R&A ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN REBRANDS AS OFFICEUNTITLED
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (May 20, 2019) – In advance of several key projects completing this summer Culver City-based studio R&A Architecture & Design is excited to announce the rebranding of their firm to OfficeUntitled. Established in 2013, the firm has experienced exponential growth over the past 5 years and is currently working on over 70 projects in the US, Europe and Asia with a diverse staff of over 35 designers and architects. OfficeUntitled sets out as a new type of architecture and design practice to deliver the unexpected by approaching every project with fresh eyes to elevate our sense of place, strengthen our relationship with others. Reflecting a commitment to their work, the term UNTITLED focuses on the firm’s unique process and approach and the breadth of creative work the firm is involved with.
With the support of a diverse and award-winning portfolio, OfficeUntitled brings new, at times ground-breaking, ideas to an expanding and what’s already a wide range of institutional, hospitality, residential, retail, and workplace clients. The design teams leverage their global experience to create iconic high rises in West Hollywood, historic boutique hotel renovations in Portland, versatile mixed-use projects in the LA Arts District, and creative work spaces for the next generation of entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, and Sydney.
“From the onset, the goal has been to build a fearless, innovative, and forward-looking firm,” said Co-Founder and Principal Christian Robert, AIA. “Our rebranding reflects the boundless nature of the firm’s collective creativity and the uninhibited approach we take to the project expertise we deliver.”
OfficeUntitled has built a client-driven, design-centric practice focused on rigorous explorations of the unknown. At the heart of the practice is an unrelenting commitment to delivering design solutions across a wide range of typologies and scales that are thought-provoking and elegant, providing an intrinsic and tangible value add. They assemble a network of specialized partner firms around each project rather than trying to deliver all by themselves. This approach has enabled rapid growth as the firm now works with clients across three continents.
“Our ability to demonstrate global design reach is centralized on the chemistry and trust we’ve built with our incredible clients and the deep bench of in-house creative talent we’ve assembled,” said Co-Founder and Principal Shawn Gehle. “OfficeUntitled is a natural extension of this endeavor as our design culture repeatedly demonstrates its ability to effortlessly scale and creatively deliver the unexpected as we embark on new project opportunities.”
The firm’s current work speaks to the brand ethos. The recently opened Woodlark Hotel in Portland reflects the nuance, soul, and beauty of the city by combining two historic buildings. Set to open early this Summer, The Cayton Children’s Museum will bring to life new spaces for play as kids learn about and engage in their community. Named one of Los Angeles’ top 20 largest projects of 2019 the AVA LA Arts District is set to revitalize an entire section of Downtown LA by providing a single space for creators and artists to live and work. The Harland, set for completion this summer, is a modern and elevated pivot on traditional residential design that redefines the courtyard house. Boston Consulting Group – Digital Venture tapped the firm in 2014 to design their initial headquarters for their growing staff of 40, now at over 1,000 employees, In addition to Manhattan Beach, OfficeUntitled created a new workplace paradigm for their worldwide centers in Mountain View, New York, London, and Seattle, allowing multidisciplinary teams to incubate the new innovations of the future.
“It’s great to see clients react to our projects and design culture with such enthusiasm and regard,” said Benjamin Anderson, Co-Founder and Principal. “Because of our uninhibited approach to integrating expertise we’re able to unlock insight and rapidly implement new ideas that are often overlooked by traditional architecture and design firms. Our rebranding reflects our insatiable curiosity and unbiased desire to look at every opportunity in a unique and fresh way.
ABOUT OFFICEUNTITLED
OfficeUntitled is a young, energetic architecture and design firm focused on creative solutions across multiple scales and typologies, including commercial, hospitality, residential, and mixed-use. Established in 2013, the practice leverages the award-winning design and project leadership of its four principals and a broad portfolio of experience in transformative architecture and interiors projects. OfficeUntitled sees the value in every project as an opportunity for transformation and impact. The firm is currently designing more than 4 million square feet of property, including The Cayton Children’s Museum in Santa Monica, offices for BCG-Digital Ventures in London, The AVA Arts District in Los Angeles, and a masterplan for Summit Powder Mountain in Utah.
Bios
Christian Robert, AIA has been pushing the boundaries of design for more than 20 years. With an aesthetic and environmental awareness informed by his European upbringing and education, his work balances modernism and a playful spirit that’s grounded in West Coast culture with strong desire to transform existing expected typologies. Born in Germany, he graduated from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and received a German DAAD scholarship to attend the Graduate Architecture Program at Arizona State University, Tempe. Prior to founding R&A, he has worked on a range of notable award winning projects, including the $650M fifty-five story Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott Hotel & Residences at L.A.-Live tower and an innovative concrete office building for UCSD San Diego. Since co-founding the firm in 2013, Christian has led a series of boutique and large hospitality and multifamily residential projects including the 37 luxury condominium “The Harland”, the 150 key Woodlark Hotel and the iconic 200 key 9034 Sunset Hotel tower, slated to open in 2023, as well as the design of all worldwide innovation centers for Boston Consulting Group – Digital Ventures. Christian is a licensed Architect in six states and the European Union.
Benjamin Anderson has over 16 years of experience in the design of award-winning and transformative projects at many scales. A native of the Southwest, he understands the importance of place and strives to imbue projects with a sense of and respect for the communities they become a part of-whether in dense urban environments or on remote coastlines. Since establishing the firm in 2013, Benjamin has worked to develop a design culture rooted in the combination of youthful curiosity, fearless exploration, and thoughtful engagement of ideas. Recognizing that innovative projects require exceptional teams, he has rapidly scaled the practice and resources within OfficeUntitled to operate in urban environments at transformative scales. Anderson’s projects reflect a diverse range of experience for mixed-use, adaptive-reuse, creative workplace, and master planning clients. Prior to co-founding OfficeUntitled, he served as Design Director for the mixed-use, master planning, and adaptive re-use studios at Gensler Los Angeles where he led the design of numerous award-winning international and national mixed-use projects. He has worked with industry disruptors and emergent creative collaborators to help define what the future of work, play, and community will come to be, and has spent over ten years founding and developing platforms dedicated to the research and implementation of new computational opportunities. Anderson’s work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Chicago Athenaeum, Architizer+ Awards, and published in numerous online and print journals including Dezeen, Wallpaper, Interior Design, and Fast Company. He received his architectural education from Cornell University.
Shawn Gehle is a recognized design and thought leader whose diverse experience includes work for technology, creative workplace, education, and mixed-use clients. Gehle is responsible for the conception and design of AVA LA Arts District, Cayton Children’s Museum by Sharewell and multiple large scale creative and mixed-use masterplans. He is an alum of the TED speaker series and co-authored a three-year research project with UCLA CityLAB on the Future of Work. He serves as an adviser to Black Spectacles, an online learning platform created entirely for architects, and served on the Board of Directors of A+D Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles through early 2019. Prior to OfficeUntitled, he served as the founding Principal of BNIM Architects’ Los Angeles design studio which came to merge with Robert and Anderson. Preceding BNIM, Gehle worked at Gensler Los Angeles for almost a decade, where he was a Design Principal and worked closely with OfficeUntitled Principals Robert, Anderson and Green. Gehle’s work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and featured in numerous publications and design journals. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kansas State University, Manhattan, in 1999.
Lindsay Green is a Principal and Studio Director bringing nearly 20 years of experience as a project director and operations leader. Green has been involved in all phases of projects at various scales, ranging from corporate campuses to office interiors and branding assignments through her experience with clients such as Google, ChiatDay, AMGEN, Saban Brands and Edwards Lifesciences. Through her work on large-scale projects with multi-faceted teams, Green found her calling in management roles. As Project Director for the AVA LA Arts District Green oversaw the entitlement submission of the large-scale mixed-use development and is currently leading the teams on the Cayton Children’s Museum, multiple offices across the globe for Boston Consulting Group’s Digital Ventures and the Edwards Lifesciences Museum Project. Green graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 2000.
