Photographers love natural light - it gives their work a soft, refined look that flash photography cannot duplicate. While most natural light photography comes compliments of the great outdoors, that light can also be filtered within a building through the use of rooftop skylights.

Housed inside a 50,000 sq. ft. building are photography studios whose users decided, at the recommendation of the Culver City, Calif. architectural firm of Eric Owen Moss Architects (EOMA), that it would be a great idea to place six Schweiss liftstrap skylight doors on their new steel building in Los Angeles, Calif. These custom-made skylight doors, two of which are 24' x 15.2' and four that span 23.5' x 14.2,' were in addition to two other 23.6' x 15' bifold liftstrap doors placed on the side of the building. Beneath the skylight doors are 1" thick clear glass panels to keep the elements outside the building. The skylight doors have weatherproof electrical components, and the side doors are equipped with photo-eye sensors.

Project architect, Raul Garcia, said that this construction undertaking by T. VioléConstruction Co., Inc. of Tarzana, Calif. was dubbed "The Tin Can," a nickname referring to the pre-engineered metal Butler Building type. The company installing the doors was Certified Door & Dock, which shortly later was acquired by Miner Corporation.

"The two large photo studios can be adjoined so that when they have large events the side (ground level) doors can be opened out to a small patio surrounded by a planter wall, creating a nice indoor-outdoor space," said Project Architect Raul Garcia.

The skylight doors, sit above double-height spaces in the two story building allowing light to filter through to the ground floor when desired. The offices, conference rooms and gathering spaces on the second floor also benefit greatly from this natural light.

"The design and installation was smooth. Being able to work with Brent (from Schweiss Doors) from the beginning was awesome. The skylight doors, being large solid panels with glass underneath, required access to the motors from the top. Per EOMA's input, Schweiss fabricated hinged access panel frames on top of these door panels, collaborating as an extension of our team. We were able to work with Brent early in the design phase so that we could have the building thoroughly detailed to properly receive the doors. Miner Corporation was obviously experienced and able to get these doors assembled and working. It was a relatively fluid process," noted Garcia.

Matt PeGan, a foreman for Miner Corporation, who was assigned to the job of installing the eight doors, said it was a fun project.

"It was totally different from what we are used to doing. We did install Schweiss bifold glass doors at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles. For this job our crew of three workers used a 110-ton crane to take the skylight doors to the top of the roof. I will say that Brent at Schweiss Doors was a huge help on this project. He provided very good schematics and sharp details," said PeGan.

Each of the skylight doors is equipped with bottom-drive motors and has its own opening and closing control switch at ground level that allows the operator to open them at different positions. The side doors have top-drive motors.

Garcia said that the EOMA office first became familiar with, and somewhat involved with, Schweiss bifold designer doors at SCI-Arc, where they specified a glass-clad version of Schweiss bifold designer doors.

"We did some prior research on doors and got the most motivated response from Schweiss for such a unique use of their doors," said Garcia. "The client loves the doors and the tenant uses them daily. The skylights are located above a double height space that opens all the way to the first floor offices and production area from an opening in the second floor.

"I appreciate the way the doors regulate the amount of light that comes in, creating a dynamic space down below that can be different anytime you walk in there depending whether the doors are fully open, partially open or closed. From the outside, there is also a kinetic sense as the roof line changes in relation to the degree of openness of each door," added Garcia.

Eric Owen Moss Architects

Eric Owen Moss Architects, (EOMA), was founded in 1973. The 25-person, Culver City, California-based firm designs and constructs projects in the United States and around the world.

The work of the office has been thoroughly documented in books, monographs, and publications internationally, including the 1,568-page Eric Owen Moss Construction Manual published by AADCU in 2009.

The most prominent work of the office is an on-going urban revitalization project in Culver City. Since 1986 the EOMA team has been working with developers to transform an abandoned industrial neighborhood into a campus for creative-minded companies. Today the Hayden Tract and surrounding neighborhood attract some of the most successful design, film, Internet, and digital media companies in the world.

Eric Owen Moss received an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1999. He was awarded the 2001 AIA/LA Gold Medal for his architectural work as well as the Business Week/Architectural Record Award in 2003 for the design and construction of the Stealth project in Culver City. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received the Distinguished Alumni Award for the University of California at Berkeley in 2003. Moss received the 2007 Arnold Brunner Memorial Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2011, he was awarded the Jencks Award, given each year to an architect who has made a major contribution to theory and practice of architecture by the Royal Institute of British Architects. In 2014, he was named a "Game Changer" by Metropolis Magazine and in 2016, He was also awarded the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art.

Moss has held teaching positions at major universities around the world including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, University of Applied Arts in Vienna, and the Royal Academy in Copenhagen. He has been a longtime professor at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), and served as its director from 2002-2015. He received the AIA|LA Educator of the Year in 2006, and the Most Admired Educator Award from the Design Futures Council in 2013.

EOMA is located at 8557 Higuera St., Culver City, Calif. Phone (310) 839-1199.
ericowenmoss.com

T. Viole Construction Company

Founded in 1958, T. Violé Construction Co., Inc. is licensed as both a General Building Contractor and General Engineering Contractor. This solid, professional foundation backs up a broad spectrum of experience in four major divisions: Commercial, Institutional, Industrial and Integrated Building Systems. Additionally, due to their in-depth knowledge of the architectural process and expertise in value engineering and development, T. Violé Construction Co., Inc. is frequently involved in design-assist and negotiated projects from inception through completion.

With their team of educated, experienced professionals, they are dedicated to high quality construction and much more. Their reputation for responsive, innovative, cost-effective service rests on the personal relationship of trust and respect they establish with each client. They take the time to listen and understand the unique requirements of every project and they communicate clearly with their clients and their consultants.

T. Violé Construction has amassed vast experience in value engineering and in-depth knowledge of the architectural process. They frequently are asked to put this expertise to work for clients; saving them both time and money, by participating in the Preconstruction / Design-Assist process. T. Violé's assigned Preconstruction Project Manager supervises Site Inspection, Primary Project Schedules, Preliminary Cost Estimates, Design-Assist / Development, Subcontractor Bidding, Final Cost of Construction Budgeting and Contractor's fees.

T. Viole Construction is located at 18716 W Oxnard St, Tarzana, Calif.
Phone: (818) 881-8810. www.tviole.com

Miner Corporation

Open the loading dock doors of almost any company and you'll enter the world of Miner Corporation. They sell, install or service everything that moves materials, from handcarts to elevator lifts.

The company also engages in servicing and installing commercial doors, such as sectional doors, bifold, hydraulic, rolling doors, sliding doors; loading dock and dock safety products, which include dock safety equipment, dock accessories and material handling equipment.

Miner® was founded on the principle of putting customers first. As they've grown through the years, expanding capabilities and expanding nationwide, their dedication to customer service and focus on the critical facility systems that keep businesses running have guided them every step of the way.

Philip T. Miner formed the Miner® Corporation in 1994 with one simple goal: to help Fortune 500-class companies drive down costs on the warehousing and retail equipment they owned and improve jobsite safety. In short, he developed a company dedicated to protecting the interests of its customers.

Their focus on equipment installation, repair and proactive maintenance earned them a solid reputation for fast response times and outstanding service. These attributes translated into less down time and more cost savings on a consistent basis for each of their customers - and word got around.

Today they're investing in their future with a New York-based private equity firm. And are expanding through a strategic invest-and-build philosophy focused on core customer capabilities.

The Miner Corporation has locations throughout the United States. In California, they are located at 9086 Rosecrans Ave., Bellflower, CA. Phone 800-278-1300 or at 17319 San Pedro, Suite 500, San Antonio, Texas. Phone: (844) 646-3787. www.minercorp.com