LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[colemonkee]

Oof. Window wall and pre-cast concrete on the Gehry Tower. Value Engineering at it's finest.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Oof. Window wall and pre-cast concrete on the Gehry Tower. Value Engineering at it's finest.

Yeah, looks awful, but we've known that since the renderings. Probably going to end up being Gehry's worst project.

[Niftybox]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Yeah, looks awful, but we've known that since the renderings. Probably going to end up being Gehry's worst project.

And seeing as we waited longer for this project than almost any other in LA mind you 15+ years, and it being considerably shorter (less prominent) than his original proposal that I really liked. This could make it his most disappointing work yet, let's hope this isn't the case.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Oof. Window wall and pre-cast concrete on the Gehry Tower. Value Engineering at it's finest.

What were you expecting to be different in terms of materiality? It is and looks exactly like what I thought it would be based on the renderings (for better or worse).

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by Niftybox

And seeing as we waited longer for this project than almost any other in LA mind you 15+ years, and it being considerably shorter (less prominent) than his original proposal that I really liked. This could make it his most disappointing work yet, let's hope this isn't the case.

Hard to know what the original proposal was in terms of design since most of the renderings and models were more conceptual. I will say though that this is definitely a more “tame” Gehry design (like the Emerson meets TEN50), which I think is a good thing because it shouldn’t compete with the WDCH. I do wish it was more like his Warner Bros or Santa Monica design, but seeing as Related’s the developer, not surprised.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Hard to know what the original proposal was in terms of design since most of the renderings and models were more conceptual. I will say though that this is definitely a more “tame” Gehry design (like the Emerson meets TEN50), which I think is a good thing because it shouldn’t compete with the WDCH. I do wish it was more like his Warner Bros or Santa Monica design, but seeing as Related’s the developer, not surprised.

Seeing it in person, some people are being over dramatic. This is going to look great and it’ll compliment the WDCH. A few more towers from Grand over to Broadway could make it more of a world class area.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by scania

Seeing it in person, some people are being over dramatic. This is going to look great and it’ll compliment the WDCH. A few more towers from Grand over to Broadway could make it more of a world class area.

I actually agree with you... second time ever? lol

Previous proposals were either too busy or too boring. This strikes a nice balance—a design that’s unmistakably Gehry, but isn’t trying to upstage what’s across the street.

[hughfb3]

Here is a shot from a bit further away and with scale to surroundings

[IMG]Untitled by Hugh B, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Niftybox]

Yes it's a good expansion I just feel like we deserved even better for how long it took, something that would stand out from further away. It's infinitely better than the lot that used to be in it's place and will be happy to see the surrounding area rise up.

[Just-In-Cali]

Honestly...Ill wait until its done. This forum has a poor track record on judging projects by their earliest form.
They bitched and moaned about the Courthouse, about The Broad, about Metropolis...all the same complaints.
Cut to the completed project... and suddenly they are if not loved, appreciated.
Ive been here long enough to just see the finished product.

[LAsam]

^ Amen!

[Jordan de California]

I like all of the new TMS renderings from Onni. The dark glass would give them a more refined look, I think, and the idea that they were trying to give a nod to the current Pereira annex was my first thought when I saw them as well. I find myself wondering whether it would be impractical for them to actually preserve parts of the existing Pereira façade for integration with the new northern tower. It's been done elsewhere, though usually for rather older stone structures, like the base of the Hearst tower in New York. Why not make the preservationists happy if they're going to go down that road of dark glass and massive podium wall/column elements as shown in the renders anyway? Just give it all some better street-level pedestrian programming. More expensive work, obviously, but a bit less wasteful? The southern tower, of course, would be entirely its own thing.

Just idle thoughts, I suppose, since if they had any intention of doing any of that, I think it would have come up in the planning process already... or did I miss that discussion?

And I'm just glad the Grand Avenue project is finally happening at all. No judgement from me yet on any façade elements. I look forward to when I can get down there again to see it in person.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Quixote

I actually agree with you... second time ever? lol

Lol. It’s the pandemic.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by Niftybox

Yes it's a good expansion I just feel like we deserved even better for how long it took, something that would stand out from further away. It's infinitely better than the lot that used to be in it's place and will be happy to see the surrounding area rise up.

I walked by it a couple of weeks ago. Looking north on Grand from California Plaza (where it was just an empty space before) already looks far better. It's impact is going to be huge.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by scania

Seeing it in person, some people are being over dramatic. This is going to look great and it’ll compliment the WDCH. A few more towers from Grand over to Broadway could make it more of a world class area.

Agreed. Stop by in person if you can.

[colemonkee]

I'll definitely stop by in person to give it a fair shake.

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by Just-In-Cali

Honestly...Ill wait until its done. This forum has a poor track record on judging projects by their earliest form.
They bitched and moaned about the Courthouse, about The Broad, about Metropolis...all the same complaints.
Cut to the completed project... and suddenly they are if not loved, appreciated.
Ive been here long enough to just see the finished product.

Yeah, it's way too early to come to any sort of conclusion on the Grand, unless you simply didn't like the renderings to begin with.

[JerellO]

I think the Grand is going to look awesome when it’s done. The glass windows look really nice with the pattern they’re doing.. and those panel thingies look more expensive since than stucco.

[saybanana]

I havent been to downtown in months, so nice to see updated photos. I have been watching a lot of youtube driving downtown/LA videos in recent weeks to keep up to date on all the construction photos. The Grand is going to be nice overall because it is a unique looking building. Not a plain rectangular building but many shapes on top of each other like a stack of Christmas present boxes. I wonder what type of eateries will be there. I hope they have a mix of price points. I would expect to be something for the weekday office/government/jury duty lunch crowd to grab a quick bites or quick breakfast. Then have something for the evening music center crowd that is nicer. Then have something in general for all the tourists, museum goers. A Cheesecake factory would be nice here, Chipotle, Sweetgreens. not sure what else.

[Niftybox]

I've already measured The Grand's impact on the skyline from common views, it's not that impact-full to be honest, it's quite small next to the bunker hill towers. Though it does add a nice taper to the east of the skyline viewed from the north/south. This project is better for downtown as a whole though, there's plenty of space for bigger projects.