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LOS ANGELES (UNITED STATES): Radical Flatness
(2015-16)
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Designers: Agence Ter (Paris) + Team
(H. Bava, A. De Nijs and A. Jiminez of Agence Ter, A. Compton, H. Varhelyl, L. Hamer of SALT, D. Murphy of Deborah Murphy Urban Design + Planning,K. Shannon of RUA, A. Paley, M. Miuhara, A. Berman of Community Arts Resources LA, Urban Programming, R. Allen, K. Contreras, O. Korchinski of Rachel Allen Architecture and numerous other consultants)
Commissioned by: ReNEW Pershing Square, result of international competition (54 teams; shortlisted as final 4; winner)
Period of design: 2015-present
NORTH AMERICA
Inscription in the City
Pershing Square has inscribed itself in the heart of Los Angeles, a place of opportunities, an active metropolis, and a city of dreams, where it is ready to contribute to the transformation
The Transformation of Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown is changing. A place of continuous transformation, the historic center of Los Angeles is rediscovering itself and its intrinsic richness. Not only is downtown in a state of architectural revival, it is poised to generate a rebirth of public life. Our aim is to contribute in a significant way to this dynamic reinvention of urbanity in the very center of the city.
Agence Ter + Team developed a vision for Pershing Square: a compelling destination in Los Angeles and at the same time a new paradigm of public space, integrating social and cultural life, nature and the urban fabric. A timeless design, elegant in its simplicity, reintroduces nature and gardens to the center of Downtown. It installs a vibrant, open and dynamic heart in the city.
Flattening the Raised Plinth
This action reflects the original condition of Pershing Square, like in 1920s images, when street and park were on the same level. Historic images reveal as well that
nature was an important element for the square and that shade was ever-present.
A Vision for Pershing Square: Hybrid of Plaza and Park
The approach to the ‘square’ is to reconcile nature and city, creating an attractive hybrid between plaza and park. It combines the best of both worlds and allows for a variety of activities (ranging from passers-by, lunch breaks, leisure time to cultural events) and a range of users (from individuals to families to messy concert crowds).
Solutions to mobility issues, social challenges and programmatic questions are at the heart of the renewed Pershing Square. The goal was to turn challenges into opportunities, by creating a transparent, democratic and accessible space connected to its immediate context and resonant across the entire city.
Structuring Elements
Pershing Square will be constructed by a number of elements that link urban and natural ecologies. The main project elements, the smart canopy with various programmed boxes
Inclusivity and Accessibility in Urban Design
As a large and inviting space, Pershing Square will be returned to street level, continuous with the surrounding sidewalks, accessible from every direction and for everyone, without any stairs or walls: a radical flatness. Downtown is inclusive. One of the biggest opportunities of downtown is its myriad of places and people.
The reality of a diverse urban environment is that it is rich in inspiration. For a renewed Pershing Square, we aim to create a radically open public space for downtown that welcomes all of Los Angeles without hesitation, embracing residents, workers and visitors alike.
A New Relationship Between Park and City
This crucial intervention of flattening the square brings back the visual line of sight across Pershing Square and transforms the relationships between the park and the city. There will be a new relationship between: the park and the sidewalks, the sidewalks and the streets, the streets and the buildings, Angelenos and Downtown Los Angeles. In this way, we will reactivate the heart of downtown.
The challenges are many and expectations are justifiably high, but in the end, the only real challenge is to meet all these expectations in a place that will be beautiful, astonishing, and simple. The new Pershing Square reflects contemporary values of democracy, inclusiveness, and sustainability in a simple yet spectacular series of spaces, ready to welcome everyone.
The smallest garden will be dedicated to edible natives and will mostly be pedagogic and community-oriented. The garden recalls the original image of the Southern California citrus garden, but reinterprets it by including other native vegetable and fruiting plants. Interpretative signage indicates the historic importance of these plants for sustaining the region's early communities.
The central open space will contain a raised-bed vegetable garden that can be maintained by local organizations and schools. It is surrounded by plants in several strata: vegetables (lowest), shrub underneath the fruit trees (low layer), fruit trees (medium layer), tree canopy (high layer).
This garden primarily consists of ornamental grasses, indicating lots of movement and texture, as in the Channel Islands, windy meadows and the Southern Californian desert. As it is the largest garden in size, the plants are positioned in a way that allows for close interaction with the visitors. Soft and fuzzy natives are stimulating visitors to touch and experience the plants.The Wind Garden benefits from ample direct light entering in the center through the tree canopy. A central playground structure enlivens up the garden. The plants create a protected feeling around the central space and are light, airy and limited in height in order to assure a continuous visibility throughout the garden's edges.