3101 West Coast Highway

3101 WEST COAST HIGHWAY

SHUBINDONALDSON ARCHITECTS

3101 West Coast Highway

STATUS
BUILT

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Newport Beach, CA, United States

TYPE
COMMERCIAL › OFFICE

3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway

Located at Mariner’s Mile in Newport Beach, 3101 West Coast Highway is a renovation and adaptive reuse of a cramped 4-story Cape Cod-style building from the 1980’s into a modern articulation of the marine coastal aesthetic.

Situated on a concrete podium 6’ above West Coast Highway, this project creates a modern aesthetic by removing existing embellishments to enhance the clean and timeless geometry of the gabbled roofs, all the while staying within compliance with the Coastal Commission’s strict reframing constraints.

In order to provide tenants with fresh air, natural light, and unobstructed bayside views, individual dormers were demolished to create inset terraces.

3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway

Floor slabs were removed to create double-height spaces, existing window openings were made full height, and prominent street and bayside gables walls were opened up with floor-to-ceiling curtain walls creating transparency from street to bayside.

On the podium level, the existing boat storage has been converted into a plaza with planters and custom teak furniture, while outdoor patios off the east façade were introduced to enhance the ambiguity between interior/exterior conditions.

3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway

The building’s juxtaposition of transparent and opaque surfaces creates tonal shifts and spatial depth throughout the façade.

As the sun rises, standing seam metal panels glow with metallic luster while interspersed high-performance glazing reflects the sunset’s gradations.

3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway

This sense of transparency is further enhanced by the cable rails installed by local sailors, which provide physical safety without compromising the bay vistas.

Local marine elements are also reflected throughout the project.

3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway

Built by a local boat builder from marine-grade ply covered in resin, the main entry canopy is reminiscent of an inverted boat hull, while the wooden trellis and canvas materials draw inspiration from nautical masts and booms.


3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway
3101 West Coast Highway