Design has been unveiled for the Angels Landing skyscraper in Los Angeles. The tower was designed by US firm Handel Architects. It will be the third-highest building in the city and the tallest in the US to be constructed by Black developers.
The development is planned for a location in Downtown Los Angeles between Hill Street and California Plaza. It will feature two mixed-use towers, street-front shops and restaurants. Additionally, it will have a multi-story outdoor park that incorporates Angel’s Flight, a trolley built in 1901. The tallest of the towers will be 260 metres tall with 88 floors 63 above ground while the smaller will be 150 metres.
Features of Angels Landing skyscraper in Los Angeles
Gary Handel, the founder of Handel Architects, claims that the building would function as a form of “wayfinder.” Thus it will use its prominent location on the skyline to point to the location of the public area at the base. The towers will be supported by a platform that houses the entrances to the hotel and retail spaces. Additionally, it will extends outside to connect the two buildings, and terraces up between the structure. This will have it connecting to the various components.
At California Plaza, where Angels Landing expands and merges an existing park into the outdoor public space, the terrace’s sculptural concrete massing will come to an end. Handel claimed that the open area on all these distinct floors, totaling more than 56,000 square feet, “creates nearly a modern rendition of an Italian hill town.” Massive steel support beams will be visible all the way down to street level where the towers meet the platform.
Along the façade, a row of vertical louvres will serve as sun screens. The louvres will be close together. They will represent a more “organic” material palette closer to the ground, surrounding the podium. However, Handel says the precise materials for the facade haven’t been decided. The louvre designs are still present in the top portions of the towers in a sequence of curtain-wall panels that emphasize the tower’s height while also providing sun shelter.
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A modern rendition of an Italian hill town in tallest tower in the US constructed by Black developers
According to Handel, the balcony’ depth is extended by gaps in the curtain wall. The tower is “further articulated” and “adds a sense of verticality.” This is as a result of the balconies’ interaction with the louvres.
The smaller of the two towers has a “lozenge” shape and a height that the architecture firm described as “transitional.” This is because it connects the height of the nearby buildings to the larger tower. Where the building’s edge meets the entrance park, floor plates will protrude outward. Thus it will form fins that will provide additional shade for the homes below.
The face of the bigger tower is broken up by open spaces where the exposed beams can once again be seen. Furthermore, it will have a minor slope on one side. These intersections will highlight the tower’s minor slope and offer room for sizable covered terraces. The peak of the Angels Landing skyscraper in Los Angeles will be crowned by a parapet where the louvres extend past the top of the building.
