2023 Fall Issue of Urban Land - 68

A rendering of Echelon
Studios, a new complex
with soundstages and
production facilities
designed by RIOS and
developed by BARDAS
Investment Group that
is taking shape in the
heart of Hollywood.
different ratio of stages to office use to production
use space, as well as what's referred
to in the industry as base camp space, or
outdoor space used for the backlot, truck
assembly, and a whole host of other needs.
" The way that studios perform their productions
is a lot different today than many years
ago, " Barton says. " The nice thing about these
projects is [that] you get a chance to kind of
get it right. "
A lot of what goes into building the new
studios today is thinking about the needs
for tomorrow. " You're trying to future-proof
them, " Barton says. Creating flexibility for
these new spaces is crucial in ensuring that,
regardless of what user occupies the space,
it can easily be reconfigured and adapted to
work for their specific needs. Stages these
days need to cater to a much wider array of
productions. One way to prepare for those
different needs is by providing more power
than what has typically been available in a
soundstage. Usually, studio power requirements
are geared more toward intermittent
power.
" You have to have significant power for
huge spikes in power usage occurring during
production, " Barton says, " but so much of the
time the studio does not require significant
power, which occurs when sets are being built
out ... between shoot days and prep days and
all other nonproduction days on the lot. "
68
URBAN LAND FALL 2023
Projects leading the way
As Hollywood's biggest studios look to
revamp their soundstages and lots, some of
the most well-known architects and developers
in commercial real estate are being tapped
to help bring these visions to life. Fox Corporation
is overhauling its historic Fox Studio
Lot, which originally started construction in
the late 1920s. RIOS has its hand in designing
several projects that involve redeveloping
or adding more soundstage and production
space. One of those projects is the $1.5 billion
redevelopment of the Fox Studio Lot at
the site of the former 20th Century Fox lot in
Century City.
Like a lot of major studios, Fox recognized
the need for more space at its complex to
meet streaming needs. The project calls for
more than 1.5 million square feet (140,000
sq m) of added space, including 11 soundstages,
and a couple of sizable office and
support buildings. Projects like this one can
spend years in the entitlement process with
the city of Los Angeles to get properly titled,
but things are moving along well. " One thing
about this town is that many people are so
connected with the industry, there's a lot of
general support for it, " RIOS' Lantz says. " So
it's been a good thing. "
The rethinking of studios and soundstages
during an era when streaming has led to a
boom in content has led to architects and
© 20 21 KIL OGR APH C OUR TES Y OF RIO S
2023 Fall Issue of Urban Land

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