AFH / Janoian Building

An award-winning medical office building noted for innovating public presence and civic character 

Located in the historic and civic district of the city of Glendale, California, the site occupies a central corner along the East Broadway corridor, a commercial pedestrian-oriented street. With panoramic views of the San Gabriel mountains to the north-west, the lot faces Glendale Civic Center, a large irregular block comprising a loose patchwork of buildings from architecturally distinct periods surrounding a meandering pubic space. The art deco City Hall faces the mid-century courthouse across Broadway, stylistically unique from the levitating brutalist Department of Building and Safety, nearby the more austere corporate Police Department. Against this significant contextual backdrop, our project actively participates as a contemporary and iconic addition.

The building consists partially of medical offices for the use of a local healthcare provider, a locally active company known for its social services for the poor and uninsured within the Glendale community, and offices for rent which comprise two of the five levels. The owner requested a contemporary modern building, with enough open spaces and amenities for its occupants to enjoy lunch outside on a terrace and with a view of the nearby civic center park and the surrounding mountains.

An idiosyncratic silhouette features a simple volume cladded in a dark tinted glass curtain wall that is cut diagonally into a crystalline shape. A horizontally subtracted balcony slices the mass horizontally across the two main facades and affords the medical offices with more visibility and a direct relationship with the exterior. Adjacent to the main entry at the corner, a small park sets the whole composition back from the street, adding the necessary distance to experience and engage the building from the sidewalk. The facade facing Isabelle ports a bris-solei system over the glass curtain wall, adding a level of formal indeterminacy and aesthetic clouding to the building mass. This element protects the building from the south-east sun, while creeping up to the roof and doubling as a shading trellis for a much-needed outdoor space in the terrace. At ground level, the vertical shading system engages the small green open space, which houses bike racks, seating benches and native vegetation for public and private use.