MXLA Neighborhood Commercial Building Nº 1

The first CLT mass timber office building in Santa Monica

With over 25 years operating in Santa Monica, BA Collective recognizes the importance of the city’s Main Street, a vibrant commercial corridor with numerous local businesses. BA Collective acquired a vacant parcel and transformed a surface parking lot into a mixed-use commercial office. The 7,100-sf building is three stories and designed for restaurant/retail on the ground floor, creative offices on the second floor, and a rooftop terrace shaded by a timber-supported photovoltaic canopy. The project utilizes an exposed mass timber structural system for sustainability, thereby reducing construction timeline, creating a desirable workplace, and providing a case study for forward-thinking, sustainable development. Completed in 2022 the quality of this building’s architecture and interiors has consistently drawn interest from tenants.

“We strive for our projects to positively contribute to our shared, built environment, and we do that in a significant way by developing infill lots along a city’s Main Street with mixed-uses, numerous planted terraces, and visually stunning art and architecture.”

In 2022, when commercial office vacancies were soaring, the building’s design attracted a successful New York City-based post production company to sign a lease. The location on Main Street, one block from the Pacific Ocean, abundance of wood and natural light, and multiple outdoor terraces elevate this office space beyond traditional offerings ensuring the stability of the investment despite the difficult economic conditions at that time.