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3M™ Window Film preserves view, beats heat and glare for L.A. landmark

The demand for office space in central Los Angeles has grown dramatically in recent years, and in the Bunker Hill section of downtown L.A. sits an architectural gem—400 South Hope Street.

Built in 1982, the 26-story building encompasses an entire city block and has more than 700,000 square feet of Class A office space. The building became familiar to television viewers when its exterior was used in the Knot’s Landing series, and the tenant list includes a number of large internationally known firms.

The Challenge

Global property management giant CBRE, a worldwide leader in real estate investment management, purchased the building in 2012. CBRE decided to locate its headquarters there, and focused its sights on a unique space—the atrium-like 25th and 26th top floors. Laid out in a tiered mezzanine configuration with huge sloped skylights, the space provided spectacular views of the L.A. area. However, the same massive skylights that made the space unique created a number of challenges.

“Previous tenants told us it wasn’t the most comfortable space,” says John Bonomo, CBRE’s Director of Operations. “First, there was massive heat gain through the skylights. Second, there was a huge issue with glare.”

Other tenants had resorted to such extreme measures as umbrellas and sheets in an effort to reduce the effects of the sunlight. CBRE, however, had a great deal of experience with a product specifically designed to address the issues: 3M™ Window Film

The Solution

“We’ve done a number of projects for CBRE over the years,” says Brad Campbell of Campbell Window Film in Huntington Beach, CA. “The company understands that window film offers an easy, no-maintenance solution for rejecting heat, blocking glare and preserving a building’s aesthetics.”

Campbell said that some building owners will consider shades or other mechanical applications for blocking sunlight, but they can present additional problems, such as breakage and labor-intensive cleaning. After reviewing the options with CBRE, the team chose 3M™ Night Vision 15 Window Film. Specifically engineered to reduce heat gain and glare, this film also helps preserve the building’s signature views by damping interior reflections.

One of the project’s biggest challenges was the sheer size of the skylights. With roughly 11,000 square feet of glass, installation required massive scaffolding that took a week to construct and another to tear down. Once the scaffolding was in place, Campbell’s installers took about a week to apply the film, ultimately giving CBRE a cooler, more livable space—complete with spectacular vistas.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the way this project turned out,” says CBRE’s Bonomo. “We’re now headquartered in this remarkably beautiful space, and both our employees and clients can focus on the dramatic views and all of the other benefits without fighting the heat and glare problems.”

It’s not the first time Campbell and 3M™ Window Film have proven to be a valuable partner for CBRE.

“CBRE has a huge portfolio in the L.A. area alone,” says Campbell. “We’ve worked with them for more than 10 years to find solutions for energy efficiency, aesthetics and sustainability, and we’ve made a big difference.”

Project Summary

Location: 400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California

Description: 26-story, 710,535-square foot building in the Bunker Hill micro-market of downtown Los Angeles

Product Selection: 3M™ Night Vision 15 Window Film, chosen for low interior reflection, superior aesthetics and heat and glare reduction

Project Scope: 3M™ Window Film for more than 11,000 square feet of glass skylights on the building’s atrium spanning the 25th and 26th floors, which serves as headquarters for CBRE.

Product Installer: Campbell Window Film, Huntington Beach, CA.