LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[DJM19]

The height doesn't bother me so much as the design. Where do they teach this stuff? I hate the red box. Im positive it would look better without the red box.

There is obviously some school of thought out there that facades must be broken up as much as possible by multiple paint schemes, randomly placed ornamental boxes, unnecessary overhangs on the top floor.

I think all of those are most often used to cover up the fact that the building is really actually very boringly designed and uses cheap materials. These projects need more coherent design and less random accents. It looks like they are trying to turn a facade into an interior design, complete with empty picture frame.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Look what's about to break ground. Abiet a couple hundred feet shorter than originally proposed.

From Curbed:





This was the original 1111 Wilshire proposed back in 2007.

http://www.davidgrayarchitects.com/WT.html

Not bad, though it will inevitably be a stucco mess. At least it won't look as bad as next-doors Glo.

[JDRCRASH]

So... altogether, they shaved off 23 floors... i'll say it again: I hate this recession.

Looks like i'm gonna have to edit page 1.

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Not bad, though it will inevitably be a stucco mess.

Of course. Are you surprised? This is LA. Developers would never do that in certain other cities.

[photoLith]

^
Except Houston.

[SD_Phil]

^^Shame, of course, that the taller structure isn't going up. 210 units isn't shabby and there are certainly other deadzones nearby that could use a taller development when the time comes. Thanks for the update.

[Illithid Dude]

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/02/how_the_broad_museum_grand_ave_site_could_play_out.php



I hate this I hate this I hate this. Why does L.A. love plazas so much? NOBODY USES PLAZAS. They are always empty windswept areas. And now we are adding more. I thought we were done with stuff like this? Ugh.

[tommaso]

could've taken a donkey dump on wilshire & wouldn't have stunk as bad. now i have a taste for curried corn flakes...that's the taste of said developer regurgitating all over main street L.A. aka Wilshire Blvd. boo hoo what's new

These A-holes are building garbage in our city again! We gotta take our city back from these suckers. They are single-handedly destroying our future and God knows what else. I can't deal with these punk developers any more. They gotta go. You know banned from L.A. They gotta leave this city and leave us alone. They're destroying this place. I don't care how great the weather is year round. It can't make up for the horrible mistakes these tasteless and tactless developers are making. They're making an international joke out of our city. Egyptians can fight for their beliefs and rights and we can't. We're weak and getting stepped all over by these faceless and shameless developers. Enough is enough! This carelessness and destruction has to come to an end and that has to be final. We will no longer accept garbage architecture in our city. That's it.

You people disgust me here! You go on and revel in your garbage while other cities build and enjoy the Beekman Tower! You are truly shameful, 1000 times more than the developer because you do not care that you are being controlled and s*** on. You see how tolerant you can be when the garbage is dumped in your back yard! Shameful. I have no respect for you.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by tommaso

could've taken a donkey dump on wilshire & wouldn't have stunk as bad. now i have a taste for curried corn flakes...that's the taste of said developer regurgitating all over main street L.A. aka Wilshire Blvd. boo hoo what's new

These A-holes are building garbage in our city again! We gotta take our city back from these suckers. They are single-handedly destroying our future and God knows what else. I can't deal with these punk developers any more. They gotta go. You know banned from L.A. They gotta leave this city and leave us alone. They're destroying this place. I don't care how great the weather is year round. It can't make up for the horrible mistakes these tasteless and tactless developers are making. They're making an international joke out of our city. Egyptians can fight for their beliefs and rights and we can't. We're weak and getting stepped all over by these faceless and shameless developers. Enough is enough! This carelessness and destruction has to come to an end and that has to be final. We will no longer accept garbage architecture in our city. That's it.

Hello hyperbole. Implying we should fight "for our beliefs" (against a developer's taste?) the way the Egyptians fought for their beliefs that they deserve a better government? C'mon. Its a building. Become a developer and you can choose your own design. I'm just happy something is getting built during the recession.

And in regards the the styling, sure, its a little West Hollywood for City West, but surely its much better than the Palmer Tuscan crap littering the area.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

I agree with DistrictDirt, the design is really not that bad. I cringe more when I see the Medici.

I think it'll add a much needed infill project to a growing neighborhood.

Now all we need is some kind of protective barrier for people walking over the bridges that connect City West to the FiDi, kind of like this:

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

I agree with DistrictDirt, the design is really not that bad. I cringe more when I see the Medici.

I think it'll add a much needed infill project to a growing neighborhood.

LAB- I just checked out Nadel Architects website, and honestly it looks like they do pretty nice infill. Del Mar station is one of my favs anywhere in LA county. Then again, I'm a sucker for trains, and they built the thing so the train comes right through the building


Nadel Architects


Nadel Architects


Nadel Architects


Nadel Architects


Nadel Architects

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

Now all we need is some kind of protective barrier for people walking over the bridges that connect City West to the FiDi, kind of like this:

Never seen that before...cool idea! What city is that photo from?

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Auckland, New Zealand.

I think one of the most unpleasant experiences from a pedestrian's perspective is to cross those bridges over the 110 freeway (or any freeway for that matter in LA).

A few simple enhancements to the bridges (blocking out noise, adding planters, nice lamps, widening sidewalks on the bridge, etc.) could really improve the experience of walking across and may encourage circulation between City West and the FiDi.

[Sodha]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

I was being facetious. I'm very well aware of the location, having lived 2 1/2 blocks away for the last 5 1/2 years. And I reject the notion that places like City West or Chinatown or USC aren't part of downtown simply because they are outside the arbitrary freeway boundaries. And pretty well-respected - and oft-quoted - publications like the Downtown News and BlogDowntown agree, as they regularly report on those areas as part of "downtown."

Who said Chinatown is outside of downtown? I said the Los Angeles River...not the 101 freeway as the northern boundary.

How far south of USC would you extend "downtown"..or what about City West? Is MacArthur Park downtown then? I think the downtown border has been generally defined..though Downtown News and LA Times likes to extend that a bit further. Heck some people consider Wilshire/La Brea area as "downtown" too.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

Auckland, New Zealand.

I think one of the most unpleasant experiences from a pedestrian's perspective is to cross those bridges over the 110 freeway (or any freeway for that matter in LA).

I agree with this 100%. As a vertically advanced person (I'm 6'6), I walk as close to the curb as I can when walking on Wilshire over the 110. The railing barely comes to my waist.

And regarding 1111 Wilshire: Some of you really need to relax. It has a nice design that fits well with other buildings (it'll really help make Glo look less ugly). This style of building can be seen all over the US so while it won't win any architectural awards, it isn't one of Palmer's Tuscans.

[RAlossi]

The histrionics on this board recently is pretty amazing to me. The 1111 Wilshire project is rather nice. I'm not a fan of the palms, but it's nothing to riot in Tahrir Square over. Get a grip, people.

[BrandonJXN]

That's my only gripe. I don't like the palm trees. A nice little grass patch would be nice.

[Just-In-Cali]

Originally Posted by tommaso

could've taken a donkey dump on wilshire & wouldn't have stunk as bad. now i have a taste for curried corn flakes...that's the taste of said developer regurgitating all over main street L.A. aka Wilshire Blvd. boo hoo what's new

These A-holes are building garbage in our city again! We gotta take our city back from these suckers. They are single-handedly destroying our future and God knows what else. I can't deal with these punk developers any more. They gotta go. You know banned from L.A. They gotta leave this city and leave us alone. They're destroying this place. I don't care how great the weather is year round. It can't make up for the horrible mistakes these tasteless and tactless developers are making. They're making an international joke out of our city. Egyptians can fight for their beliefs and rights and we can't. We're weak and getting stepped all over by these faceless and shameless developers. Enough is enough! This carelessness and destruction has to come to an end and that has to be final. We will no longer accept garbage architecture in our city. That's it.

You people disgust me here! You go on and revel in your garbage while other cities build and enjoy the Beekman Tower! You are truly shameful, 1000 times more than the developer because you do not care that you are being controlled and s*** on. You see how tolerant you can be when the garbage is dumped in your back yard! Shameful. I have no respect for you.

WOW....just......wow.
Whole lotta WTF in this post right here.

[OneMetropolis]

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by OneMetropolis

Post this in L.A. Metro. Looking nice, though.



You have to realize, this building isn't anything major. Not every building can be designed by SOM or Jene Nouvell. It is, for all intents and purposes, infill. You're lucky it isn't a brown stucco box. Get over it. Don't be greedy.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/02/how_the_broad_museum_grand_ave_site_could_play_out.php



I hate this I hate this I hate this. Why does L.A. love plazas so much? NOBODY USES PLAZAS. They are always empty windswept areas. And now we are adding more. I thought we were done with stuff like this? Ugh.

"Plazas," at least the kind in front of a skyscraper, are a very 1950s-1970s idea; you see this in other cities with developments from that era, like the Seagram Building on Park Avenue in New York City:

globalconstructionwatch.com

and Chicago's Civic Center:

wikipedia

These buildings' entrances don't go right up to the sidewalk.

Someone else mentioned it earlier, but I think this was from the time when planners wanted to move away from the dense, dark canyons of the skyscraper cities of the east coast and midwest, with streets and sidewalks being cast in shadow. These plazas were supposed to maximize sunlight at the base of skyscrapers at least during part of the day.

[JDRCRASH]

^ Yeah but New York has so little of those kind of plazas.

Originally Posted by Just-In-Cali

WOW....just......wow.
Whole lotta WTF in this post right here.

Yeah, not even I freak out that bad.