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Century Plaza Hotel

Century Plaza Hotel

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A historic hotel in Century City area of Los Angeles needed renovation, in order to enter a new era. The legendary Century Plaza is a landmark for the city, therefore its redesign should proceed with respect to its long history. 
 

Century City is a famous neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles. It is the business center of the city and  this becomes apparent when someone looks at the spectacular skyline that the tall towers create. Century Plaza Hotel, which is  located at the heart of Century City, catches visitor’s eye. 


The building, which was initially designed by Minoru Yamasaki during the ‘60s, was assigned for redesign to the internationally acclaimed architecture companies “Pei Cobb Freed”, “Gensler” and “Marmol Radziner”. The architectural proposal aimed to renovate the building as a whole and focused to the reconstruction of its rooms and their transformation to large and luxurious suites. The outcome of this different direction regarding the rooms is that their number was decreased from 726 to 394. The building’s minimal lines are followed both externally and internally, without excessive details. However, a sense of class and luxury is clear.  


In the redesign some elements of the building’s past were preserved, such as the distinctive balconies. All the spaces of the hotel were equipped with a tailor – made insulated, lift & slide aluminium system that provides high energy efficiency and at the same time blends perfectly with the modern style of the building.  


Century Plaza Hotel is ready for its second life circle. This hotel is a special landmark for Los Angeles city, as it has accommodated Presidents of United States and celebrities. Now, the renovated Century Plaza will reopen its doors, in order to provide once again comfort and high – standards of living. 

Century Plaza

Century Plaza

This revitalization of Century Plaza builds on the original vision of Minoru Yamasaki by complementing his iconic twin office towers and original hotel with a new set of twin residential towers.

The design extends and dramatizes the visual axis established by the orientation of Yamasaki’s twin office towers toward his earlier hotel. Along this central axis through the property, a new sequence of spaces constitute Century Plaza’s most important contribution to the public realm.

These spaces include a new Avenue of the Stars Entry Plaza; the Lobby Breezeway, a loggia-like central gathering place; the Gardens of Century Plaza, a landscaped public square surrounded by retail shops at plaza level and the podium gardens above; Constellation Plaza, providing access to the lower level of retail shops; and the continuation of retail frontage east along Constellation Boulevard. This carefully crafted sequence of public spaces is bold in its ambitions, intended to create an urban scene of a quality rarely encountered in the contemporary city.

photo_credit Eric Staudenmaier
Eric Staudenmaier

SITE
Century Plaza Hotel property, a 6.13-acre urban site in Century City, Los Angeles

COMPONENTS
1,090,000 ft2 / 101,000 m2 gross area; Park Elm at Century Plaza: two residential towers with condominium units, retail space; landscaped parks and plazas; onsite parking; existing Century Plaza hotel renovation by Marmol Radziner; hotel interior renovation by Gensler

CLIENT
Next Century Associates, LLC

PCF&P SERVICES
Master planning, architecture, exterior envelope, interior design of public spaces

SUSTAINABILITY
Designed & registered for LEED Silver certification

LEAD DESIGNERS
Henry N. Cobb Roy G. Barris

AWARDS
Design Award Society of American Registered Architects, New York Council, 2024

Los Angeles Architectural Awards: Chairman's Award Los Angeles Business Council, 2014

photo_credit Eric Staudenmaier
Eric Staudenmaier

Status: Built
Location: Los Angeles, CA, US
Firm Role: Design Architect
Additional Credits: Architect of Record for Hotel, Plaza, and Podium: Gensler, Los Angeles; Architect of Record for Residences: Harley Ellis Devereaux, Los Angeles; Preservation Architect: Marmol Radziner & Associates, Los Angeles; Landscape: Rios Clementi Hale Studio, Los Angeles; Structural: Englekirk Structural Engineers, Los Angeles; Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing: Syska Hennessy Group, Culver City; Architectural Lighting: Horton Lees Brogden, Culver City, CA; Images: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Eric Staudenmaier

photo_credit Eric Staudenmaier
Eric Staudenmaier
Brand description

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners is an international architectural firm based in New York City.

Across six decades of practice, we have produced an exceptionally diverse portfolio of work—in scale, program, purpose, and expression. We are widely recognized for our commitment to craft, our sophisticated sense of form, our attention to shaping the public realm, and our ability to navigate complex projects and sensitive contexts.

Products applied in Commercial , Cultural , Educational , +3
References Alumil S.A
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