WILSHIRE TOWER

WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER WILSHIRE TOWER

On 22, Dec 2015 | In | By PAR

We were invited by the Architecture + Design Museum to design a project for their exhibition Shelter. The curators asked us to explore new forms of housing that could respond to changes in the cultural fabric and physical landscape of Los Angeles. We were interested in reimagining the skyscraper for a future, denser city—and explored how individuality and nature, two fundamental qualities of Los Angeles living, could be created vertically in the sky.

This 82-story residential building can serve residents of various socioeconomics, with unit sizes ranging from 500 to 5,000 square feet. By stacking and offsetting single floor plates each level of the tower is distinct with its own unique spatial qualities. This breaks down the building volume into horizontal elements of a more domestic, human scale. There are four floor plate sizes XL, L, M and S with the larger plates at the bottom adding stability against earthquakes. Floor plate shifts create a direct connection to nature through oversized terraces. Dense vegetation on south and west terraces naturally buffer the environment while the north and east terraces provide leisure zones. The terraces themselves become the in-between space, between private living and the city. From a distance, the building boundary begins to blur as the green spaces seem to flow into the city.

Type: Residential High-Rise
Location: Los Angeles, US
Completion: 2015, Exhibition
Area: 654,000 sf
Client: Architecture + Design Museum
Curators: Sam Lubell, Danielle Rago
Exhibition: Shelter: Rethinking How We Live in LA
Engineer: BuroHappold
Environmental: BuroHappold
Visualizer: BloomImages
Architect: PAR: Jennifer Marmon, Partner in Charge; Angus Goble, Partner; John Chang, Designer; Miwa Espinoza; Julian Huang; Patrycja Jurczak; Matthias Malicki; Jack Reidler; Jesse Segura
Sponsors: BuroHappold, Architecture + Design Museum