Tile Style: Walker Zanger’s New Global Headquarters
Author:Abigail Stone
Walker Zanger new global headquarters, located in the central San Fernando region of Los Angeles, is as impressive as the stone and tile company’s dazzling range of stone and tile offerings. The 127,000 square foot facility integrates the corporate offices with a spacious showroom, indoor slab gallery and working photo studio.
Working with LA-based design firm SRK Architects, the design transforms a traditional industrial “tilt-up” building into a highly integrated, two-level facility that is both elegant and eco-friendly. “Our team’s desire to manipulate light and space as well as Walker Zanger’s exemplary use of stone and tile create a new contemporary look which is not only beautiful, but environmentally sensitive to its surroundings,” says SRK Architects Managing Principal Brian Kite.
The result is a building that balances beauty with functionality. Individual staircases add volume and circumvent traffic; employee offices are located along the exterior, flooding workspaces with light. There are electric car-charging ports, bicycle storage locks and drought-tolerant landscaping. The building’s focal point is a dramatic two story lobby that features a grand staircase that culminates in a 20 foot diameter custom-designed floor medallion made from a single piece of water jet-cut limestone, a fitting testament to the company’s facility with stone and tile.
