Archinect - News

Frank Gehry’s new SELA Cultural Center design inches forward in Los Angeles

2023-12-21T17:31:00-05:00

The proposed Gehry Partners design of the new SELA Cultural Center in South Gate, Los Angeles, is moving forward with approvals from the L.A. Board of Supervisors.

The project forms a major part of the Rio Hondo portion of the Lower Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan, which is contained in the larger 51-mile-long master plan designed by Gehry to run from the San Fernando Valley to San Pedro.

According to Urbanize LA, who reported on the recent approval: “The site sits on the south side of Imperial Highway, and near other upcoming Los Angeles River projects such as South Gate's 30-acre 'Urban Orchard.' Additionally, the cultural center would sit a short distance from the right-of-way of Metro's West Santa Ana Branch light rail line.”

SELA Cultural Center master plan. Image courtesy Gehry Partners & OLIN.

The project will be executed at 85,000 square feet with a site plan from OLIN. Details include an outdoor terrace deck and space for cultural events. Another pavilion structure at ...

Frank Gehry & OLIN break ground on new LA River revitalization Headwaters Pavilion

2022-11-21T17:28:00-05:00

In Canoga Park, a groundbreaking ceremony held on November 7 by City and County officials marks the official start of work on a new entry pavilion to the Los Angeles River Greenway. The new pavilion will consist of two buildings, framing an entrance to the river greenway, each featuring public restrooms. The new structures will support a shade canopy displaying public art. Other components include picnic tables, bike racks, and a drinking fountain.

The pavilion is the spearhead of the new “kit of parts” LA River revitalization master plan that was adopted by the county in May and includes the $1 billion-plus Taylor Yard G2 site and a total of 22 other new projects spread along the 51-mile-long course stretching from the San Fernando Valley to its southern terminus in San Pedro.

Previously on Archinect: Frank Gehry gets back in on the LA River action with a new Headwaters Pavilion design

OLIN is a collaborator on the project, which provides restrooms and a shade structure to frame the park's entrance at Bassett Street and Alabama Avenue. Total estimated costs for the design is $5.1 million.

Frank Gehry gets back in on the LA River action with a new Headwaters Pavilion design

2022-08-08T18:04:00-04:00

A few short weeks removed from the greenlighting of its proposed Ocean Avenue project in Santa Monica, Gehry Partners has revealed a new design for a Headwaters Pavilion to the LA River Greenway located within a city-owned plot in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Canoga Park.

Image courtesy Gehry Partners, LLP

Urbanize LA is reporting the firm will present its proposal to the city’s Cultural Affairs Commission on Wednesday. It was designed in collaboration with OLIN and will reportedly entail a sculptural shade canopy and public restrooms which frame the park entrance from the north-facing Bassett Street and Alabama Avenue. The total estimated cost of the design is $5.1 million.

Image courtesy OLIN

Pedestrian improvements and added seating amenities are planned for the site as well, along with added water retention infrastructure. Both entities have been involved in the LA River project since its inception seven years ago. Gehry’s role in the project has been heavily-scrutiniz...

Los Angeles County releases final LA River Master Plan

2022-05-23T19:29:00-04:00

The multi-year process that will eventually engender a string of entirely reimagined waterfront plots along the LA River has entered its next phase after county officials released their final master plan last week.

The documents offer an update to the County proposal first introduced in 2016 by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl. The plan will now be submitted to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for review at a meeting scheduled for June 14th.

Image via The LA River Master Plan, courtesy Los Angeles County.

Said to create a “kit of parts” that potentially includes the $1 billion-plus Taylor Yard G2 site and a total of 77 others (22 of which are considered new), the master plan is said to provide a “toolkit” for community revitalization that addresses core areas of climate change, biodiversity, homelessness, and gentrification.

Previously on Archinect: L.A. River masterplan updates unveiled

The master plan incorporates the state’s Lower LA River Revitalization Plan a...

L.A.'s new Sixth Street Viaduct makes construction progress and shines at the Venice Biennale

2021-06-02T17:22:00-04:00

The Michael Maltzan Architecture-designed Sixth Street Viaduct is slowly taking shape in Los Angeles as new photos by LA Times photojournalist Allen J. Schaben show.

The $588 million bridge project, the biggest in the city's history, emerged as the winning entry in the 2012 design competition for a new bridge to replace the original 1932 structure and connect Downtown LA with the Boyle Heights neighborhood across the Los Angeles River, the 101 Freeway, 18 sets of railroad tracks, and a new park.

The design team also includes HNTB (Engineer and Executive Architect), Hargreaves Associates (Landscape Architect), and AC Martin (Urban Planning).

Take a look at some recent construction snapshots below and in this recent Los Angeles Times article.

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Meanwhile in Italy, the Sixth Street Viaduct project is on display at the recently opened 2021 Venice Biennale in the Emerging Communities section in th...

L.A. River masterplan updates unveiled

2021-01-29T12:03:00-05:00

Los Angeles County unveiled its draft update to the L.A. River master plan, the document intended to guide the development of new parks and water quality projects along the 51-mile corridor, while also accounting for potential displacement and equity issues in neighboring communities.

The new document was formed with input from thousands of residents, with online materials receiving nearly one million impressions, Urbanize LA reports. Frank Gehry is leading the masterplan effort in collaboration with Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm OLIN.

The masterplan focuses heavily on open space, transportation, and water quality, in addition to "elevated platform parks" intended to cover the existing concrete channel in lieu of removing it. The draft plan is available for review and public comment through March 14 at LARiverMasterPlan.org.

Frank Gehry proposes capping parts of the LA River with elevated platform parks

2021-01-11T15:52:00-05:00

Critics, including some influential environmental groups, would prefer to see naturalization of the river itself. But during a recent Zoom call from his Los Angeles studio, a grin crossed the Pritzker Prize winner’s face as he shared his plans to transform the forlorn industrial confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Rio Hondo in South Gate into an urban cultural park like no other.

It's been relatively quiet around the ambitious Los Angeles River revitalization project since Frank Gehry's firm was selected to lead the master plan effort in 2015.

Now the Los Angeles Times has revealed an update — although sparse in detail — which instead of the naturalization of the 51-mile LA River concrete channel many were expecting proposes a few elevated platform parks capping stretches of the river bed as well as a $150-million cultural center near the confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Rio Hondo in South Gate.

"Constructed on hulking concrete planks and enormous girders, the earthen parks would stretch nearly a mile over both rivers and support a lush landscape of trees, grass, scenic ponds, horse trails and walking paths," reports Louis Sahagún for the paper.

New LA River renderings reveal potential designs for the massive revitalization project

2018-03-20T00:31:00-04:00

A wide array of projects big and small are now moving forward alongside all 51 miles of the Los Angeles River, and some of the most comprehensive planning is taking place along the river’s southern portion, from Vernon to Long Beach.

As part of the ongoing Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan, Perkins + Will have recently released renderings of what their contribution could look like. The overall Los Angeles River plan includes proposals varying in size and location. The largest proposals include revitalizing expansive sections along the river to create public spaces with trails, bridges, bike and walking paths, landscaping, and seating areas.

A new rendering features terraced seating and access to the river bed itself. Image: Perkins + Will.

Rendering of a shared street concept by the river in Cudahy.

Rendering of a trail near the Rio Hondo confluence.

Rendering of a boardwalk near Willow Street in Long Beach.

Catch up on all the news around the Los Angeles River Revitalization Projects here.

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.

Seven firms release new renderings for LA River restoration projects

2017-06-19T19:49:00-04:00

The City of Los Angeles and its Bureau of Engineering recently worked with seven design firms to reenvision seven sections of the L.A. River through Downtown Los Angeles. The conceptual images that resulted from this process have reimagined the river banks with open space, play areas, public art, new connections and development.

In partnership with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering and the Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's office, seven firms have released preliminary visioning plans for a segment of the Los Angeles river. Running through downtown, the seven-mile stretch begins at the southern tip of the Frogtown neighborhood and ends at Redondo Junction. Each firm was given a different segment to plan and was asked to consider river-adjacent projects already in plan as well as anticipated development along the stretch such as a potential extension of the Red Line subway.

Working on the stretch from Barclay to Spring Street between I-110 and the northern border of Chinatown, Gruen Associates proposed reconfiguring the existing rail yard with a meadow and public paths.

WSP's proposal of the stretch starting at Spring Street and continuing on to Cesar Chavez Avenue, involves a series of stepped terraces that gradually meet at the existing river bottom.

CH2M's proposal continues on from Cesar...

Watch a meditative and breathtaking aerial survey of the L.A. River

2017-01-05T14:26:00-05:00

Only one thing is certain now that Frank Gehry has undertaken the plan to revitalize the LA River: in the future, it will be different.

Check out Archinect's extensive coverage of the LA River Redevelopment, including interviews with major players like Mia Lehrer via the Next Up series...

This elegant aerial video by Chang Kim captures the current state of the concrete-channeled river, offering not only a meditative journey over freeway overpasses, opportunistic scrub brush and litter-choked rivulets, but a lush historic record of what this city's main water artery was, whatever it may eventually become. With a spare piano soundtrack composed by Nils Frahm, the video comes in at just under five minutes:

Winners, Whiners and Wine Boxes: Paul Revere Williams' posthumous Gold Medal, Jean Nouvel's legal woes and BIG's LA River project, on Archinect Sessions #92

2016-12-15T18:16:00-05:00

On this episode, we discuss the biggest news items of the past week, covering: the political bent to the AIA's Gold Medal being awarded posthumously to Paul Revere Williams; Jean Nouvel's legal battle over his "defiled" Paris Philharmonie; and BIG's new proposal for a giant, riverside mixed-user in LA's Arts District.

Listen to episode 92 of Archinect Sessions, "Winners, Whiners and Wine Boxes":

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Download: this episode

The news stories we discussed this week:

Jean Nouvel's court battle over the Philharmonie continues

2017 AIA Gold Medal posthumously awarded to Paul Revere Williams — the first African-American recipient

BIG proposes massive, gridded development for the LA Arts Distri...

BIG proposes massive, gridded development for the LA Arts District

2016-12-12T13:15:00-05:00

Bjarke Ingels Group is the latest big fish to join the development frenzy along the LA River in advance of its rehabilitation. The Gallo family, of vinous fame, has commissioned the Copenhagen/New York-based firm to create a proposal for a city block-sized development in the Arts District. The building, which would comprise two connected buildings reaching 30 stories tall in some places, is for a site along the edge of the LA River not far from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and Michael Maltzan’s prone behemoth, One Santa Fe.

In total, the project, dubbed 670 Mesquit, would contain nearly 800,000 sq. ft. of office space, two boutique hotels, 250 rental units and a slew of restaurants and shops. Following the strictures of Measure JJJ, which passed by a wide margin in the last election, the building would have 41 affordable units. Additionally, the building would host a small museum or public sculpture park that would connect to a massive “deck” stretching over the ...

Listen to our final interviews from 'Next Up: The LA River' on One-to-One!

2016-12-05T16:43:00-05:00

Missed out on Next Up: The LA River, Archinect Sessions' podcasting event? Now you can listen to the whole thing, released in two parts on One-to-One. Last week, we released the first half of the interviews, and this week we've got the rest.

This week's playlist of live recordings features interviews with:

Lou Pesce (designer with Metabolic Studio)

Julia Meltzer (director and founder of Clockshop, a non-profit arts organization) and Elizabeth Timme (co-director of LA-Más)

Renee Dake Wilson (partner at Dake Wilson Architects and VP of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission) and Alexander Robinson (assistant professor of architecture at USC and principal at Office of Outdoor Research)

Mia Lehrer (founder and president at Mia Lehrer + Associates)

Individual episodes are available on Archinect Sessions. Listen and subscribe here.

Listen to One-to-One #48, featuring the last four interviews from Next Up: The LA River:

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button below the lo...

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:

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Now you can listen to interviews from 'Next Up: The LA River' on One-to-One!

2016-11-28T19:44:00-05:00

Missed out on Next Up: The LA River, Archinect Sessions' podcasting event? Now you can listen to the first half all at once, on One-to-One, recorded live. Next week we'll release the full second-half.

This playlist of live recordings features interviews with:

Frances Anderton (host, KCRW’s DnA) and Christopher Hawthorne (architecture critic, Los Angeles Times)

Steven Appleton (co-founder, LA River Kayak Safari) and Catherine Gudis (co-founder, Play the L.A. River game)

Marissa Christiansen (Executive Director (formerly Senior Policy Director), Friends of the Los Angeles River)

Deborah Weintraub (Chief Deputy City Engineer, LA Bureau of Engineering)

Individual episodes are available on Archinect Sessions. Listen and subscribe here.

Listen to One-to-One #47, featuring the first four interviews from 'Next Up: The LA River':

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button below the logo to automatically download new episodes.
Apple Podcast App (iOS): click here to subscribe
SoundCl...

Listen to 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session #7 with Renee Dake Wilson (LA City Planning Commission) and Alexander Robinson (Office of Outdoor Research)

2016-11-23T13:17:00-05:00

Our penultimate Mini-Session interview from 'Next Up: The LA River' pairs architects Renee Dake Wilson and Alexander Robinson. Dake Wilson, principal at Dake Wilson Architects, was appointed by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as Vice President on the city's volunteer-based Planning Commission—an array of professionals who make recommendations between communities and the city on planning projects. On the commission, she's worked particularly with proposals to change the height and density limits on development in Elysian Valley, aka Frogtown—the neighborhood along the LA River that has become a major node in the city's ongoing gentrification discussion.

Robinson, while teaching at USC as an assistant professor, runs the Office of Outdoor Research and just recently completed a term as a Rome Prize recipient, researching the Tiber River as it relates to LA's and other cities' river infrastructures. He has also previously worked with Mia Lehrer's office on LA River projects.

Listen to Arc...

Listen to 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session #5 with Lou Pesce of Metabolic Studio

2016-11-21T17:34:00-05:00

Los Angeles' Metabolic Studio, run by architect and visual artist Lauren Bon, creates site-specific, temporary "devices of wonder" that interpret landscape in new ways, shifting public perception of land and waterways. One of their most recent projects, 'Bending the River Back Into the City' (pictured below), is a three-part intervention that literally diverts water from the LA River back into LA, distributing it via "the city's first water commons, to allow the currency of water to create social capital."

Lou Pesce, an artist with Metabolic Studio, joined us at Next Up to discuss. As concerns about gentrification, public access and the drought raise issues of ownership and equity along the LA River, I wanted to ask about the economic ideas behind 'Bending the River' and how the project relates to the river's specific role in LA history.

Listen to Archinect Sessions Mini-Session #5 of 'Next Up: The LA River' with Lou Pesce:

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button...

Listen to 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session #4: Deborah Weintraub, Chief Architect and Chief Deputy City Engineer for LA's Bureau of Engineering

2016-11-19T14:14:00-05:00

As Chief Architect and Chief Deputy City Engineer presiding over a group of 800+ architects and engineers, Deborah Weintraub has a big picture of LA infrastructure in mind when it comes to the river. She also has a fair amount of historical perspective, having overseen the implementation of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan after it first issued RFPs in December of 2004.

Additionally, she oversaw the design and construction of the river's new 6th Street Viaduct by Michael Maltzan's office, which recently broke ground.

Nicholas Korody spoke with Deborah about her role as the most senior architect in the Bureau of Engineering, the river's urbanistic potential (and pitfalls) as a gigantic piece of infrastructure, and Gehry's role beyond hydrology.

Listen to Archinect Sessions Mini-Session #4 of 'Next Up: The LA River' with Deborah Weintraub:

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Apple Podcast App ...

Listen to 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session #3 with Steven Appleton and Catherine Gudis

2016-11-18T20:04:00-05:00

Steven Appleton and Catherine Gudis are some of Next Up's most active participants when it comes to physically being in the LA River. Appleton co-founded LA River Kayak Safari, which has lead over 6000 people on kayaking tours down the river. He's also a public artist, and has made work that engages with the river for more than 15 years—his "50 Clean Bottles of LA River Water" used a bespoke water wheel to pump the river's water into bottles, and clean it to potable levels.

Gudis, while her core role is directing UC Riverside's Public History Program, also co-founded Project 51's 'Play the LA River'—a game that invited Angelenos to explore different areas along the river's entire 51-mile stretch. While over 80% of the river is paved, there are stretches of soft-bottom, green wetlands that host their own diverse, unique ecology.

Paul spoke with Appleton and Gudis for Next Up about reframing Angelenos' expectations of the river by helping them get their feet wet.

Listen to Archinect Sess...

Listen to 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session #2 with Marissa Christiansen, Senior Policy Director of Friends of the Los Angeles River

2016-11-17T12:55:00-05:00

Our second conversation from 'Next Up: The LA River' is with Marissa Christiansen, Senior Policy Director of Friends of the Los Angeles River. FOLAR, as the non-profit is known, turned 30 this year, and was founded on the mission to "protect and restore the natural and historic heritage of the Los Angeles river and its riparian habitat through inclusive planning, education and wise stewardship." Its role in much of the river's discourse has often included reminding all parties involved that the river is indeed a natural river, and host to a diverse ecosystem—despite its characterization as the "world's largest storm drain" ever since the Army Corps of Engineers paved most of it for flood control in the 1930s.

Christiansen trained as an urban planner before joining FOLAR this year, and spoke with Nicholas Korody about the organization's history within the river's redevelopment, its focus on reconnecting people with the river's immense natural resources, and the delicate balance betwee...

Listen to 'Next Up: The LA River' Mini-Session #1 with KCRW's 'Design and Architecture' host Frances Anderton and LA Times architecture critic, Christopher Hawthorne

2016-11-16T12:44:00-05:00

When Frank Gehry's office was first attached to the L.A. River's master plan and redevelopment, the river began attracting fresh attention over a project that had already been evolving for decades. This October, in an attempt to do justice to the river's complexity and history (and the accompanying urbanist discourse), Archinect hosted 'Next Up: The LA River'—a live podcasting interview series with an array of architects, planners, artists, and journalists with varying perspectives on the subject.

We're now eager to share those conversations with everyone as eight Mini-Sessions, released as part of our Archinect Sessions podcast. Myself, Paul Petrunia and Nicholas Korody moderated the conversations, which took place at the Los Angeles Architecture + Design Museum on October 29, 2016. While we reached out to them, unfortunately no representatives from Gehry's office were able to take part.

Our first Mini-Session was moderated by myself, with Frances Anderton (host of KCRW's 'Design and...

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...

Archinect presents Next Up: The L.A. River, at the A+D Museum on Saturday, October 29!

2016-10-18T12:06:00-04:00

For the latest installment of Archinect's live podcasting series, Next Up, we're focusing on the L.A. River, and the wide swath of urbanist concerns within its ongoing master planning efforts.

It could be the project that makes, or breaks, Los Angeles. With a complex historical legacy and an often-misunderstood ecology, the L.A. River’s 51-mile stretch is at once a huge urban opportunity, and to many, an even bigger eyesore. Thirty years ago, nonprofit Friends of the Los Angeles River was founded to protect and advocate for the river, and shortly after, the City of L.A. began looking at ways to take better advantage of the immense resource. Since then, many more communities and stakeholders have joined the conversation, raising concerns of ecology, sustainability, gentrification, public space, affordable housing, social equity—a wealth of complexities that testifies to what a lightning rod of urbanist discourse the River has become.

While conversations about the L.A. River’s future ...

“To ignore this is to ignore one of the great resources of the region": Frank Gehry on the LA River Revitalization project

2016-09-06T14:00:00-04:00

River LA, formerly the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, has posted a video interview with Frank Gehry about his work on the LA River revitalization project. The nonprofit organization works to build public support for the project.

“I think when I started it I had trepidation,” Gehry begins. “I had the feeling that it was more major than I was thinking of it.”

He goes on the explain that “the river is a complicated organism”, and therefore the project has mainly comprised in-depth research up to this point. “Like any design problem I had to really study it,” he states.

According to Gehry, a quarter of Californians live within 30 miles of the river, which underscores both its importance and potential. “To ignore this is to ignore one of the great resources of the region,” he states.

The appointment of Gehry as the lead architect of the LA river revitalization has been controversial. Long-time advocates for the project have expressed feeling left out of the decision, which so...

A thriving ecosystem of shorebirds calls the LA River's concrete bottom home

2016-08-31T13:26:00-04:00

“By accident, we’ve created the perfect habitat there. People don’t think about that because they think that this part of the river is ugly and concrete, but it’s a critically important habitat for these shorebirds.” [...] As the city makes its decisions about the river’s future, it is called upon to be sensitive to all life that has managed to grow around it, despite its not-so-green surroundings.

For more on the LA River's redevelopment:

A look at some cities revitalizing their blighted rivers

2016-08-24T13:52:00-04:00

Los Angeles wants to rethink its river. [...] And LA isn’t the only metropolis looking to reclaim its once-mocked waterway. Cities around the world are realizing that water can be a cultural and recreational asset, not something to hide or pillage, and it seems no waterway will be wasted for long.

Will Gehry's L.A. River plan result in water savings?

2016-08-04T12:53:00-04:00

For decades, the concrete-lined L.A. River has been more famous for being a bone-dry iconic conduit for films like Terminator 2 than a major watery artery, but that may change: in a talk with Christopher Hawthorne on Monday, Frank Gehry mentioned that his design may just save the city significant amounts of cash when it comes to buying water. Per the Hollywood Reporter:

The river, which was bound in concrete beginning in the late 1930s after a series of damaging floods, is also frequently blamed for wasting water, one of Los Angeles’ most embattled resources. Because the river’s concrete binding was designed to channel floodwaters swiftly into the ocean and away from properties on the banks, the city now loses more than 28.6 billion gallons of water a year, according to River L.A., a nonprofit working with Gehry’s firm and funded in part by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

“We think we can save the city one-third of what it now pays for imported water,” Gehry said in conversati...

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...

What's happening with Frank Gehry's masterplan for the LA River?

2016-06-20T17:44:00-04:00

River LA is less interested in giving a clear picture of what Gehry’s plan eventually may include than in tamping down charges that it has been born of secrecy — and worries that it may operate as a Trojan horse, a kind of high-design architectural cover, for rampant real-estate speculation [...] A central goal of this master plan... will be to strike an effective balance between maintaining flood-control measures while opening up the river to new kinds of public access.

The two designers from Gehry's office leading research on the River's masterplan, Tensho Takemori and Anand Devarajan, emphasize that the approach now is about learning, not designing: “This is just meant to be information,” said Takemori. “There’s no designs, no proposals or anything like that.” Devarajan adds, “We’ve tried to take an inform-ourselves approach before we make any decisions about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

While nothing close to an official proposal has yet been discussed by River LA (formerly known as Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation), Christopher Hawthorne does interpret information from their website as hints about what might lie in store for the River:

One section, “Water Recharge,” suggests that by redesigning the river to capture more storm water — directing it to aquifers rather than allowing it to flow via the river out to sea — the region could decrease its reliance on water imported from other parts of California and the Western U.S. by as mu...