San Francisco, Palo Alto, and the rolling foothills of the East Bay.
The renovated tower will anchor the proposed Hayward City Center Campus and is targeting LEED Silver Certification.

Location: Santa Monica, CA
Year Designed: 1990 Area: 9,200 sqft.
Status: Completed (1991)

A four story infill structure near the central business district of downtown Santa Monica, this project looked to explore both the aesthetic and physical relationships posed by the intersection of concrete and steel building materials. Sculpted forms and elements combined with a simple yet unique organizational ‘bridge-driven’ scheme to respond to the mild beach-side climate. Two floors of office space sit above two floors of parking (one subterranean). Circulation is isolated and pulled away from the south face in order to maximize the light and view potential via a continuous storefront system. A translucent ‘Kalwall' vault spans the upper footprint of the building to emit a consistent, filtered light throughout the day. A cast-in-place concrete frame becomes a ‘brei-soleil’ that fronts the street and shades east & west facing glazing. A steel shear frame, highlighted in yellow, provides a distinct character and scale for the exposed circulation components. Cross ventilation vents allow seaside breezes to flow through the office spaces. A sculpted concrete fountain introduces a continuous sound element that masks some of the street noise below.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Year Designed: 1988
Area: 80,500 sqft.
Status: Completed (1990)

This eight-story curtain wall and steel frame structure is located across from the California Medical Plaza. Rising vertically, it stacks medical / retail on the ground floor with four floors of parking above and is topped by an additional three floors of doctor's suites.

The skin of the curtain wall is sculpted to allow the sun's glow to alter each façade. Balconies, terraces and bay windows tuck in and project outward to provide outdoor amenities for the doctor's and patients. The rounded central portion of the building massing is formed by the rooftop helicopter landing pad. The building dramatic form commands a strong visual presence just passing through downtown Los Angeles north of the Santa Monica Freeway.

Location: Santa Monica, CA
Year Designed: 2001
Area: 45,000 sqft.
Status: Uncertain

…born a train depot
 …once an ironworks facility
 …then an auto body shop
 …now, a new life

This 45,000 sq.ft. Digital Production Office facility is comprised of different "pods" organized around a central greenhouse atrium. To accommodate the dynamic, ever-changing nature of the digital media world, optimal spatial flexibility is achieved through a "kit" of architectural elements.  These standard elements are rearranged in each pod to fit appropriate programmatic and environmental needs. Minimizing dependence on non-renewable energy and utilizing environmental criteria as creative parameters in it's conception, the building strives to set new agendas for sustainable, ecological design.

Location: Hayward, CA
Year Designed: 2008-2009
Area: 93,000 sqft. + 153 Car Garage
Units: 153 Hotel Rooms
Status: On the Boards

One of the first ground-up Hyatt Place branded hotels in the Bay Area, this 153 room hotel is part of the Hayward City Center mixed-use campus.  Designed under the Hyatt flag, the standard Hyatt Place design package was altered slightly so the exterior finishes would be consistent with the rest of the site.  David Gray Architects worked closely with the Hyatt design team in Chicago to make sure that the exterior aesthetic was acceptable to the corporate flag.

The back side of the hotel is oriented around a semi-public courtyard that is shared with a 25,000 square foot conference center.  With all of the public spaces located at grade, the hotel was designed so the ground floor would be largely transparent to provide a visual connection from the street through the hotel lobby and common spaces to the conference center.  

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Year Designed: 2008
Area: 17,000 sqft.
Status: On the Boards

The third office building in the series to be designed, constructed, and occupied by David Lawrence Gray Architects, this project seeks to explore the potential opportunities and challenges that come along with building on a steep hillside.  This 17,000 square foot office building is to be built into the hillside and will have three floors of tenant office space above two floors of parking.    The office spaces will be abundant in natural light and have floor to ceiling views of downtown and Sunset Blvd.  One of the primary design concepts for this building is that it will function as an ever-changing green laboratory of sustainable design methods so that the firm will be able to experiment with different green principles over time.  LEED certification is expected.

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Year Designed: 2008
Area: 210,000 sqft.
Units: 192 Hotel Rooms
Status: On the Boards

435 6th Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh is currently an eight-story office building built in 1902. It is being converted into a modern boutique hotel, with two new stories added to the top of the building. The original facade design is going to be maintained to create a clear juxtaposition between the existing building and the new rooftop bar, restaurant, and spa. The addition is a simple glass bar that is intersected by a box and will form the skylight to the atrium and the main double height room of the rooftop restaurant and bar.  The interior of the building will be completely transformed into a modern first-class hotel with a nine story atrium above the lobby. 

The buildings location offers incredible views of the city and the Pittsburgh skyline. This prime location is in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh with excellent access to public parking, public transportation, and major highways.  This will be the only modern boutique hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

Location: Culver City, CA
Year Designed: 1998 Area: 18.2 acres
Status: Completed (2000)

Costco Plaza emerged as a comprehensively planned 18 acre commercial/retail development that sought to incorporate eight isolated retail destinations within an integrated setting. Ample landscape zones help to create an attractive setting for retail business operations. In addition to uniquely identifiable building solutions, the project emphasized the need to create a model for the revitalization of an urban edge. The resultant development incorporates street life gestures into a rhythmic sequence of trellises, benches, planters, trees, walls, and glazed storefront systems.

Location: Seattle, WA
Year Designed: 1969
Area: 6,500 sqft.
Status: Completed (1969)

Originally built by Welsh business man William Maud, the structure was built soon after the Seattle Fire of 1889 and is one of the original buildings in historic Pioneer Square - known as Seattle's first neighborhood.  David Gray purchased the vacant 3-story masonry building in 1969 to renovate it.  Small hotel rooms lit by light wells were converted into offices for architects and graphic designers.  Many young Seattle architects began their careers in the Maud Building.  The ground floor was converted to accommodate a restaurant that soon became well known and helped launch Pioneer Square as a popular designation.  The building is still a major contributor to the Pioneer Square nightlife.