Q&A: Architect Steven Ehrlich

Steven Ehrlich serves as the design principal for Culver City-based Ehrlich Architects. He's hopeful that one of his designs, a green commercial building at 331 Foothill Rd. in Beverly Hills will receive a gold ranking from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, also known as LEED.  Patch spoke with Ehrlich about working with the city and his hope to strike environmental gold with the Foothill building.

Beverly Hills Patch: What was your inspiration for this project?

Steven Ehrlich: I wanted to bring in wonderful light, capture views and really just have a first-rate environment for people to work, dine and also have a TV studio.  Very bright, airy, fresh, clean—and with simple modern lines.

Patch: The description of the building mentions terra cotta. Where  did you use the material in this design?

SE: We actually don't use the material terra cotta in this building. When you say "terra cotta," people think of a burnt orange, reddish color. We used cement board panels with a sandstone, buff color. We also used a cement fiber board panel that's made of very high-tech material.

We've encased the television studio in this material, along with other building elements on the façade. The studio has a very strong presence on the top floor. And that's an interesting formal solution because the studio demanded a higher roof, or a higher ceiling, than the typical office space. It's why we did put it on the top floor, so it could emerge as a higher form. This is the form that we wrapped in the sandstone colored panels.

Patch: Was the television studio a priority for the city in the design of the building?

SE: It was one of the program requirements. They wanted the cable TV studio to be located there.

Patch: What is it like having a public entity, like the city of Beverly Hills, as a client?

SE: I really enjoyed the process. They're a great client because they were engaged.  We had to make multiple presentations to the public and I think it was a good process. It allowed people to understand the evolution of the design and where it was going. I must say that each step of the way, which included at least three public presentations, we really got a lot of positive feedback. It made us feel like we were really on the right path.

And the people embraced it. This is the first LEED gold [eligible] building for the city of Beverly Hills. Back when we started this project, multiple years ago, it was kind of an interesting early discussion. It would be a new idea that was embraced at the time.

Patch: LEED requirements are very tricky and pretty specific. Do you go into the design saying "We are going for LEED gold here?"

SE: Absolutely. We have a whole strategy and there is a point system. It's a very intricate set of requirements we have to deal with. We employ some strategic sun shading elements. We also use two types of photovoltaic energy production, which means that we actually turn solar energy into electricity. We used the more typical solar photovoltaic panels, but we have also embraced and used a more emerging technology called "thin film."

But there are many, many, many elements that make up a LEED certification and what category you are in. How much material does the contractor recycle? We have drought-tolerant landscaping and a storm water management containment system. We also have a pre-treatment storm water system.  

We tried to source our materials from within a 500 mile radius. Getting back to those cement panels I talked about, which are often made in Europe, we actually found a supplier in the Los Angeles area. We were really trying to be aware and conscious of many, many aspects of the LEED certification.

Patch: LEED requirements aside, do you have a particular design philosophy when it comes to designing "green" buildings?

SE: One of the things I like to do is take a building and really be aware of the orientation. Operable windows, natural ventilation, things like that. We can't always do it. Clearly, we are hoping for a retail establishment like a café or restaurant, or something on the ground level, that can open up to the beautiful outdoor terraces we've developed. We think that'll be a natural fit and we hope it will happen.

Patch: What are you particularly proud of in this design?

I like the way it sits in that neighborhood and I think it will become an anchor and harbinger for future development. I can see the whole district emerging as very active, perhaps entertainment-related. I can just see more life on the streets, wonderful gardens to have a cup of coffee and things like that.

I also appreciate that we were able to do a very simple, contemporary vision that was embraced by the city. Forward thinking, not backward thinking. The City Council and leadership of the city really embraced us and were very open to a contemporary vision of modern architecture. It was very special to see an open-minded group of people who were essentially the decision makers.