Archinect - News

The Grand LA launches new Gehry-designed luxury tower in Downtown LA

2021-12-01T17:48:00-05:00

As part of the architect’s “long-lived dream of revitalizing Downtown LA’s Grand Avenue corridor,” Frank Gehry and Related Companies have announced the next iteration of their co-design for a one-of-a-kind luxury residential complex beset amongst the city’s civic and cultural core.

Billed as a “paradigm-shifting residential center” to pair The Grand LA, a massive new shopping center that is coming to Downtown at a time when the area is still struggling to emerge from the ill-effects of the pandemic economically, the new tower features 549 high-end residencies spread throughout 45 stories at the corner of Grand Avenue and South Olive Street across from Gehry’s Pritzker-winning masterpiece Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Image: Related – CORE

A total of 20% of units qualify in the much-needed area of affordable housing, the development attaches to the rest of the program of retail and office space that was also designed by Gehry.

The structure topped out back in March and is now set to hea...

Downtown LA leads America in new apartments

2021-11-16T18:41:00-05:00

Highly popular due to their location and vibrant amenities, urban neighborhoods around the country have seen a boom in new apartments in the last five years. In fact, the top 20 most active neighborhoods — led by Downtown Los Angeles — have delivered a staggering 80,000 brand new rental units.

Downtown Los Angeles’ 10,136 new dwellings were followed by a distant second Midtown Atlanta, which had 5,936, and the formerly working-class Hunters Point neighborhood in far western Queens, which trailed Atlanta by a few hundred at 5,423.

Los Angeles is currently looking to add more than 25,000 new units of housing for the homeless by the year 2025, some of which will be placed in the newly rezoned downtown region, which is expected to add at least 175,000 new residents in just under twenty years time.

Neighborhoods in San Jose, San Antonio and Brooklyn also made the top 20. The lack of available housing stock in most markets has meant more and more renters coming on to the market since the pandemic began. The entire rental report can be read here.

Apple's restored Tower Theatre opens in Downtown LA thanks to Foster + Partners

2021-06-26T09:00:00-04:00

LA’s newest Apple Store is now up and running, showcasing a multimillion-dollar restoration project that brought an icon of cinema past to life in a push to stimulate post-pandemic business downtown with what promises to be the city’s latest tourist lure.

The Apple Tower Theatre officially opened this week after a three year overhaul brought the then-vacant landmark back to life.

Foster + Partners were behind the restoration effort aimed at converting the 94-year-old building into retail space CEO Tim Cook called a “testament to a city rich in culture and diversity” in a Twitter post on Thursday.

Today we opened the doors to our new store in downtown LA — Apple Tower Theatre. It’s a testament to a city rich in culture and diversity. We’re so excited to be a part of DTLA! pic.twitter.com/l4UQmZQ5x4
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 24, 2021

Piggybacking off a similar palazzo restoration recently in Rome, the firm worked with Apple and design director Doo Ho Lee to preserve elements of the...

Brooks + Scarpa's LA Flower Market redevelopment takes a step forward

2019-08-21T09:00:00-04:00

Designed by Brooks + Scarpa, the redevelopment would entail the renovation of site’s northern building and demolition of the southern building. That would make room for a new 15-story building with 323 residential units—32 of them reserved for moderate-income families—plus about 64,000 square feet of office space, 64,000 square feet of wholesale space, and roughly 10,000 square feet of event space.

The city planning commission is now backing the planned redevelopment of the Southern California Flower Market in Downtown Los Angeles. "The materials and colors of the structures are intended to mimic the bright colors of flowers," Curbed reports.

New renders of a tower planned across the Pershing Square

2019-05-15T13:54:00-04:00

The 5th and Hill development, slated for an L-shaped property wrapping the historic Pershing Square Building, is a product of real estate investment firm JMF Development Co. Plans call for the construction of a 53-story, 784-foot-tall building which could feature either 1) 160 condominiums or 2) a combination of 31 condominiums and a 190-room hotel. Both use options include a mix of restaurant space and amenities, with parking to be located in a five-level podium and two subterranean levels.

The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Committee is holding a public meeting on the 21st of May, where one of the projects discussed will be the proposed 53-story tower, new images of which have recently been made public.

The mixed-use structure is designed by Arquitectonica and features an array of protruding masses that begin as balconies, and increase in size to become cantilevered glass-bottom pools toward the top of the tower.

Image courtesy of Arquitectonica

The project is estimated to be completed in 2023.

Creating a mini building at your desk never seemed more fun

2018-12-12T18:58:00-05:00

Now featured in our Downtown LA retail store and online at Archinect Outpost, these miniature building materials will make your other office mates jealous.

The team at Mini Materials have created scaled construction toys that not only look amazing but are functional just like their life size counterparts. A perfect desk accessory or a neat gift for the building fanatic in your life, Mini Materials creates a wonderful take on making construction materials available and accessible for all to enjoy.

1:6 Scale Mini Red Bricks (24pk + Pallet) Image © Mini Materials

Made of actual concrete and brick materials, these miniature building pieces look and feel like the real thing. Available in an assortment of sizes and material types building enthusiasts can purchase cinder blocks, bricks, lumber, even a mini jersey barrier.

The founders of Mini Materials started their venture in 2015 after noticing that "the world was lacking realistic versions of the most common building materials used tod...

Archinect Outpost to open in Downtown Los Angeles, Launch Party June 15th

2018-06-05T12:19:00-04:00

Join Archinect in celebrating the opening of Archinect Outpost and the launch of Ed 2 "Architecture of Disaster" on June 15th, 7-10 PM.

RSVP here to reserve your spot!

Archinect Outpost is an exciting new retail initiative in downtown LA's Arts District, a rapidly transforming creative hub home to SCI-Arc and a number architecture & design practices. Archinect Outpost will launch with a curated collection of small-run, independently published architecture publications including Art Papers, Beautifully Banal, Bracket, CLOG, Concrete Maps, Ed, Flat Out, Fresh Meat Journal, Harvard Design Magazine, Intern Mag, LA+, Log, MASKS, MacGuffin, Migrant Journal, MONU, NESS, PAX, Place-Holder, Plat Journal, POOL, Project Journal, Soiled, and Thresholds Journal.

Archinect Outpost will be located at 900 E 4th St, in the heart of downtown LA's Arts District. Astute locals will notice that it's the same address as the A+D Museum, home to some of the most exciting exhibitions and events in the cit...

A tour of The LA Times' historic HQ

2018-04-16T18:02:00-04:00

The buildings were constructed and built by the Chandler Family. The different sections of the block have different cornerstones set by succeeding generations. – at Los Angeles Times

With the news that Patrick Soon-Shiong is moving the LAT’s newsroom from its historic HQ, to El Segundo, Ben Welsh Editor @LATdatadesk took readers on a wander through the interlocking buildings, at 1st and Spring.

First glimpse of HansonLA's master plan to redevelop City Market Los Angeles

2017-05-18T15:40:00-04:00

After five years in the works, HansonLA finalized the multi-phase master plan with the L.A. Department of City Planning to redevelop the historic City Market Los Angeles, located in Downtown L.A.'s Fashion District. Established in 1909 by a group of immigrant farmers, CMLA is home to one of the oldest wholesale produce markets in the U.S.

Aerial view. Rendering by KINK Studio.

The mixed-use, 10-acre master plan is jam-packed, comprising buildings ranging from 3-38 stories, 945 residential units, 210 hotel rooms, 225,000 square-feet of retail, restaurant, and entertainment space (including the new City Market South), and 312,000 square-feet of educational space.

Rendering by KINK Studio.

Re-emphasizing the pedestrian experience of the original CMLA, the new plan will also feature an elevated walkway that will wrap around approximately 60 percent of the site, offering visitors some open space and a view of the DTLA skyline.

“[City Market's] sympathetic approach to the program allows it t...

Take a VR tour of the new L.A. Federal Courthouse, an “unusually polished work of civic architecture”

2016-10-25T20:01:00-04:00

The $350-million, 633,000-square-foot courthouse, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is an unusually polished work of civic architecture — especially by the standards of Los Angeles...This is a building that wants to look respectable and rational but not staid, one that is fairly conventional on the horizontal plane and takes a significant if measured chance on the vertical one. Still, it’s a chance that pays off.

Christopher Hawthorne gives a thumbs up in his review of SOM's design for the now-completed Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse, which appears to “float” in mid-air. Don't forget to check out a virtual tour of the building in the video below.

Previously on Archinect:

LA Federal Courthouse under construction

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to Design Federal Courthouse

DTLA's Music Center Plaza will get a $30M remodel, its first since 1964

2016-07-19T15:56:00-04:00

Grand Avenue’s Music Center Plaza is about to get a major renovation for the first time since it opened to the public in 1964. Often overshadowed (literally) by the prominent Downtown venues that stand above it, the plaza is a gathering place and event space in its own right. Thus, a major part of the plan would increase event capacity from 1,500 to 2,500. [LA County] has already given $2 million to plan the project, with $25 million of funding expected down the road.

More recent L.A. news on Archinect:

Michael Maltzan proposes greening L.A.'s 134 freeway

Downtown LA has a new museum on the horizon

Historic LA Times Building to be redeveloped

"Bouncy-house urbanism is on the rise." – Christopher Hawthorne rides the U.S. Bank Tower's 'SkySlide'

Agence Ter and Team wins Pershing Square Renew with “radically flat“ proposal

Bad news for good taste - burnt Da Vinci apartments expected to be rebuilt in 10 months

2015-04-20T17:17:00-04:00

A rise from the ashes had always been in [developer Geoff] Palmer's mind for this charred housing project; he'd said in a statement back in December that the devastation at the building on the south side of Temple Street was just a 'temporary loss.' Now that all the wreckage from the fire has been cleared off the site, construction can begin.

The kind of "renaissance" (sorry) that many locals are probably not very thrilled about...

Previously:

L.A. fire officials reveal new details about potential suspect in Da Vinci arson case

2015-03-31T15:32:00-04:00

Officials have offered a $170,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the arsonist behind the blaze that consumed a seven-story building in the Da Vinci apartment complex and damaged the freeway and neighboring buildings. Investigators believe the suspect 'torched that building up from the freeway side and then escaped'...

Well, L.A. fire officials are revealing some details. The L.A. Times reports that L.A. Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Ruda informed Echo Park neighborhood council members last week that authorities have surveillance footage allegedly showing the suspect of the fire that engulfed a 7-story structure in the Da Vinci apartment complex last December. A few weeks later, federal investigators determined the fire was arson. City officials estimate the December blaze caused between $25 million-$30 million in damage.

Ruda described that the footage shows the suspect parking their vehicle on the 110 Freeway and then walking into the half-built structure with cans of fuel. While the suspect is said to still be at large, the LAFD and law enforcement are continuing further investigation into the case. However, further details of collected evidence are not currently being released "to protect the integrity of the investigation," according to Ruda.

Footage of the possible suspect has not been...

Take a peek at Tom Wiscombe's "underground" Old Bank District Museum scheme for L.A.

2015-03-09T15:19:00-04:00

The Broad Museum might not be the only new museum to be built in Downtown Los Angeles. Announced last year, L.A. property developer Tom Gilmore and Tom Wiscombe seem to be making progress towards the Old Bank District Museum, a new contemporary art and design museum that will house the works of locally based artists. Located in the Old Bank District, the OBDM will interweave through three interconnected buildings along Main and Fourth Streets: the Bank House Garage, the Farmers and Merchants Bank, and the Hellman Building.

According to previous reports, Gilmore and his business partner Jerri Perrone will fund the initial construction, and start construction documents by this year. Completion of the project is currently slated for 2017.

Read on for more project info we received from Tom Wiscombe:

"The OBDM is a contemporary art and design museum located in the heart of the Old Bank District of Downtown Los Angeles. The project is part adaptive re-use and part new construction, capitali...

Marines To Conduct Training In Downtown LA

2014-12-08T14:16:00-05:00

It's not going to look like 'Apocalypse Now' by any stretch of the imagination. The Marine Corps has held similar training in recent years in Atlanta, Memphis and other cities. The military worked closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and notified property owners so no one will be caught off guard

Message and the purpose is clear. US Government is training for urban warfare and large cities are the training grounds. Once we are done with foreign urban centers perhaps the idea is to "bring it on home."

Of course, it's all under the disguise of fighting terrorism (or is it Ferguson?).

"There’s no terrorism threat out there that would be the reason that these exercises are being conducted, this is something that’s been kind of ongoing for a while. This is one location amongst many that the Marines are gonna be kind of exposing their people to.”

Get Lectured: Cal Poly LA Metro '14

2014-02-26T13:20:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2014

Archinect's Get Lectured is up and running again for the Winter/Spring '14 term! As a refresher from our Fall 2013 guide, every week we'll feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current season. If you're not doing so already, be sure to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Since we've been receiving more submissions lately, we're gonna show off posters more often — and so you can see what events are happening in architecture schools right now!

Our midweek poster features a noteworthy lineup from the Cal Poly Los Angeles Metropolitan Program in Architecture and Urban Design, an off-campus program of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Listed below are upcoming events only. Lecture/reception/discussion is 6:30-8:30 PM. Note each lecture's location. A+D m...

New designs unveiled by Frank Gehry for LA's storied Grand Ave. project

2013-11-25T17:42:00-05:00

In the latest development of this ongoing story, Related Companies submitted the new conceptual plan designed by Gehry Partners to the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority earlier today, Nov. 25. The $650 million development addresses the three-acre block across the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, atop Grand Ave. between 1st and 2nd St. in Downtown L.A.

Here are more details about the new plan:

"Related Companies today submitted a new conceptual plan designed by Architect Frank Gehry for Parcel Q of the Grand Avenue project to the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority, a Joint Powers Authority of the County of Los Angeles and CRA/LA Successor Agency. The plan addresses the three-acre block directly opposite Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. It integrates retail shops and restaurants with a hotel and a residential tower set within expansive public spaces that connect gracefully to Grand Avenue and surrounding streets.

The conceptual plan designed by Gehry Partners weaves...

LA Federal Courthouse under construction

2013-08-19T18:07:00-04:00

Since we first announced that Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was chosen to design the new federal courthouse in Downtown LA, construction for the new cubic courthouse at the corner of First Street and Broadway began on August 8.

The approx. 600,000 square-foot building was proposed back in 2001 and approved by Congress for $400 million, but the project came to a halt in 2006 when the Government Accountability Office found that costs had tripled due to delays and design changes. The new $319 million courthouse -- designed by SOM in partnership with Clark Construction -- will be an addition to the revived Civic Center area, as reported by the LA Times.

Aiming for LEED Platinum, the serrated façade of the "Cube" is designed to achieve a north/south orientation to maximize views while reducing solar heat gain by 47%. The building has water and electricity conservation strategies and a 400 kW roof-mounted photovoltaic array. Part of the courthouse's design is to appear floating over its...