A large dirt pit has emerged at the back of The Burbank Studios lot, as work begins for a Frank Gehry-designed office complex which will be occupied by Warner Bros.

The new development, called the "Second Century Project," is being built in anticipation of the film and entertainment company's 100th anniversary in 2023. Two mid-rise buildings -standing seven and nine stories in height- will overlook the 134 Freeway, providing 800,000 square feet of office space.

Gehry's design calls for a modern glass and steel structure, described as resembling "a single identity like icebergs floating along the freeway." The studio-facing side of the buildings includes a punched metal facade with terraces, relating to the scale of adjacent buildings.

The Second Century Project, which is being developed by Worthe Real Estate Group and Stockbridge Real Estate Fund, is to be completed in phases. Full occupancy anticipated in 2023 - concurrent with the Warner Bros. centennial.

The project is part of an agreement between Worthe, Stockbridge, and Warner Bros., in which the developer swill purchase four properties owned by the studio - including three office buildings and the 30-acre Warner Bros. ranch.

Worthe and Gehry are also working on the mixed-use Ocean Avenue Project in Santa Monica.