Co-working complex
"The Second Home Hollywood",
design: SelgasCano
In 2019, José Selgas and Lucía Cano, founders of Madrid-based office SelgasCano, designed a co-working complex in East Hollywood, in the heart of Los Angeles. The Second Home Hollywood, also known as "holLA," includes sixty offices surrounded by vegetation, creating an environment for daily work in close contact with nature.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood", also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles - bird's eye view
Photo by Ivan Baan © SelgasCano
heritage preservation:
Integration of a historic building with a modern campus
The project was carried out on a 27,000-square-meter plot of land that previously housed two buildings. One of them, designed in 1964 by Paul Williams - the first African-American architect to work in Los Angeles - has been preserved and serves as the main entrance to the entire campus. The building, in the colonial style characteristic of the city, houses 320 workstations on the first floor and additional offices with 200 workstations on the second floor. Common spaces such as a café, bar, restaurant, conference and event room, lounge areas and open terraces are located around the building.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood", also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles - the 1964 building designed by Paul Williams serves as the main entrance to the campus
Photo by Ivan Baan © SelgasCano
conversion of a parking lot
into garden office space
The second building was demolished and replaced by a parking lot, which was then turned into a garden. It now houses 60 freestanding oval-shaped offices and meeting rooms, surrounded by vegetation. The small buildings, which can accommodate up to 25 people, are arranged in a garden overgrown with lush vegetation.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood", also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles - The small buildings are scattered in a garden overgrown with lush vegetation
Photo by Ivan Baan © SelgasCano
The offices are "pots" that are surrounded by more than 10,000 plants and trees, among which butterflies, ants, bees, squirrels and people live. Wooden and concrete paths crisscross the garden, leading through the vegetation on either side, like a walk among flowers that bloom all year round
- emphasize the architects.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood", also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles - through the transparent curved walls there is a panoramic view of the surrounding vegetation
Photo by Ivan Baan © SelgasCano
Integration with nature: oval buildings
and panoramic views
The oval buildings all have flat, yellow roofs with irregular shapes meant to evoke lily leaves floating on water. Through the transparent curved walls there is a panoramic view of the surrounding vegetation, which introduces an atmosphere of closeness to nature. The buildings have been partially built into the site, which integrates them into the landscape.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood," also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles - cross sections
© SelgasCano
In this project, the interior spaces recede into the background and the focus is on the exterior environment - a perfect reflection of the Los Angeles lifestyle. Instead of moving the garden to the office, we moved the office to the garden
- the designers add.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood," also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles
Photo by Ivan Baan © SelgasCano
green transformation
Vegetation lowers the ambient temperature, providing shade, while the transparent facade reduces the need for artificial lighting and has three opening windows for natural cross ventilation. Two tanks with a total capacity of 37,000 gallons have been installed on the site to collect rainwater used to irrigate the plants.
Co-working complex "The Second Home Hollywood," also known as "holLA" in Los Angeles
Photo by Ivan Baan © SelgasCano
The Second Home Hollywood project is an innovative approach to coworking space that combines elements of office and home atmosphere. Its goal was to create a work environment that eliminates the drawbacks of traditional offices while avoiding the isolation characteristic of working at home. This concept, which has been implemented in various locations around the world, has been fully realized at Second Home Hollywood, where the functionality, flexibility of the space and proper organization enable effective collaboration in small and medium-sized groups, supporting creativity and productivity.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of SelgasCano studio.