These 9 Buildings Will Soon Change the Los Angeles Skyline

Grandiose works of architecture might not immediately spring to mind when thinking of Los Angeles, the booming metropolis paved with traffic-choked freeways and dotted with movie sets. But the city is indeed home to some ravishing buildings, boasting historic landmarks by Frank Lloyd Wright , Richard Neutra, and Julia Morgan. And a few recent additions have drawn widespread acclaim, such as Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s Broad Museum , which opened its doors in 2015. In the coming years, the city is poised to add even more panache to its architectural treasure trove, with famed talents including Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano , and Ma Yansong making their mark on an already iconic cityscape. Below, AD has rounded up nine of the most exciting new projects.

Set to officially open next year, the 1,100-foot-tall Wilshire Grand Center in downtown L.A. is slated to become the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The 73-story edifice, which was designed by the firm AC Martin, will include a 900-room hotel, 400,000 square feet of office space, and assorted retail and restaurant tenants.

Earlier this summer Gensler unveiled its sprawling plan for the AltaSea project, an initiative aimed at utilizing marine resources to solve issues relating to energy, climate change, and food shortages. The 35-acre campus is set to rise in phases over the next 20 years at the Port of Los Angeles City Dock No. 1, and will include a mix of ultra-sustainable new structures and historic restorations.

Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano masterminded the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures now rising on Wilshire Boulevard’s Museum Row. The innovative design, which incorporates the 1938 May Company Department Store Building, will create an instant landmark with its iconic “bubble.” The institution, run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is due to open in the spring of 2018.

This striking mixed-use structure going up in Beverly Hills is the first U.S. project of visionary Chinese architect Ma Yansong, founder of Beijing-based MAD Architects. Known as 8600 Wilshire, the building will comprise a cluster of white-glass-sheathed residences atop a retail base, inspired by the idea of an organic hilltop community.

In 2009 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art tapped Swiss architect Peter Zumthor to completely reimagine its Miracle Mile campus. He responded with a 400,000-square-foot curving structure that will ultimately replace four of the institution’s current buildings. This past April it was announced that two LACMA donors had pledged $75 million for the project, accelerating plans to break ground by 2018.

Construction on this 25-story residential building, designed by HansonLA and Handel Architects, is slated to wrap up by the end of the year. Known as TEN50, the 151-unit luxury building will be downtown L.A.’s first new condo development in a decade.

In February, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow announced she was working with the London-based Arts Club to develop its Los Angeles iteration, to be located on a prime stretch of the Sunset Strip. Gensler was enlisted to transform the plot’s current structure into a nine-story, members-only oasis, complete with a wellness spa, nightclub, and cinema.

This 283-unit residential tower, known as Ten Thousand, will soon form a new gateway to L.A.’s Century City district. Developed by the firm Crescent Heights, the 40-story glass building features a sleek design from Handel Architects and will boast interiors by Shamir Shah Design.

Earlier this month, L.A.’s planning commission gave the green light to Frank Gehry’s West Hollywood megaproject , to be located at 8150 Sunset Boulevard. Composed of five interlocking structures, which will feature the architect’s famous undulating façades, the complex is planned to house 249 residences, a market, an eatery, and shops.