Neptune Marina
Nominated by: TCA Architects
Location: Marina del Rey, CA
Developer: Greystar
Architect: TCA Architects
General Contractor: Johnstone Moyer Inc.
Interior Designer: Mannigan Design, Inc.
Project Website: liveneptunemarina.com
Project Statement
Neptune Marina brings mid-century modern design back to Marina del Rey. Utilizing a sophisticated palette of natural stone, subdued colors and simple metal accents, the contemporized modern aesthetic complements the updated marina and celebrates the local outdoor environment.
The design of Neptune Marina reflects the same timeless quality, clean simplicity and integration with nature as the mid-century style is known for. When constructed in 1962, Marina del Rey was the largest manmade, small-craft harbor in the county and, in many ways, embodied classic mid-century modern design. The design of Neptune Marina synthesizes vernacular tradition with a contemporary language to create architecture firmly rooted in its own place and time. Symbolic forms and icons are borrowed from the past and re-imagined in striking new compositions. Neptune Marina does not produce stylistic replicas of the past but fuses current architecture with elements representing the site’s history.
Influenced by “Breeze Blocks,” the elevations include custom-designed concrete block, a signature feature of the mid-century modern style. The blocks are used for accent walls that bear relatively small loads. With a unique asymmetrical core and sloped face, the three-dimensional block pattern creates varying light and shadows throughout the day as the sun’s angle changes, transforming a typical “static” building into a lively, dynamic building that moves like the boats move through the harbor. The blocks are also rotated and stacked in a 90-degree sequence, adding to the visual interest.
The decorative, yet functional, design defines the space while providing porosity and a cool, custom vibe. The custom-designed “Neptune” Breeze Blocks are a low-impact CarbonKind™ product — a concrete masonry unit (CMU) with substantially lower carbon dioxide impact. CarbonKind advances the sustainable and resilient properties of CMU, and strengthens the efforts to stem carbon impacts of the built environment.
