If you’re a car enthusiast, especially one who likes aggressive, high-performance cars, you’ve likely heard of Hoonigan. They are a growing Long Beach company that produces exciting videos and other content featuring cars doing things like burnouts, drifting, and doughnuts. They have quite the following online and a growing apparel and accessories business.
When Hoonigan first called our Long Beach architecture firm, they were in a situation that is not uncommon for newer, growing businesses. Their business had seen rapid expansion, and they had gotten too big for their original space. Hoonigan had moved into a new, larger facility—an abandoned industrial space that used to be a mail sorting facility—and hired a general contractor to begin fixing up the space to accommodate their growing staff and their business activities. Soon after, the City of Long Beach was tipped off to their construction project (Hoonigan employees were doing burnouts in their parking lot and a neighbor called code enforcement on them), and city officials showed up asking to see the permits for all the new work that had been done on the building. When they were unable to provide all the required permits, the City sent them a notice of violation. That’s when we got the call.
Bringing the Project Up to Code
We immediately mobilized our team of architects and engineers to review the work that had already been done, which included electrical, lighting, and HVAC. Then, on behalf of Hoonigan, we met with the City of Long Beach attorneys and other City agencies to find out exactly what Hoonigan was required to do. Together, we came up with a plan for how to proceed to bring them into compliance with the City. The process was likely helped along because we have a great relationship with the City of Long Beach—they know that when we are involved with a project, things will be done right!
Remaining Flexible with a Business’s Changing Space Requirements
While we were still sorting things out with the City of Long Beach, Hoonigan continued to grow and expand their business, and realized they needed even more space than the former mail sorting facility could provide. They briefly thought about abandoning the industrial area altogether for a more corporate setting, but decided against it, as the building they were already in felt more consistent with their brand (and was less expensive). Instead, they ended up renting the adjacent space, which provided them with most of the extra space they needed. We created additional square footage by the use of mezzanines.
This project is still ongoing, but we now have a solid plan in place that, once fully executed, will translate into a great space for Hoonigan that will meet all of their needs and represent their brand well.
Helping businesses design a space that meets their needs and that will inspire them to do their best work is what our Long Beach architecture firm is all about. We are experienced working with all types of businesses and meeting their unique demands. We also understand the importance of remaining flexible, as a business’s needs can often change or evolve during the design process.
If your company needs to redesign the space it’s in, or if you are moving to a new building, give our Long Beach architecture firm a call or contact us through our website.
