Two and a half years after breaking ground in Playa Vista, construction has come to a close at an expansion of the Water's Edge campus, McCarthy Building Companies announced earlier this month.

The approximately $80-million project, which was developed by Rockwood Capital, sits at the eastern edge of the campus at Lincoln and Jefferson Boulevards.  The six-story structure consists of roughly 160,000 square feet of office space, seated above semi-subterranean parking for more than 600 vehicles.

SPF:architects designed the project, called WE3, which is wrapped in a metallic exterior along its western facade, but presents a gridlike window system to the east.  The building overlooks Jefferson Boulevard with large balconies on its southern exterior, and also includes a large atrium on its top floor.

The project is integrated with the original two buildings of the Water's Edge campus through a tenant amenity deck to the west, which includes a basketball court, a swimming pool, and a soccer field.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has since impacted the office market throughout Los Angeles County, WE3 opens with at least one marquee tenants already in hand.  In 2019, Footwear and apparel company Nike signed a lease for the top two floors of the building, which will serve as its Los Angeles area headquarters.

As Nike prepares to take up residence in Playa Vista, Water's Edge - which was originally built by developer Robert Maguire - another notable tenant is poised to depart.  Video game maker Electronic Arts recently agreed to move its Los Angeles offices a short distance north to a new campus in Del Rey.

WE3 is the latest in a series of large office buildings in Playa Vista, which has emerged in recent years as a center for the Los Angeles technology and media industries.  Other developers such as Tishman Speyer and NSB Associates have recently invested in ground-up projects in the neighborhood, and Lincoln Property Company is now in the midst of construction on a large complex in neighboring Culver City.

Rockwood Capital, the developer of WE3, also owns the nearby Playa Jefferson campus, which was expanded in 2018.

  • WE3 (Urbanize LA)