It is our passion to design compelling and evocative spaces and places that stir the imagination and stand as precedents of design excellence.
In our approach, we blend innovation, sustainability strategies, ecology and biology, economics, architectural detailing, engineering, and identity of place - all in one discourse.
We work across the globe, conceptualizing and realizing public and private projects of all sizes. These include small intimate gardens, residential developments, private estates, urban master plans, public realms, parks, streetscapes, waterfronts, commercial developments, institutional campuses, the outdoor spaces of museums and recreational facilities, as well as other civic and cultural destinations.
Our attitude is collaborative, positive and optimistic, and we truly work across disciplinary boundaries while embracing unrestrained creativity.
For us, every project deserves a holistic approach in order to achieve the best possible outcome - socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally. We also consider what our design will mean for the adjacent context, as often our projects are found within historic settings. What impact will our design have on the identity of the place as a whole? What is the experience? And most important, how will our design work for people?
As dreamers and pragmatists, we are driven to come up with bold ideas that are rooted in functionality, meticulous detailing, and constructibility.
Our objective is to create designs which have embedded immersive and alluring qualities - that are refreshing, comfortable, and welcoming - spaces that are original and have never been seen before, that exude an inherent positive spirit and carry elements of surprise.
Our goal is always to establish an appropriate and unique character, ultimately resulting in a place that is memorable, frequently used, and loved.
Client: Hackman Capital Partners - Project Partners: Gensler
The District - Los Angeles
Project Info
!melk’s design for the The District in El Segundo transformed a former industrial Northrop Grumman aerospace manufacturing facility into a vibrant creative office campus.
In response to the project’s vast scale, the landscape design framework offers various settings and environments that - on the micro scale - function as communal workspaces, but - on the macro scale - aims to establish a contiguous campus quality.
The project consists of several spaces including the West Plaza, which is the main arrival area; the South Garden, which is the main communal outdoor amenity space for employees; the Runway, the Taxiway, and the North Alley which double as circulation and spill-out space for the offices.
The objective of the campus’ outdoor spaces focuses on the health and wellness of employees and visitors. It includes flexible outdoor work areas for meetings, which encourages employees to leave their desks and take their work outside. In addition, spaces dually function as gathering areas, picnic areas, flex activity and exercise areas, all designed to promote collaborative social engagement outside of the office interior. The result overall is a dynamic office campus experience.
With regard to site engineering, !melk developed an innovative stormwater management strategy by utilizing unique site elements and integrating bioswales in the design. This decreases runoff in the surface parking lots, by use of water infiltration and a robust native planting scheme - which also establishes verdancy across the campus.
!melk’s design for the The District in El Segundo transformed a former industrial Northrop Grumman aerospace manufacturing facility into a vibrant creative office campus.
In response to the project’s vast scale, the landscape design framework offers various settings and environments that - on the micro scale - function as communal workspaces, but - on the macro scale - aims to establish a contiguous campus quality.
The project consists of several spaces including the West Plaza, which is the main arrival area; the South Garden, which is the main communal outdoor amenity space for employees; the Runway, the Taxiway, and the North Alley which double as circulation and spill-out space for the offices.
The objective of the campus’ outdoor spaces focuses on the health and wellness of employees and visitors. It includes flexible outdoor work areas for meetings, which encourages employees to leave their desks and take their work outside. In addition, spaces dually function as gathering areas, picnic areas, flex activity and exercise areas, all designed to promote collaborative social engagement outside of the office interior. The result overall is a dynamic office campus experience.
With regard to site engineering, !melk developed an innovative stormwater management strategy by utilizing unique site elements and integrating bioswales in the design. This decreases runoff in the surface parking lots, by use of water infiltration and a robust native planting scheme - which also establishes verdancy across the campus.