Hollywood Towers To Be Slightly Less Gargantuan
Plans for Millennium Hollywood, prior to shrinkage. (Millennium Hollywood)
The developer of the two-tower Millennium Hollywood, located just next to the Capitol Records building in Hollywood, has agreed with the city of Los Angeles to limit the buildings’ heights to 35 and 39 stories, reports Curbed LA. The original proposal put forth heights of 485 and 585 feet (that’s roughly 48 and 58 stories). Millennium said that the total square footage of the project—more than one million square feet—and the number of residential (492) and hotel (200) units will not change. The agreement was reached at LA City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
This means the buildings will dwarf the iconic Capitol Records building slightly less, although the move probably won’t soothe locals fears about increased congestion. Meanwhile according to the LA Times, the California Department of Transportation has accused city of officials of ignoring their concerns about the project’s impact on the city’s freeways. Stay tuned as this drama unfolds.
Tonight> Los Angeles Design Festival Kicks Off Two Weeks Of Events
Not busy enough, Los Angeles-based design people? You’re about to be. The third annual Los Angeles Design Festival, which takes place from June 13-30, kicks off tonight at 8:00p.m. with a party at Downtown’s Standard Hotel. The Festival, which encompasses a wide range of activities related to architecture, design, and art, has grown in size, now featuring over 40 events over two weeks.
This includes Dwell‘s west side home tours on June 15 and its east side tours on June 22; SCI-Arc’s Confederacy of Heretics symposium June 14-15; the A+D Museum’s gala Preview Party for their upcoming show Never Built: Los Angeles at Union Station on June 20; the AIA/LA’s Restaurant Design Awards on June 22; de LaB’s Pecha Kucha x Ping Pong, a competitive sharing of ideas at the Standard’s new ping pong club on June 26; and UCLA’s “Runway,” a series of back-to-back architecture presentations at the school’s new Hercules Campus in Playa Vista on June 28. The closing event is at Chinatown Design Night on June 29. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so better clear your calendars!
Getting Real In The SCI-Arc Parking Lot: Pavilion Construction Heating Up
SCI-Arc and Caltech’s DALE, under construction (Sam Lubell/ AN)
While you might not make a habit of visiting parking lots for the fun of it, if you haven’t been to SCI-Arc‘s parking lot lately, you’re missing out. Installations dot a big chunk of the concrete expanse, including Oyler Wu‘s billowing Storm Cloud installation, which was built for the school’s recent graduation; the steel frame of P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S‘s gigantic League of Shadows installation, which will be done by September, and the wooden frame of DALE, SCI-Arc and Caltech’s entry for the Solar Decathalon, which is being held this year at the Orange County Great Park.
June 21–23> Michael Graves to Keynote Dwell on Design in Los Angeles Next Week
Dwell on Design: Dwell Outdoor. (Courtesy Dwell)
From June 21 – 23 architecture and design professionals will flock to the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Dwell on Design tradeshow. With over 2,000 products, 400 exhibitors, 150 speakers, and 30,000 expected attendees, this highly anticipated three-day affair has easily become America’s largest design event.
The exhibition features 20,000 square feet of space filled with prefabricated structures that highlight the most important aspects of contemporary design. The show is divided into various sections including Dwell Outdoor, the Tech Zone, the Modern Family Lounge, Furniture, and Kitchen & Bath and features renowned leaders in industrial, home appliance, and furniture design such as Miele, Kohler, GE Monogram, Resource Furniture, and Marimekko.
On View> “A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living” at LA’s Hammer Museum
(Jason Schmidt / Courtesy Hammer Museum)
A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living
The Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles
Through September 8
Archibald Quincy Jones (1913–1979) was a Los Angeles–based architect known both for the glamorous homes he designed for actors like Gary Cooper, as well as his dedication to the redevelopment of middle-class housing using effective, innovative, and sustainable building methods during the 1950s and 60s. His 5,000 built projects were centered on the premise of “better living” and “greenbelt planning.” He experimented with materials like plywood, steel, and masonry block construction and intentionally built in locations where his buildings would have access to natural light, air, ventilation, and views. This exhibition is presented as a part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. The documentation on view—including original architectural drawings taken from the architect’s personal and professional archive, a case study house model, and vintage photographs—highlights a variety of Jones’s projects, including community developments, churches, libraries, restaurants, residential homes, work spaces, and schools.
Plan Zumthor: Will Second Time Be the Charm for LACMA Redo?
Older aerial view of LACMA. (Courtesy Bing Maps)
The rumor-mill has been churning non-stop over LACMA director Michael Govan’s and architect Peter Zumthor’s plans for the museum. Basically it looks like they are planning to take LACMA apart and start over; an effort that failed when attempted by Rem Koolhaas and OMA back in the early 2000s. The full scope of the plans will be unveiled in June, with LACMA’s exhibition The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA. But for now we’ve gleaned that under Zumthor’s plan, not only would there be a new indoor/outdoor art park, but four of the museum’s midcentury structures would be replaced by “curvaceous modern glass structures.” That basically includes everything but the Bruce Goff pavilion and Renzo Piano’s new structures. Let’s see if the second time’s the charm.
Los Angeles Architect Planning Best Play Structure Ever
Coolest. Playhouse. Ever. (Shawn Keltner)
LA architect Shawn Keltner, whose day job is lead designer at Los Angeles-based tecDESIGN (the design branch of Swiss firm tecARCHITECTURE), is doing some important work on the side: developing a wondrous play structure for his two young daughters, Kelty and Kree, aged five and two. The irregularly-shaped, 50-square-foot building, which he will put together on his family’s sloped lot in Glassell Park, will be made out of home-made SIPs and clad with Hardie Panels and polycarbonate.
Eavesdrop> MOCA Drama…It’s Still Not Over
Elena Manferdini’s planned installation for “A New Sculpturalism”
Just when we thought the troubled MOCA New Sculpturalism exhibition was finally wrapping up relatively smoothly…
There has been no official confirmation, but we’ve heard from several people involved with the show that Thom Mayne and his firm Morphosis are now leading the show, not curator Christopher Mount. Participants confirm that emails are now coming from Morphosis, not MOCA, while the show’s assistant curator Johanna Vandemoortele last week sent out an email that she had already departed from MOCA. Mount was not available for comment, but Mayne’s spokesperson Legier Stahl noted: “It is a collective, community effort. We are just helping to facilitate.” Rumor has it that Mayne is considering adding more participants, including Wes Jones, John Enright, Hitoshi Abe, and Qingyun. Stay tuned as the saga continues.
Oyler Wu, The Graduation Experts, Design Another Pavilion for SCI-Arc
Looking up at Storm Cloud (Clifford Ho)
After creating their 2011 and 2012 graduation pavilions for SCI-Arc, Oyler Wu has once again produced a striking structure LA-based school, this time on the occasion of their 4oth anniversary. Dubbed the Storm Cloud pavilion, the structure salvages the existing steel from the 2011 Netscape, which served as the school’s graduation pavilion two years ago. Looking at Storm Cloud, one can hardly tell it shares much of the bones that made up the older pavilion.
Petition Launched To Save MOCA’s New Sculpturalism Exhibition
Rendering of P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S’ Pavilion for MOCA’s New Sculpturalism. (Courtesy P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S)
Los Angeles architect Arshia Mahmoodi, founder of the firm VOID, has launched an online petition to try to help save the troubled exhibition, A New Sculpturalism: Contemporary Architecture in Southern California at MOCA. The show, scheduled for a June 2nd opening, is currently in a holding pattern, and its curator Christopher Mount told AN he feared it would be cancelled. Mount blames mismanagement at MOCA, while several news reports have pointed to general apprehension about the show, and the recent withdrawal of Frank Gehry. Mahmoodi released the petition—directed to MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch—yesterday.
Event> Celebrate: The Journey at LA’s A+D Museum
WORKS FROM A + D ARCHITECTURE. CHRIS FOX, SALON JETPACKERS, QUIFF, PONYTAIL, BOB, 2011. (A + D Architecture + Design Museum > LA)
What: Gala / Celebrate: The Journey
When: Saturday, May 11, 7:00 to 11:00 PM
Where: Architecture and Design Museum, Los Angeles (5900 Wilshire on LA’s Museum Row)
Join AN, a media sponsor for the annual A + D Fundraiser and Gala, this Saturday for CELEBRATE: THE JOURNEY. The event at The Architecture and Design Museum of Los Angeles connects the design industry with innovators to acknowledge the creative journey that kindles preeminent design. The night’s main focus will center on one-of-a-kind carry-ons created by renowned architects and designers such as traditional train cases, modern day satchels and ultramodern jet-paks. Custom carry-on designers include Adams Morioka, Gensler, Dan Meis and Cristobal Valecillos among others.
The celebrations will consist of several curated silent auctions, intercontinental cuisine, music, drink and much more. Chris Fox ‘Jet Packs’ and Pan AM Vintage Uniforms will provide special presentations while Raul Campos will DJ.
Over 600 people attended CELEBRATE 2012 and 2013’s event will be bigger and better! Tickets are available for purchase online and CELEBRATE: THE JOURNEY silent auction items are accessible for preview and bids.
On View> OVERDRIVE: LA Constructs the Future, 1940-1990
OVERDRIVE: LA Constructs the Future, 1940-1990
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles
Through July 21
Gleaming cars speeding down an intricate freeway system, flashy movie theatres, quirky coffee shops, sleek corporate towers and residential spaces, drive-in churches, the infamous Hollywood sign, LAX Airport (above), and a lucrative petroleum industry are just some of the many impressive characteristics associated with the rich culture of Los Angeles. This exhibition at The J. Paul Getty Museum explores a metropolis that remained in “overdrive” throughout the 20th century, implementing cutting-edge architectural design to effectively respond to civic, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges that plagued the city. In just 50 years, the city rapidly evolved into one the most influential industrial, creative, and economic capitals in the world. Through drawings, photographs, models, animations, oral histories, and ephemera, the exhibition celebrates the notable transformation of the city of Los Angeles from 1940–1990.
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