LA Lakers Headquarters and Training Center

FROM THE ARCHITECT (June 30, 2015):

Rosetti, noted sports and entertainment design firm, is the Design Architect for the recently announced headquarters and training facility for the Los Angeles Lakers. Rosetti is working together with the Los Angeles office of Perkins+Will, as Associate Architect, for the project. The 120,000-square-foot building, to be located in El Segundo, California, will consolidate the franchise’s basketball and business operations under a single roof for the 16-time NBA Champions. It is slated for completion in late spring of 2017.

The Lakers have been run by the Buss family since Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979. The team currently practices at The Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, along with the LA D-Fenders and Los Angeles Kings.

“It was important to the Lakers for the design to reflect their values and create synergy between all aspects of their organization,” said Matt Rossetti, FAIA, President, Rosetti. “Our design team held several immersive workshops with the Lakers’ and D-Fenders’ staff to explore their goals and vision. The design concepts developed

through those visioning sessions, particularly the effort to express integration, partnership and legacy within the design, were key to the final design and programming of the facility.”

“The new Lakers training facility and headquarters is designed for optimum visibility of the site and facility, including from the air,” according to Perkins+Will principal Carl Meyer, FAIA. “Passengers flying into LAX will be able to see the building and the iconic Lakers logo on the roof. Executive offices will have views of the basketball courts within the training facility, and also of the Santa Monica Mountains and Hollywood Hills in the distance.”

Design Integrates Lakers’ Purpose and Passion

“The first floor exterior building design acknowledges the efforts of the players, starting with the pavement basketball courts of their youths,” said Tony Reiner, Senior Design Lead at Rosetti. “The second floor design is inspired by the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, expressed in the rich, reflective and tonal composition of glazing, dark bronze paneling and vertical light bronze signage. We integrated the signage into the design to reflect the Lakers’ partnership with their sponsors.”

The Lakers’ legacy is also realized in the form of a centralized basketball court and player courtyard. The integration of all basketball program areas, including players’ locker rooms, lounge and treatment areas, is organized around these two elements. As reference to a basketball hoop’s rim height, this form is divided with a clerestory window at ten feet, defining basketball on the first floor while providing natural daylight into a private player sanctuary. Operations, management, and executive staff will work from second-floor offices and conference rooms that have views into the ground-floor courts. The Lakers’ development league team, the D-Fenders, will also practice and play on a 750-seat exhibition court. The lobby and other areas will display championship trophies and other team memorabilia, and the design will also embed legacy elements to immerse players in the successful history of the club.

“We hope that the headquarters and training center will acknowledge the team’s past successes and will help support future success for the entire Lakers organization,” said Alice Hricak of Perkins+Will, who led the interior design.

The building is also designed to meet LEED Gold standards for energy savings. Its innovative facade features integrated signage and a pattern of vertical fins that provide light and visibility while screening direct sun and excess heat.