The building is known as the Wind Tunnel because it once housed the largest testing wind tunnel on the west coast. Los Angeles architects Daly Genik have done a marvelous job weaving together this hodgepodge complex of concrete buildings. The biggest design move is the placement of three large skylight structures on the roof which allow daylight to penetrate deep into the building. The skylights are "clad in layered lightweight high-tech plastic" and are a sculptural feature of the roof top garden.
Daly Genik model of the Wind Tunnel complex
Street front openings cut into the concrete shell
The south end of the building with the main stairway accessing the rooftop
Stairway detail
The top of the stairs and the roof terrace and garden
Designed by Nancy Goslee Power and Associates, the roof has just been planted with drought tolerant and native selections. A series of decomposed granite paths weave around the skylight structures.
Rendering of the Wind Tunnel project (left) and a design proposal by Daly Genik for a student housing to be built to the south of the Wind Tunnel