Archinect - News

Where the sidewalk (ext)ends: Gensler reveals updated plans for Hollywood Walk of Fame pedestrian improvements

2022-08-04T19:28:00-04:00

Two years after its initial announcement, Gensler has shared updated project renderings and new site plan details for its pedestrian enhancement of LA's Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The project entails a number of hastened improvements to the road surface and overall streetscape. Construction is expected to begin next summer and take $7.2 million to complete its first phase through the end of 2024. Gensler is the prime consultant for this segment of the larger $60 million comprehensive plan authored by Los Angeles Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, while full design details are still being finalized.

Image courtesy Gensler

As reported by Time Out, the construction will affect a segment of Hollywood Boulevard between Gower Street and Orange Drive. Among the upgrades, added planters and outdoor dining areas will feature prominently alongside new shade trees, kiosks, and spaces dedicated to temporary art installations. The project will also include a bus stop consolidation and important traffic la...

Super Bowl LVI will light up Studio-MLA’s award-winning Hollywood Park design

2022-01-12T15:22:00-05:00

The eyes of the sports world will soon be on Studio-MLA’s award-winning landscape design as it takes center stage during SoFi Stadium’s turn as host of the 56th Super Bowl in Los Angeles next month.

Around 100 million viewers are expected to tune in to this year’s version of the big game, which takes place in the new multibillion-dollar behemoth designed by HKS. Perhaps the most significant feature of the massive 3.1-million-square-foot stadium complex is the 25-acre Hollywood Park that is coming to life all around it, allowing it to serve in a way that helps the overall development meet its mandate as a vital anchor for the community of Inglewood.

Image © Craig Collins 2021

The park is part of a much larger complex that will eventually take up close to 300 acres and feature two other flexible performance venues as well as a 5.5-acre artificial lake designed by the studio to collect and reuse 26 million gallons a year in water runoff from each facility. What was once an empty racetr...

OMA's Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple is taking shape

2021-03-19T15:19:00-04:00

After breaking ground in late 2018 and topping out nearly one year later, the OMA/Shohei Shigematsu-designed Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles is increasingly taking shape.

The $75 million expansion — OMA's first building in the city — will house a chapel and terrace, a grand ballroom, meeting rooms, performance spaces, and a rooftop sky garden.

Rendering of the new Audrey Irmas Pavilion next to the historic 1929 temple building on Wilshire Boulevard in L.A.'s Koreatown neighborhood. Image courtesy of OMA New York.

Gruen Associates is the executive architect, Studio-MLA designed the sunken garden, and Arup is the structural and facade engineer on the project.

The new building is expected to open in early 2022.

Photographer Hunter Kerhart has shared a few more recent construction photos over at Urbanize LA.

Studio-MLA showcases the future of LA's sports stadiums

2020-10-16T18:21:00-04:00

Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA and associate principal Matthew Lysne showcase their latest stadium projects in Los Angeles. Taking the design lead to each site's landscape and urban layout, Studio-MLA teamed with HKS, Gensler, and Levin & Associates, among others, to showcase their landscape designs for Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and Banc of California Stadium.

Studio-MLA provided Archinect with images of all three larger-scale projects and descriptions. Mia Lehrer shares, "Our new stadium-parks offer a model for economic recovery and for improving the urban experience, including as cities recover from the pandemic and reinforce efforts to address social inequities."

Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium. Image © Hunter Kerhart/Courtesy of Studio-MLA

Project Description

"The renovated landscape for the 260-acre site furthers the client’s goal to strengthen their fans’ experience and memory of the stadium. Children’s play areas and g...

Mayor Garcetti nominates LA urbanist and landscape designer Mia Lehrer to LADWP Board of Commissioners

2020-09-28T18:39:00-04:00

Mia Lehrer has been nominated as the L.A. Department of Water and Power Commissioner by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Her extensive expertise, spanning nearly four decades, will help the city in its plans towards sustainability, planning, and resiliency efforts.

A photo of Mia Lehrer's stunning studio, from Archinect's Studio Visits: Studio-MLA. Photo by Amanda Ortland © Archinect

The Mayor shared in a press statement: "When Mia takes her seat on the Board, we will make history for our city and mark a critical moment of progress on the road to true equity — all while deepening the department's commitment to safeguarding our environment, combating climate change, and creating good-paying jobs."

"A Conversation with Mia Lehrer on Her Origins, Civil Service, and Design Leadership." First and Broadway Park (FAB Park). Image via Studio-MLA

While the decision awaits confirmation from City Council, Mia's appointment will set the department for its first-ever all-female Board. With her lo...

This is what a major Hollywood Walk of Fame overhaul could look like

2020-01-30T20:08:00-05:00

Wider sidewalks and new street trees are in the works for the iconic 1.3-mile corridor. [...] A new website offers a look at design concepts for the Hollywood Walk of Fame's new master plan - a core component City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell's Heart of Hollywood initiative.

LA's major tourist draw, the iconic Walk of Fame along a section of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, has experienced nearly six decades of transformation and could be up for a major overhaul soon.

The Heart of Hollywood initiative of Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell recently published a concept plan with further details and designs aiming to drastically improve the Walk of Fame's pedestrian experience.

Image: Gensler, via the Hollywood Walk of Fame concept plan for Heart of Hollywood.

"An 'enhanced complete street' concept has emerged as the favored alternative for the project, which, if implemented, would remove street parking and some automobile travel lanes to allow for wider sidewalks along the Walk of Fame," reports Urbanize LA. "The reclaimed space could be used for new amenities such as sidewalk dining, performance areas, seating and other furniture, playgrounds, and areas for street vendors."

The new concept plan is the first step toward a greater master plan t...

Steel frame of OMA's Audrey Irmas Pavilion for Wilshire Boulevard Temple tops out

2019-08-01T14:35:00-04:00

After breaking ground last November, the steel frame of the $75-million Audrey Irmas Pavilion has quickly taken shape in Koreatown. Located at the corner of Wilshire and Harvard Boulevard, the expansion to the Wilshire Boulevard Temple will house cultural, religious and community events. The three-story, 55,000-square-foot structure will consist of a chapel and terrace, a grand ballroom, a catering kitchen, meeting rooms, performance spaces and a rooftop sky garden.

The OMA/Shohei Shigematsu-designed Wilshire Boulevard Temple expansion in Los Angeles recently celebrated the topping out of its steel structure.

Conceptual model. Image courtesy of OMA New York

On its website, OMA explains that the "structural frame, weighing about 700 tons, is composed of steel beams and columns with buckling restrained braces to resist earthquake loads. The steel framing is designed economically to resist its own weight under gravity, with three sloped elevations. The long transfer girders supporting the upper level columns will accommodate an open, clear-span ground floor event space."

View of the historic 1929 temple building with the new Audrey Irmas Pavilion from across Wilshire Boulevard. Image courtesy of OMA New York

OMA's collaborators on the Audrey Irmas Pavilion project are executive architect Gruen Associates, landscape architect Studio-MLA, and engineers Arup. Completion is scheduled for late 2020.

To get a clearer picture of the current progress, head...

Construction update on L.A.'s new gigantic football stadium

2018-09-25T17:36:00-04:00

Get a bird's eye view of the new Inglewood Stadium with this 360-degree image, courtesy of architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart. The stadium, which is the centerpiece of a $5-billion redevelopment of the former Hollywood Park racetrack, will feature 70,000 seats when it opens in 2020. The HKS Architects-designed facility is expected to serve as the home of the Super Bowl in 2022, and will also play a prominent role in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

urbanize.LA recently published new drone's-eye-view construction photos of the impressive $5 billion Hollywood Park site—soon to be home of the shiny new Los Angeles Rams and Chargers NFL stadium (designed by HKS Architects) and a sprawling mixed-use development with office buildings by Gensler (architect) and Studio-MLA (formerly Mia Lehrer + Associates, landscape architect), shopping & entertainment venues by BCV Architecture + Interiors (design architect), Architects Orange (executive architect), and Studio-MLA (landscape architect) as well as residential buildings planned by Hart Howerton (design architect) and TCA Architects (executive architect).

Mia Lehrer and WSP recommended for LA River's Taylor Yard

2017-09-22T13:21:00-04:00

Regardless of the pricey remediation, the 41-acre property has long been considered a key element to the large-scale ecological restoration of the LA River. The city purchased the G2 parcel in March, paying nearly $60 million.

The city’s bureau of engineering recommends engineering firm WSP, with Landscape Architect Mia Lehrer, for the transformation of the G2. WSP and Lehrer are collaborating with Mujeres de la Tierra, a non-profit public health organization based in Cypress Park, on the project.

Part of Taylor Yard, the Southern Pacific's former classification Yard, the G2 parcel has been named the crown jewel of the LA revitalization project by LA Mayor Garcetti. The site, now abandoned for over three decades, is highly contaminated and unlikely to open as park for another three to five years.

The city's recommendation has been shared with the public works department which will have the last word on the G2 contract.

Take a look at the renderings for First and Broadway Park in Los Angeles

2017-05-30T13:56:00-04:00

Back in June of 2016, Mia Lehrer + Associates won the competition, beating out Eric Owen Moss Architects, Brooks + Scarpa, and AECOM, to design the two-acre park at First Street and Broadway. After winning the competition, the firm has taken suggestions from the Downtown community, altering their plans for the design. Settling on a greener approach, the new plan reserves roughly 10,000 square feet as green "meadow" space.

The original plan featured a two-story structure, designed by OMA, that would host a restaurant on the second floor and below, an outdoor amphitheater and cafe. While the structure will remain, the new designs include a rooftop deck and shade structure.

The park is expected to cost $28 million, and will be fully funded through Quimby fees, fees imposed on developers for the creation of public parks. The landscape architecture firm known for being one of the driving forces behind the 2007 Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan will continue to work on plans fo...

Mia Lehrer discusses her long-running history with the LA River's redevelopment on our final 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session

2016-11-29T13:09:00-05:00

It's here: our final interview from 'Next Up: The LA River', featuring Mia Lehrer of Mia Lehrer + Associates. Lehrer was a major driving force in the 2007 Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, and has worked for nearly 20 years on projects related to the River—undeniably preceding any involvement from Frank Gehry.

Paul Petrunia sits down with Lehrer to speak about her history with the river and its redevelopment, as well as her thoughts for how the project must proceed. Read more about Lehrer's work on the LA River here.

To get caught up on all Mini-Sessions from our Next Up: The LA River event, you can listen to the whole first half at once on One-to-One (the second half will be available next week), or download each interview separately through Archinect Sessions.

Listen to Archinect Sessions Mini-Session #8 from 'Next Up: The LA River' with Mia Lehrer:

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button below the logo to automatically download new episodes.
Apple Po...

Join us this Saturday for Next Up: The L.A. River, ft. Mia Lehrer, Christopher Hawthorne and more!

2016-10-26T12:57:00-04:00

The L.A. River's redevelopment is one of the most challenging, and exciting, projects currently underway in Los Angeles. Accounting for the River's 51-mile stretch, and all the neighborhoods it runs through, is a mammoth endeavor—and one that will necessarily involve contention and compromise. As a toast to this XXL project, Archinect is hosting Next Up: The LA River—a live podcasting interview event featuring perspectives from all along the river's edge.

On Saturday, October 29 at the A+D Museum in Los Angeles, we'll be discussing the River and its redevelopment in a fast-paced format of quick interviews and panels, featuring the following:

Mia Lehrer (Mia Lehrer & Associates)
Christopher Hawthorne (architecture critic for Los Angeles Times)
Deborah Weintraub (Chief Deputy City Engineer Bureau of Engineering)
Frances Anderton (Host of KCRW's Design and Architecture)
Steven Appleton (LA River Kayak Safari)
Marissa Christiansen (Friends of the LA River)
Elizabeth Timme (LA-Más)
Renee Dake Wil...

Gruen Associates, Mia Lehrer, Oyler Wu appointed to design L.A. River Greenway in San Fernando Valley

2016-07-20T20:27:00-04:00

Mayor Eric Garcetti's office released a statement yesterday announcing that Gruen Associates, Mia Lehrer + Associates, Oyler Wu Collaborative, and civil and structural engineering firm Psomas will design the final 12 miles of the San Fernando Valley portion of the Los Angeles River Greenway. The Greenway would allow Angelenos to walk or bike from Canoga Park to Elysian Valley.

No project renderings for now, as the designers will begin conducting a feasibility study over the next nine months. According to the press release, the Greenway “will address important objectives” in both the City’s/Frank Gehry's (still yet to be revealed) Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan as well as L.A. County’s River Master Plan, their Bicycle Plans, and Mayor Garcetti's Sustainable City pLAn.

The mayor and County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl will jointly fund the project, along with additional support from City Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Paul Krekorian, Nury Martinez and David Ryu, and the Depart...

Mia Lehrer + OMA win over Eric Owen Moss, Brooks + Scarpa, AECOM to design DTLA's new public park

2016-06-10T14:52:00-04:00

Los Angeles is in for a lot of (proposed) change, especially in its downtown core. Yesterday, the City of L.A. announced Mia Lehrer + Associates and OMA as the winners of a competition to design a new public park called the FAB Park...Proposed for the well-trafficked streets of First and Broadway in downtown L.A., the 1.96-acre FAB Park will integrate “the themes of food, art, and land.”

Find out more on Bustler.

Previously on Archinect:

Take a look at these bold visions for Downtown LA's next park

A critical look at Downtown L.A.'s ambitious plans for two new public parks

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

Take a look at these bold visions for Downtown LA's next park

2016-02-24T14:26:00-05:00

LA has few corners as prominent as First and Broadway. Directly adjacent to the art deco City Hall and across from the LA Times building, the nearly-2 acre lot stands at the center of an increasingly well-trafficked pedestrian area. Now, some of the biggest names in town are competing to transform the lot into a bold new park.

After a wider call for proposals, the LA Bureau of Engineering, in conjunction with the Mayor's Office, announced a shortlist of finalists late last year: AECOM, Brooks + Scarpa Architects, Eric Owen Moss Architects, and Mia Lehrer + Associates in collaboration with OMA. Each practice was given six weeks to produce a design, which are currently of public view.

Soon, the City will announce the winners of the competition, following input from the public, and then will proceed to finalize the designs.

Since the new park abuts the larger Grand Park (designed by Rios Clementi Hale Studios), it needs to both stand out as a unique design and seamlessly mesh with the exi...

Does Frank Gehry – or his firm – have what it takes to save the LA River?

2015-10-26T18:06:00-04:00

When Mayor Garcetti announced Gehry’s appointment, he declared him to be the “Olmsted of our time,” referring to godfather of landscape design, Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York City’s Central Park. He is nothing of the sort. As Gehry himself admitted: “I told them I’m not a landscape guy.” What he might prove to be is the funding-friendly, catch-all solution to pulling the river’s statutory partners together to make something happen.

"If he can suppress his expensively eye-catching cliches and channel the spirit of his early work – when he was a rough-and-ready bricoleur of everyday LA, a magician of chain-link fencing and corrugated sheeting – he might well be the man for the job. Like the rest of this chaotic infrastructure-riven mess of a city, the LA river’s character as a seductive, abrasive edgeland must be celebrated for what it is."

Related coverage:

"They should grow up": Frank Gehry to critics of his involvement with the L.A. River

2015-09-23T14:18:00-04:00

Mia Lehrer, a Los Angeles landscape architect who helped prepare a master plan for the river in 2007, said Mr. Gehry’s involvement had distressed people wary of top-down directives, and raised fears that he would derail the plan by the Army Corps of Engineers just as it was gaining momentum. Still, she said Mr. Gehry was welcome to join the fray. “He’s a creative dude,” Ms. Lehrer said. “So the answer is, ‘Why not?’”

Perhaps to escape the local ire which his involvement with the L.A. River redevelopment has drawn, Frank Gehry talked to The New York Times about his hopes for the project and for his relationship with the community. "I’m doing something that’s going to be good and trying to be inclusive, and they are trying to cut me up before I even get out of the gate. That’s not nice. I don’t want to create a fight with them, but they should grow up," he said.

For more on Gehry's involvement with the L.A. River, do read:

L.A. landscape architect Mia Lehrer on what makes a successful park

2014-08-14T14:30:00-04:00

It relates to scale, who's going to be there, what reflects the culture and interests of the community. People's first notion about a park is Central Park — big, grassy, lush. So adjusting expectations about that aesthetic, we have a hard row to hoe in L.A. This is the era for our city to think about parks and the river and the urban forest as all one thing.