The historic Oakland Lampwork Lofts is noted for being the first industrial building on the West Coast to employ women. The four-story industrial building, of masonry and heavy-timber construction, has been converted to 92 flexible live-work spaces for artists. On the exterior, the historic fabric was preserved where possible and restored in areas that had been damaged beyond repair.

The new seismic bracing is exposed throughout the building and creates strong visual interest in the public spaces. On the fourth floor, the design also captures abundant natural light by reusing the existing skylights throughout corridors and lofts. Since this historic industrial building had been used for manufacturing light bulbs, the light fixtures throughout the building all use simple sockets with unique bulbs.

Floor plans of the lofts and interiors finishes are very basic, allowing the live-work tenants the opportunity to make their own mark on the spaces. Some of the more idiosyncratic spaces created by the building’s former industrial uses were incorporated into a few of the lofts to create unique floor plans.