A new hotspot for Hollywood’s creative scene is to be built in Los Angeles. The office tower, called The Star, was planned by Foster + Partners as a green spiral that spirals up into the sky of the dream factory …
Hollywood. There is probably no other part of the city that is better known worldwide than this district of Los Angeles – the epicentre of the entertainment industry. In addition to the actual “dream factory”, Hollywood also has a number of landmarks that characterise the cityscape: Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Boulevard, the Capitol Records Building, the Hollywood Sign in the Hollywood Hills.
At 6061 West Sunset Boulevard, a stone’s throw from the historic Warner Brothers Studios building, there is currently no landmark. A rather inconspicuous, three-storey concrete building with a striking glass façade stands here. But that is set to change. An office tower is to be built here according to plans by Foster + Partners which bears the descriptive name The Star. With its striking, cylindrical shape, it is set to become a new landmark. It will offer more than 525,000 square metres of space for Hollywood’s creative industry on 22 floors. Cost: around one billion dollars.
Spiral of productivity
The architecture firm designed a white, spiral-shaped tower under the personal direction of mastermind Norman Foster. This is to be used as a “vertical creative office”, as the studio describes it. In addition to spacious office areas with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, it will also offer outdoor areas with plenty of space for outdoor work. The design is also characterised by lush, spiral-shaped greenery that stretches from street level to the restaurant on the roof. The tower offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the city: from downtown Los Angeles to the Hollywood Sign and the Pacific Ocean.
We worked with leaders in the creative and technology industries to transform The Star into a project that fits perfectly into the urban fabric of Hollywood while reflecting the changing workplace.
Maggie Miracle, Geschäftsführerin von The Star LLC
The design replaces a proposal by MAD Architects from 2019, which envisaged a cable car around the building. However, this was rejected partly out of consideration for local residents. “We worked with leaders in the creative and technology industries to transform The Star into a project that fits perfectly into the urban fabric of Hollywood while reflecting the changing workplace,” says Maggie Miracle, Managing Director of The Star LLC, the property developer behind the project.
The focus is therefore on urban design, which favours natural lighting and ventilation inside the building and thus creates a “healthy and highly productive working environment”, as Foster + Partners explain. The ground floor of the building has been designed to “incorporate the street”. A large LED video screen, restaurants, a theatre and an art gallery will ensure this. A circular route around the tower is also planned to make it accessible from all sides. There will be almost 1,300 car parking spaces underground.
Hollywood’s vacancy
As in many other cities, L.A.’s commercial property market is also struggling. According to real estate broker CBRE, 22.7 per cent of office space in Hollywood was vacant in the fourth quarter of 2023 – a healthy vacancy rate would be around 10 per cent. The Star is therefore coming at an exciting time, even if the ground-breaking ceremony will not take place until 2026. “These very well-appointed office buildings are achieving the highest rents in the Hollywood market and are among the biggest deals of the last nine months,” says Petra Durnin, Head of Market Analysis at Raise Commercial Real Estate, which is not involved in the Star project.
The aim is to create a striking building that is synonymous with the images that Hollywood always evokes: innovation, creativity, fantasy and imagination. However, permission has not yet been granted by the city. However, those responsible for the project do not want to be discouraged by this; first occupancy is planned for 2029. It will be interesting to see which stars will come and go in The Star.
Text: Resi Reiner
Bilder: Foster + Partners
