VIOLA Building

new building for developer’s office

The two-story, 23,500 square foot VIOLA Industries mixed-use building is located in a manufacturing district in Ventura, California. The opportunity came from craft industries moving to this area for inexpensive rent and thus created a hub for new coffee roasters, craft breweries, kombucha manufacturing, and restaurants. The VIOLA strategy was to plan a building that could take advantage of all the potential uses zoned in the area and build it to withstand a manufacturing tenant if required.

The site of the building was an unbuilt corner lot that is a part of a larger complex of now three buildings. The corner of Bunsen Avenue and Olivas Park Drive is a gateway to the Olivas industrial neighborhood and we felt that the building and the project respond to that opportunity.

The building is curved along the street and set back to accommodate a garden and a pergola sitting patio. The main entrance is located at the mid-radius of the building with a public gathering space in front.

The building space planning was set up to respond to the neighborhood context and to allow VIOLA the flexibility to accommodate tenant uses and unit sizes. There is 12,350 sf of office space on the second floor, 6,650 sf of light manufacturing space on the first floor, a 4,500 sf food/beverage area for restaurant or bar use, and a 2,400 sf outdoor patio connected to the foodservice area.