2023 Fall Issue of Urban Land - 69

developers being much more thoughtful about
spaces and how they are used. With more
variability in how movies are made, there
are different structural proportions and sizes,
based on different kinds of moviemaking.
" There's always been a certain amount of
variety in the configurations of stages, " Lantz
notes. " Today that's blown open even wider
because you have LED-backed, high-tech
performance spaces, which, in fact, are not
all that big. " Then again, there are also massive
20,000- to 30,000 square-foot (1,860
to 2,790 sq m) soundstages used in large
streaming productions, enclosures that are
bigger than almost anything studios used to
have.
Another project RIOS is working on is Echelon
Studios, which is being developed by
BARDAS Investment Group. The multistory
movie studio lot is set on approximately five
acres (2 ha) in Hollywood and centers on four
19,000-square-foot (1,765 sq m) soundstages
and one 15,000-square-foot (1,390 sq m) flex
stage. Also included in the complex will be a
90,000-square-foot (8,360 sq m) creative village
that features two six-story office towers.
Elements of the complex will be connected
through the towers and bungalow village of
executive and creative suites, and shared and
private garden terraces are woven throughout
the site.
" It's a gamechanger, " Lantz says. " It's a new
format for what an urban studio can be. " And
unlike a lot of traditional studios that were
built like fortresses, Echelon is designed to
connect more to the public realm. " The city
of LA has said they want to use it as a model
for other studios, because it fits into the urban
environment so well. "
Likewise, Hudson Pacific Properties is
behind some major studio projects in Los
Angeles. The company is building the Sunset
Glenoaks Studios development in Sun Valley,
a 240,000-square-foot (22,300 sq m) studio
complex coming together on more than 10
acres (4 ha). The project is to have seven
soundstages and is designed to allow users
the option to shoot on a virtual stage. The
vision behind the project was to create a
studio with the flexibility to be a full-service
facility that could be leased to several shows
at the same time or master leased by one
major content provider.
" It's the first large-scale, purpose-built
studio facility in Southern California in many,
many years, " Barton says. " Stages have been
built here and there, but never a very largescale
facility like this one. "
Hollywood and beyond
Hollywood studios are where the country's
film industry began, and is still centered, but
as the industry grows to make room for more
content creation, more cities have emerged
as hotspots for film, television, and content
production. Major new production facilities are
Wildflower Ltd. is
developing a massive
studio complex in the
Queens borough of
New York City that will
rise seven stories and
include 11 soundstages,
with renowned
architect Bjarke Ingels'
firm BIG behind the
distinctive design.
FALL 2023
URBAN LAND
69
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2023 Fall Issue of Urban Land

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