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 train tracks that separate the site from the River. This would be one of the most difficult aspects of the proposal to achieve, requiring navigating the tangled web of public agencies and private entities, from the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to Amtrak, that control the transit corridor.
“The major contribution to the transformation of the Arts District could be creating this deck over the rail yards,” said Ingels, as reported in the Los Angeles Times. “The Arts District doesn’t have a lot of open outdoor space.”
The design comprises a massive concrete grid. Different glass-walled squares would be inserted into the structure’s 45 sq. ft. frames, a bit like Archigram’s Plug-In-City stripped of its radical social implications. Tenants could choose to filled the entire frame with a high-ceilinged space or divide their cube into several floor. The frames would be topped with landscaped terraces, and some would remain voids.
As the Times reports, the building will almost certainly face some opposition. For one, it would require variances from the city planning department, including amendments to accommodate its density. This could be difficult if the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, which would impose a two-year moratorium on developments that need general-plan amendments, passes in an upcoming election. Additionally, the project is sited directly across from Boyle Heights, a neighborhood at the center of the city’s anti-gentrification struggle. 670 Mesquit would accompany other big projects, like the large development by Herzog and de Meuron nearby (which it resembles to some degree) and whatever comes out of the opaque, Frank Gehry-led river redevelopment. If built, this would be BIG’s first building in Los Angeles.
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17 Comments
"...a bit like Archigram’s Plug-In-City stripped of its radical social implications"
Who is doing architecture with radical social implications these days? I know our regulars on the podcast, like Mitch McEwen and Quilian Riano, and the stars like Aravena and Cruz, but who is doing *radical* architecture addressing social inequities and the dreadful future? Who are today's Archigrams?
Archigram would not have been recognized had they hit the scene nowadays. There is too much white noise for anyone to be heard. To much information.
So a stripped down version of 1950s is the best we can do. Not terrible, but lacking. Reminds me of a poor mans version of SHoPs design for Uber, which I guess is better than a strip mall. Sad we can't do better in 2016
It looks to me like BIG is shifting away from playful diagramming and is doing more of the kind of austere concrete-and-glass modernism that H&deM often does.
Vine-covered concrete grid done beautifully, by Kevin Roche for Cummins.
Hope Bjarke visits Columbus.
That's beautiful.
There's something about relying on foliage to beautify a project that seems like a cop out. From expressionism to 'concrete grid' with glass boxes. Where's the middle ground?
Vines are like good BBQ sauce...makes anything taste better...
Nice shout out to Columbus!
So, LA River corridor will end up one big condominium bonanza. What's new? When you say urbanism LA thinks real estate / mixed use development. Actually, this is not really unique to LA but the entire US. Does anyone really think these units will go to artists? Regardless of that, it is a nice project as Bjarke's office does. Though, LA sun bakes.
I doubt Bjarke lands anywhere in the US outside of a 200 mile radius from LA or NYC
Im looking forward to the next US slowdown, just so that these stupid projects along the LA river would stop.
They may slow down but the projects will continue.
Later people will look at them as signs of progress and exception based on an arbitrary calculus of how they have been amenitized, their adjacency to the river and the fact that they were build during a slow down. Building culture in a time of crisis...
Every new project is either a dumb glass box or dumb glass boxes stacked. None of the craft of great design. But it's not like there are any critics left to tell the public the difference... only those sucking the tit of FB clicks
Ten bucks says I can draw his website graphic for this.
The whole area has priced out artists for years, and yet it's still a dump and a giant cloud of dust. Development in the area is a positive, though I'd like to see more reuse like much of what's going on in the central strip. This thing is going to stick out so bad in that area everyone will think the developer is compensating for something.
looks like the scheme inherited some features from an earlier scheme for the site done by local office Shubin + Donaldson Architects :
The more i look at this project - the more I think it would be a beautiful addition to the area and its future.
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