The Los Angeles City Council has approved a major mixed-use development designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) that will transform the city's Arts District. The 670 Mesquit complex, also known as Los Angeles Arts District (LAAD), represents a significant urban development project that has been nearly nine years in the making since initial designs were released in 2016.
Located just southeast of the Los Angeles River in the Arts District, the ambitious project will feature four interconnected, tiered buildings with the tallest structure reaching 34 stories. The complex will house approximately 895 residential units, office space, a hotel, a charter elementary school, retail establishments, recreational facilities, and green spaces designed by Studio MLA. The development represents a comprehensive approach to urban planning, combining residential, commercial, educational, and recreational programming in a single site.
According to the architectural renderings, the tallest building will occupy a corner position on the site, while the three remaining structures will stretch along the river. The design allocates specific functions to each building: the tallest will serve as office space, the smallest will contain hotel facilities, and the two central buildings will provide residential accommodations. All four structures feature a distinctive stepped design that descends on one side, with balconies lining the perimeters of each building.
BIG's design philosophy for the project draws inspiration from two distinct architectural traditions. The firm looked to the 20th-century warehouses characteristic of the area and the influential Case Study House program initiated by Arts & Architecture magazine, which commissioned architects to design affordable homes for the post-World War II economy. "The freedom of the warehouse loft meets the individual customization of the stick-built case study house," BIG explained in their design statement. "The coexistence of the two scales – the industrial and the human, the warehouse and the case-study house – turns the ancient dilemma between the generic and the specific inside out."
A notable feature of the development includes an expansive deck that will cantilever over the neighboring railway, creating space for a public park. This elevated park will provide community green space while making innovative use of the challenging urban site constraints. The integration of public amenities demonstrates the project's commitment to contributing to the broader community beyond its immediate residents and tenants.
The approval process, which concluded in late July according to local outlet Urbanize LA, marks the culmination of extensive planning and review procedures. The project's timeline reflects the complexity of large-scale urban development in Los Angeles, where such comprehensive projects must navigate various regulatory and community approval processes.
This approval comes as BIG continues to expand its presence on the West Coast, having recently opened a Los Angeles office in Santa Monica housed in a 1928 Spanish revival building. The firm is also working on a similar "pixelated" development in Toronto that is currently under construction, demonstrating BIG's continued interest in large-scale mixed-use projects that combine multiple urban functions in innovative architectural forms.
