Warner Bros. Records, Burbank, Calif., 1975
Burbank, CA
1975
A. Quincy Jones & Associates
A. Quincy Jones designed the headquarters for Warner Bros. Records as a comfortable, domestic environment meant to put artists at ease. Jones was an accomplished residential architect skilled at incorporating landscape design into his projects. For Warner Bros., he seamlessly combined the feel of a low-rise apartment complex setting with an ensemble of offices and work spaces that offer opportunities for creativity and repose. Interior spaces are oriented around large courtyards, where artists might enjoy the warm California climate.
Thom emphasizes how Jones’ building integrates greenery, modulates light, and plays with deep shadows cast by skylights and trellises. He is particularly interested in the use of diagonal redwood siding used on both exterior and interior spaces, helping to break up the building’s geometries. The photographs capture the variations of grain in the redwood and where slanted boards meet angled windows, creating a dynamic interior space.
References:
“Warner Bros. Records Building”, Los Angeles Conservancy, Web.
Cory Buckner, A. Quincy Jones, London: Phaidon, 2007.
Brooke Hodge, ed., A. Quincy Jones, Building for Better Living, Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles, and DelMonico Books, Prestel, 2013.