Barton Myers Associates' renovation of 421 South Beverly Drive, in Beverly Hills, gives a dated 8-story office building a new lease on life. The original structure, with 4 floors of offices over 4 floors of parking, all clad in bronze glass, was reinterpreted with a modern glass envelope for the office floors and louvered screens for the parking levels..

A transformed lobby opens onto a new car court, reinforcing the sense of arrival. Two new canopies front Beverly Drive: one scaled to the pedestrian entrance, and the other to celebrate the automobile entrance.

The design exposes the various layers of building 'skin' as it peels back from the street edge. The original diagonal form is emphasized and the division between the service stair and the served office space is highlighted. The detailing is an elegant assemblage of industrial and off-the-shelf products.