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Four Finalists for Pershing Square Design in Los Angeles Announced!
United States Architecture News - Apr 29, 2016 - 11:58 19876 views
the proposal by Agence Ter and Team
Pershing Square Design Finalists are competing for new visions at ''Reimagine The Heart Of Los Angeles.'' Pershing Square, the public park that covers an entire city block adjacent to LA’s Historic Core, Jewelry District, Bunker Hill and Civic Center, as well as a major transit station, has seen multiple incarnations, the most recent an overhaul dating back to the early 1990s. In September 2015, Councilmember Huizar spurred the creation of Pershing Square Renew, a public-private partnership to overhaul and re-envision the five-acre park that emerged from the Councilmember’s broad vision for a revitalized Downtown LA.
The four finalists have been developing their proposals since they were selected from a semi-finalist round of ten in December 2015. Following the April 28 events, the Pershing Square Renew jury will deliberate, leading to the final selection of a design team in May 2016.
Four finalists of the Pershing Square Renew global design competition:
“Pershing Square’s revitalization is the missing puzzle piece for the revitalization of Downtown,” said Eduardo Santana, Executive Director of Pershing Square Renew, “and one of these four world-class teams has found that missing piece.”
“If we’re going to have an active and dynamic public space at Pershing Square, we need robust public engagement on how we get there,” said Councilmember José Huizar, who championed the creation of Pershing Square Renew.
Los Angeles is becoming one of the most vibrant and exciting urban centers in America, PSN's goal is for Pershing Square to be one of the top destinations in Southern California. In September, Pershing Square Renew invited design firms from around the world to compete to be selected as our design partner in re-envisioning Pershing Square, Los Angeles’ oldest park in the heart of DTLA, into the city’s town square.
According to our Executive Director: “Their challenge isn’t to win awards; it’s to win over hearts. More than anything else, these groups need to focus on the experiences their design will inspire and the memories the Square will create.”
See the four finalists' proposals below:
Finalist 1: Agence Ter and Team
With the aim of being capable of realizing the vision for Pershing Square, Agence Ter is pleased to propose a team, largely established in Downtown LA and rich in experience in designing and constructing exceptional spaces that welcome the public.
Finalist 2: James Corner Field Operations with Frederick Fisher and Partners
In projects description, The team represents the very best of international, national and local national expertise in creating one-of-a-kind, vibrant urban parks that resonate with both people and place. The design approach for Pershing Square is to re-create the green garden oasisthat characterized the original square, providing generous social spaces for everyday strolling, relaxation and play, as well as for special events, markets, festivals, arts and performance. The aim is to create an iconic open space specific to Downtown Los Angeles, capturing both its historical significance as well as its future potential as an ever-evolving, cosmopolitan cultural center-piece – an iconic green platform for contemporary civic life.
Finalist 3: SWA | Morphosis
The studios explain that sustainable design and flexible programming lie at the heart of our design approach. The square will need to be many things for many people-day and night. It will need to be a safe public space, a local spot with dining and art to meet and mingle, a place to play, a mobility hub. Together, weve designed a 21st century urban park that will serve our downtown for generations to come.
Finalist 4: wHY + Civitas
The wHY + Civitas design approach is to connect Los Angeles with parks, healthy places for socializing, exercising, playing, learning and relaxing. For Pershing Square, we envision an exemplary model for how to transform this public piece of LA into the heart of the city.
