FASHION INSTITUTE OF DESIGN & MERCHANDISING 
DOWNTOWN CAMPUS, LOS ANGELES, CA

 
PROJECT TYPE EDUCATION
BUILDING TYPE TI CHANGE OF USE WITHIN EXISTING BUILDING
AREA 14,430 SF
COMPLETION  2014 

SERVICES PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION, DOCUMENTATION, ADMINISTRATION

 

PROJECT DIRECTOR BEN LOESCHER

PROJECT DESIGNER KELLY PEOPLES

 

This 5th floor tenant improvement project is the new home of FIDM’s Theater Costume, Printmaking, and Textile Design courses as well as additional Sewing and Pattern Lab classrooms. The classrooms are organized per curriculum: the Theater Costume Classroom, Printmaking Lab, Pigment Lab, and Dark Room are grouped together at the south of the building so that students can easily move between and incorporate the resources of each. Sewing and Pattern Labs, as well as the Textile Studio, are located to the north. A large study area divides the two zones. Several of the classrooms have very specific equipment requirements, especially in the case of the Textile and Printmaking Classrooms, as large looms, printmaking tables, and specialized equipment pieces were integrated into the design of each classroom layout. 

 

FIDM believes that learning occurs as much outside the classroom as within it, so providing multi-functional socialization and work settings within circulations zones and common areas was a major priority: a variety of workspaces have been allotted for student use, with each zone represented by a specific color palette. Standing height pattern tables are provided for students to continue pattern and sketching projects on their own or within groups, banquettes are provided for small-scale collaborative work, several round top tables are ideal for small group meetings and a custom conference table offers seating for large group projects and discussions.