Industrial Art Deco

Before	After

What do you do to make a bland industrial-style retail location pop?

This was the question posed last year to me by the developers of a mall in Santa Clarita California. They had a prominent retail chain in one of their units and wanted all the buildings to stand out and be noticed. The client had seen our work on the Rodeo project on rodeo drive in Beverly Hills and liked what had been achieved. Their architect had suggested an industrial style awning made of tubular steel. In a brain-storming session it occurred to me that the tilt-up concrete facade had vertical cast elements that could be used to create a new look for the buildings which would not cost a fortune, look stylish and draw attention to the buildings. These vertical elements made me think of the Art Deco metalwork that we have used in furniture and firescreens such as the Edgar Brandt Gazelle design. Note the frames gear-like notches; I transposed this idea to the edging of the awning, its support beams and retaining plate and voila, Art Deco design awnings!

Note the interesting shadows created by the concentric lines showing against the light paint finish of the exterior. Throughout the day shadows can be seen on the building from quite a distance; just what my clients wanted!