eric owen moss architects: samitaur tower

‘samitaur tower’ by eric owen moss, culver city, los angeles, california image © designboom

designboom was recently in LA where we had the opportunity to visit eric owen moss’s ‘samitaur tower’, the almost complete information unit in the creative district of culver city. marking the primary entry into the zone, the 72 foot structure stands above the surrounding built environment, its function and volume symbolizing the advent of the significant new urban development.

organized as an open air unit, the building is designed as both an observation tower and a billboard of sorts, with its primary objective aimed at distributing art and relevant cultural content to in-transit audiences.

street side elevation image © designboom

five vertically stacked circular steel rings, approximately 30 feet in diameter compose the overall structure. staggered in plan, the rings visibly shift from front-to-back and side-to-side to establish viewing angles for the various levels. on the rear elevation, a series of platforms extend from the unit, further generating a connection to both the city and creative hub at foot.

side elevation image © tom bonner photography

curving conical projection screens are stretched between each horizontal plane and act dually as an information

surface and exterior cladding. used for the first time as a protective enclosure, the panels are directed towards the

street to be seen by passing pedestrians, vehicular traffic and the frequented rail line adjacent to the structure.

ten projectors located behind the facade display culturally significant content and local event information,

along with art and graphic presentations. one screen located just above grade level is positioned opposite the others,

intended for a smaller and more localized audience. backing a stage for speakers and performers, the small outdoor

theater space features tiered concrete seating situated underneath the entrance walkway.

entrance image © designboom

samitaur tower is one of many buildings designed by eric owen moss in the previously industrial area at the eastern edge of culver city. with most of his realized structures located in the tight creative zone – home to new media companies, graphic designers and small studios – moss has successfully generated urban change through architecture in the formerly desolate area.

view of underground presentation area cast in place i-beams are exposed at the surface of the sidewalk image © designboom

stairway image © designboom

image © designboom

detail image © designboom

projection screen exterior image © tom bonner photography

(left) interior view of top floor (right) detail of back elevation images © tom bonner photography

back elevationimage © designboom

back entrance image © designboom

(left) detail (right) tiered seating below ground level images © tom bonner photography

in context image © designboom

rotating art and graphic presentations are especially visible at nightimage © tom bonner photography

project site image courtesy eric owen moss architects

diagram of target audiences image courtesy eric owen moss architects

images of the physical model and prototypes taken while visiting the studio of eric owen moss architects:

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom