The San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler proposes a 52-story tower marking the southern entrance to Downtown Los Angeles. The tower will be replacing the Downtown Toyota Dealership at 1600 South Figueroa. The site was purchased by L&R Group of Companies who “wanted fanciful designs” to act as “gateway” to Downtown, adding value to the already growing district.
About the design concept, Joel Miller of consulting engineering firm Psomas told Curbed LA that the tower is “designed to be a vertical neighborhood.” Distinct masses will form the stack-like design of the tower. Each mass represents a different part of the program. The ground floor will include retail space covering 9,000 square feet, in addition to lobbies connecting the different building zones. Right above, there will be 6,500 square feet of office space. Then, there will be a hotel occupying the floors from the 5th to the 18th, with a 3,000 square foot restaurant.
Courtesy of Gensler
Above the hotel, the building is divided into two separate masses extending up to the 39th floor and containing 202 condominiums and 134 rental apartments. The two masses are placed at different angles from the rest of the building to look like a gate opening into Downton LA, according to Miller.
The two residential masses are crowned with a unified mass of slightly shifted floors covered in vegetation and containing more residential units extending to the 44th floor. This mass will be topped with a sculptural attachment of penthouses that goes onto the 52nd floor. The tower will be provided with 499 parking spaces in five underground levels and four above ground level. It will, also, include desirable facilities for residents, like a rooftop pool and a fitness center.
